The Sage Handbook of Social Media Marketing

About this course

This Specialization guides learners through the core domains of social media marketing. The first course introduces foundational concepts such as B2C strategies, cross-cultural influences, consumer culture in social networks, and types of online communities. Participants gain insight into social media’s impact on engagement patterns, equipping them to design informed marketing approaches. The second course focuses on research methods and analytics. Learners explore big data techniques, digital dialogue analysis, sentiment tracking, social contagion, eye-tracking research, geopolitical platform effects, and social shopping in China, emphasizing evidence-based decisions. The third course covers tactical applications, ethical considerations, and emerging trends. Learners study influencer marketing, paid/owned/earned media, brand content, virtual influencers, visual communication, memes, emojis, employee advocacy, service recovery, platform exit strategies, metrics, A/B testing, reputation management, and ethics in influencer engagement. This Specialization is based on the book, The Sage Handbook of Social Media Marketing, by Annmarie Hanlon and Tracy L. Tuten.

Course objectives

• equip learners with the skills to understand consumer behavior on social media
• teach effective research methods and analytics for social media
• prepare students to address ethical considerations in social media marketing