How Organizations are Spending in Social Media Training

Krista Neher

Nov 04 2011

The Altimeter Group launched a report earlier this year about how companies are spending on social media.  One of the things that really struck me was the reported spending in social media training.

According to the report, companies are spending an average of $23k on social media training, with advanced companies spending $66k on social media training for their organization.

Why Social Media Training is So Important

We work with many companies of different shapes and sizes, all the way from small businesses where the entrepreneur is implementing a DIY strategy to large multinational organizations, and one thing that they all have in common is the need to continue to learn and educate themselves in social media and digital marketing.

The reason that social media training is so important is because consumers are adopting social technologies quicker than ever before.  Consumers change faster, so companies need to be able to change faster to stay relevant to their customers.

Unlike traditional marketing, which doesn’t really change rapidly, social media tools, strategies and tactics evolve much quicker.  This makes training more important than ever.

How to get Started with Social Media Training

Getting started with a social media training program can be a big or small undertaking depending on the size of your organization, the number of people being trained and the amount of training required.

Social media training is a little different than other training in that it isn’t a one-time shot.  Social media changes quickly, so a longer term learning plan is more appropriate to be sure that you are staying on top of the latest trends and keeping skills up to date.

Here are some steps to get started:

1. Assess the current level of your organization – know your starting point so that you can identify the biggest opportunities.  We usually issues surveys or quizzes to organizations to help understand the starting point.
2. Get feedback – Again, poll your organization to understand what they are interested in learning about – this may surprise you!
3. Get Internal Alignment – Make sure that all of your key stakeholders are aligned on your social media training plan. Allow as many individuals in the organization to participate as possible – social media execution will involve many different groups within your organization.
4. Assess Vendors – Look for social media training organizations that you can work with to provide the training.  Look for companies that specialize in digital and are specifically geared towards training vs. hiring a social media consultant.
5. Decide WHERE you want your organization to be – Consider where you are NOW and where you want TO BE.  What is the desired outcome after the training?  Knowing where you want to go can help you build a great plan, and select the right training organization.
6. Build a Learning Plan – Build a complete 360 degree learning program for your organization.  This may include live training, webinars or online modules.  They key to success is to understand what your entire plan looks like to train your organization.
7. Consider if the Training is HIGHER LEVEL or HANDS on – When looking at how your organization will benefit from social media or digital marketing training, be sure to understand how the different parts of your organization will actually use social media and the level of social media that is required.

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