We have seen a rise of social media certification programs over the years. One of the ones I have been a huge fan of of course is Hootsuite University, providing students with the great opportunity to learn and grow as young professionals on social media. However, there are others like Google Analytics and Cision University to name a few.
However, Facebook has put its hat into this realm of social media certification by offering Blueprint for anyone that has a Facebook account. This certification tool covers 34 classes dedicated to Facebook for brands and marketers to set themselves apart from others as well as help them with their respective campaigns.
I think that this is an interesting move for Facebook, but one that I think we are going to see more of from other social media brands. This showcases the growing need to share insights, best practices, and evolving trends from specific platforms.
We still have a need to look at the overall strategy and creative implementation of social media (which I think Hootsuite is leading the way in this realm). However, we also need strong understanding principles for analytics (Google Analytics) and how to pitch and engage with media outlets both in traditional and social media capacities (Cision University). With Facebook Blueprint, I think this will allow professionals and professors to incorporate these practices into their own work as well as integrate these resources into the classroom.
FB Blueprint list of classes [FB, 2015]
Where would Facebook Blueprint fit in a class? I’d say this could be used not only in a social media class, but a campaign style or strategy course. There are a ton of different FB Blueprint courses to take and view for your classes. I think there are several lessons that could be highlighted here for students to take advantage of and integrate as part of their evolving toolkit they have as young professionals. As professors, we have to make sure to provide students.
Overall, I think what we are seeing here with this new trend is the rising business of certification programs and continuing learning initiatives from brands. The market is not just for brands and fellow professionals, but students and professors should also take advantage of these great learning tools and opportunities.
Hope you all are having a great day!
