M04-04 · AI + Content & Marketing Strategy

Social Media Strategy and Management

Teaches students to develop and execute social media strategies across platforms using scheduling tools and data-driven optimization. Covers platform-specific strategy (LinkedIn for B2B, Instagram for visual brands, TikTok for video-first audiences, Twitter/X for tech communities), content calendar development, social media scheduling and approval workflows, social analytics, social listening, and community management.

25 Hours

6 Learning objectives

Evaluate Bloom's ceiling (?)

4 Competencies

What You'll Be Able To Do

Learning Objectives

Objectives

Depth

Design platform-specific social media strategies that align content type, tone, posting frequency, and CTA approach to each platform's audience behavior Create
Apply social media scheduling and approval workflows using Sprout Social or Buffer, including multi-client account management, team approvals, and content queuing Apply
Analyze social media performance metrics (engagement rate, reach, clicks, conversion events, follower growth) to identify top-performing content types and optimal posting patterns Analyze
Create content calendars spanning 2-4 weeks that balance content mix (40% educational, 30% product, 20% social proof, 10% culture) with campaign timing and platform requirements Create
Apply social listening and community management practices including monitoring brand mentions, responding to audience engagement, and escalating reputation issues Apply
Evaluate a brand's social media presence by auditing current performance, comparing against industry benchmarks, and identifying specific improvement opportunities Evaluate

Levels: Remember · Understand · Apply · Analyze · Evaluate · Create — highest demands most original thinking.

Core Competencies

What You'll Master

Platform-Specific Strategy

LinkedIn (B2B thought leadership), Instagram (visual storytelling, Reels, Stories), TikTok (short-form video, trending audio), Twitter/X (real-time engagement, threads), platform selection based on audience.

Content Calendar Management

Multi-client editorial planning, content mix balancing, campaign coordination, batch scheduling, maintaining variety across clients in the same industry.

Social Analytics & Optimization

Engagement rate benchmarking (3%+ for Instagram), click-through tracking, conversion attribution from social, A/B testing post formats, data-driven content adjustments.

Community Management

Social listening tools, brand mention monitoring, response protocols, crisis detection, audience engagement, turning comments into content opportunities.

Portfolio Artifact

What You'll Build

Social Media Strategy and Execution Plan — Student creates a social media strategy for 2 simulated brands in different industries: platform-specific strategies with rationale for platform selection, 4-week content calendars with 60+ scheduled posts across platforms, a social audit of a real brand with benchmarked recommendations, a community management protocol with response templates and escalation procedures, and a monthly analytics report with performance insights and next-month recommendations.

Tools You'll Use

Industry Tools, Not Toy Projects

Sprout Social / Buffer

Social media scheduling, analytics, and management platforms for multi-client content publishing.

Canva

Visual design tool for creating social media graphics, stories, carousels, and video thumbnails.

Native Platforms

Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok, and Twitter/X for direct publishing, engagement, and platform-native analytics.

Google Sheets

Content calendar backup, performance tracking, and cross-platform metrics documentation.

Claude

AI assistant for caption drafting, content ideation, and social strategy development.

Notion

Content planning and editorial workflow management for multi-client social operations.