5 Best Community Management Courses and Certifications Online (2024)

The role of a social media community manager can seem daunting sometimes. Here are the best community management courses online for beginners.

Congratulations! Your online community is rapidly growing and flourishing. But what next?

How do you continue to provide for the needs of new users while maintaining strong relationships with your original audience?

Here are the best community management courses to guide you as you grow your social media platforms and online business.

These courses will introduce you to innovative ways to monitor your brand and obtain unfiltered feedback, so you can effectively engage with your community and turn both current and prospective customers into loyal fans.

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What are the Best Community Management Courses?

Here are the best community management courses to enroll in online this year:

1. Introduction to Community Management

This course on Domestika is one of the best places to start if you're new to community management.

In the course, Ana Marín, director of digital integration of McCann Worldgroup Mexico, teaches you everything you need to know about capturing the attention of consumers in social networks.

First, you will learn about the main responsibilities of a community manager and the sort of work they do behind the social networks of brands.

Next, you will enter the digital ecosystem of community management, by learning the most used terms in the trade.

Then, after building a clearer picture of your users, content and competition through a GAP Analysis, you will learn to use social media management tools to take advantage of lucrative, real-time opportunities for your brand.

Course Syllabus:

Introduction
Functions and responsibilities
Understanding the digital ecosystem
Your brand, competition and content
Content planning and production
Metrics and final recommendations
Final Project

Before enrolling in this course, you should have a lot of interest in the digital world and be familiar with the main social networks such as Facebook, YouTube, Instagram and Twitter.

Key course features:

22 Lessons (3h 9m)
26 Additional resources (8 files)
Online and at your own pace
Available from the app
Audio: English, Spanish
Subtitles in Spanish, English, Portuguese, German, French, Italian
Level: Beginner
Unlimited access forever
Certificate upon completion of the course

=> Enroll in the Introduction to Community Management course here.

2. Community Management Mastery

Looking to earn a community management certification? Then this is the course for you.

Long gone are the days when brands considered online communities to be an "option."

Today, online audiences are begging to connect with brands who create valuable, real-life relationships that go beyond transactional interactions.

Community managers exist to bring customers together who are passionate (not just about your product, but) about the same end goal.

In Community Management Mastery, you'll become a Certified Community Management Specialist.

You will discover:

How to determine which of the 8 types of communities your business needs based on how your members define their common bond

The crucial difference between marketing communication and community conversations

What metrics you should use to measure success and how to prove a positive ROI in your community management efforts

The best ways to encourage every type of member to engage with the community — no matter if they're "newbies" or "salty veterans"

What to look for when choosing a community platform like Facebook Groups, forums, or other social community platforms

How to maintain a safe, comfortable environment for your members and what to do when trolls start invading your posts (even if you're a team of one)

The certification is offered by experts at DigitalMarketer.com, a premier online community for digital marketing professionals.

As such, the course creators have direct experience running companies (both online and offline) in B2B and B2C markets, selling everything from cosmetics to camping equipment to industrial water filters and everything in-between.

In other words, they aren't just researchers or journalists...they actually use the methods they teach.

Program Syllabus:

Module 1: Start here
Module 2: Community Positioning
Module 3: Growing Your Community
Module 4: Community-Building Content
Module 5: Creating a Tribe
Module 6: Moderation
Module 7: Community Metrics and Tools

The course includes 7 modules of intensive training, with 58 lessons, 12 handouts, 7 quizzes (one for each section), and a final exam.

70% or better is required to pass the exam. But don't worry - you'll have 3 attempts to pass.

Upon successful completion of the course you will receive a badge designating you as a Certified Community Management Specialist and a digital, printable certificate suitable for framing.

Key course features:

Level: Intermediate/Advanced
Setting: Online/Virtual
Course Length: 6 Hours
Expected Completion Time: 3 - 7 Days

=> Enroll in the Community Management Mastery Certification here.

