Join us for our Abingdon, Witney and Bicester Open Days, register now!

Work for us

Join Abingdon & Witney College, an award-winning employer

Work for Us

Search Website

Search our website for news, courses, and general information

Social Media for Business - Beginners

Course code: P05714

Subject area: Business

Study level: Part Time

Course level: U

Course details

Course time:

19:00 - 21:00

Days of week:

Thursday

Course date:

12th Nov 2026 - 17th Dec 2026

Course location:

Abingdon Campus

Contact details

Phone:

01235 555 585

Social media is the connective tissue of the digital landscape. Over the years, businesses of all sizes and sectors have begun to understand this and use social for their own strategical means, joining in on the connections, conversations, and knowledge sharing that takes place every day. Whether it's building brand awareness or selling products, developing a cohesive and relevant social marketing strategy should be integral to any business' wider company goals.

This course provides you with a firmer understanding of the different and latest techniques and tactics you can use to boost your businesses on social networks. Across six weeks, you will cover a wide range of topics:

Week 1: An introduction to social media and engagement, what social media marketing is and how it has developed • "Where are we now?": looking at the current landscape of social channels • Understand the uses and impact of social media for businesses

Week 2: Selecting and optimising a social platform • Understand the difference between paid, earned, and owned media • Customer journeys on social • Identify the hidden costs of social media

Week 3: Developing a social media strategy – Part 1 • Understand the importance of a social media strategy • Identify the types of social media campaign • Understand the different types of KPIs and how to use them for your social media activities

Week 4 – Social listening • Develop social listening to understand customer preferences/profiles, and competitor actions • Developing community engagement • Making the most of UGC (user generated content), affiliates and influencers

Week 5: Building a content strategy and implementing a plan • Learn to build a content plan • Learn how to meet specific platform requirements • Implementing a plan on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn

Week 6: Developing a social media strategy – Part 2 • Creating a basic strategy to get you and your business started

Please note – to ensure a smooth start to the course, you should have business pages on social networks set up prior to starting.

Please note there are no classes during half term.

What next?
Social Media for Business – Improvers.
Entry criteria
Whilst there are no formal entry requirements for this course a basic understanding of social networks including operating your own account such as facebook or X would be beneficial. Basic level of maths and English (written and spoken) and digital literacy. You will be contacted by a member of the team to confirm that you are the correct course.

Please note - you should be 19 years old or over at 31st August 2026 prior to starting the course.

Fee information
As part of your course we may organise trips to assist you with your learning. Trips are optional, and you will not be penalised if you choose not to participate.

There are bursaries available to help you with other course costs. Call 01235 216 212 for more information.

The rules on fee reduction are complicated and we would encourage you to talk to our Admissions staff on 01235 216 400 to discuss your options. You can find more information on our Fees and Bursaries page - search "Fees and Bursaries" at the top of the page.

Co-Funded Fee (19+)

£119.76

Reduced Fee (19+)

£59.88