3. Instagram for Business: Build an Engaged Community

Whether you’re an entrepreneur, a blogger, a maker, or a member of a marketing team, Instagram is a powerful storytelling platform that can expand your brand's reach.

In this Skillshare course, you'll join Instagram marketing strategist Tyler McCall as he shares his fresh, authentic approach to building a vibrant digital community.

You’ll learn how to:

Establish your audience and set the right objectives
Create visuals that “stop the scroll”
Craft an authentic voice
Use comments, hashtags and locations to build community
Measure success with Iconosquare, a social media analytics and management platform

Course Syllabus:

Introduction
Getting Started
Establish Your Audience
Determine Your Objective
Craft Your Story
Find Your Voice
Create Your Visuals
Put it Into Action
Engage Your Community
Measure Success
Bonus: Instagram Stories
Final Thoughts
What's Next?

The class includes a hands-on project where you'll download Tyler's worksheets, work through them along with him, and then take what you've learned to craft one super effective Instagram post.

In just 90 minutes, you'll be set up with a concrete strategy that will help you create the right content, connect with your followers, and craft an authentic presence with tangible results.

=> Sign up and enroll for free in the Instagram for Business class.

4. Social Media Strategy for Events

So you know how to use social media platforms...but are you taking full advantage of them to promote your company's events?

In this course taught by Nathalie Koutia, Communications Director and Social Media Manager for OFFF Festival, you'll learn useful tips and tricks to help your event take off on social media.

You'll start by getting to know Natalie, what influences her work, and how she began specializing in social media through her personal projects.

Then, you'll identify your What, How, and Why so you can use social media effectively, generate excitement, and build anticipation for your future event.

Once you've answered these questions, you'll learn to choose the right platform for your event, design a social media campaign and event brief, create engaging copy, and schedule your posts to keep your audience asking for more.

Course Syllabus:

Introduction
Preparation: First Things First, Let's Go Down the Basics
Production: Welcome to My World
Post Production: What's Next?
Final Project

Key course features:

13 Lessons (1h 26m)
13 Additional resources (4 files)
Online and at your own pace
Available from the app
Audio: English
Subtitles in English, Spanish, Portuguese, German, French, Italian
Level: BEGINNER
Unlimited access forever
Certificate upon completion of the course

=> Enroll in the Social Media Strategy for Events online course here.

5. Community Management Fundamentals

Community Management Fundamentals is another one of the best community management courses on Domestika.

The course instructor, Hana Jay Klokner, has been working with brands to perfect their community management strategy for over ten years, with a client list of major brands that include Amazon, glh Hotels, and the United Nations.

In this course, she teaches you how to build an active, vibrant, and engaged community of followers for your brand.

More specifically, she walks you through the fundamentals of community management and how it differs from social media management.

She also shares a fun method for defining your target audience using data, and shows you how to develop your brand's personality through social listening.

Course Syllabus:

Introduction
Community Management 101
From Foundation to a Thriving Community
Community Management: Best Practices
Final Project

By following Hana’s expert advice and case study, you'll discover how to build a strong community management strategy from scratch.

Overall, this course is designed for anyone interested in growing a brand, as well as for business owners, social media managers, marketers, and all those who want to improve their personal branding.

Key course features:

21 Lessons (4h 1m)
23 Additional resources (11 files)
Online and at your own pace
Available from the app
Audio: English
English, Spanish, Portuguese, German, French, Italian
Level: Beginner
Unlimited access forever
Certificate upon completion of the course

=> Enroll in the Community Management Fundamentals course here.

Final Thoughts

So, if you can only pick one, which of the above community management courses should you enroll in?

Well, if you can afford it, I recommend enrolling in the Community Management Mastery course, since it's the most comprehensive community management certification you'll find online.

If you're an agency or other marketing professional, you already know how important certifications are to distancing yourself from the competition.

However, if you're mainly here for the knowledge (which is totally fine), then any of the other courses above will work quite well as a short and sweet introduction to community management.

Happy learning!