6:00 PM to 9:00 PM and Online
This course provides a comprehensive overview of the field of social media marketing. Students will gain a deep understanding of what social media marketing entails, including the various social media platforms that are available. Focus will be on best practices for creating engaging content, developing a comprehensive social media marketing strategy, and effectively managing and measuring the impact of social media campaigns. Through hands-on activities and real-world case studies, students will learn how to select the right social media platforms for their business, target their audience, and create a marketing plan that effectively meets their goals. By the end of this course, students will have the skills and knowledge necessary to develop and execute a successful social media marketing plan.
COGT 1213 and MKTG 1553 - Must be completed prior to taking this course.
This course provides a comprehensive overview of the field of social media marketing. Students will gain a deep understanding of what social media marketing entails, including the various social media platforms that are available. The course will focus on best practices for creating engaging content, developing a comprehensive social media marketing strategy, and effectively managing and measuring the impact of social media campaigns. Through hands-on activities and real-world case studies, students will learn how to select the right social media platforms for their business, target their audience, and create a marketing plan that effectively meets their goals. By the end of this course, students will have the skills and knowledge necessary to develop and execute a successful social media marketing plan.
Faculty Contact Information
Available by apointment.
Bre Settle
Email: bsettle@kcc.edu
Course Information
At the end of this course, students will be able to:
- Define social media and how does it differ from traditional media.
- Describe the elements of social identity.
- Describe how social networks are structured.
- Define the steps in social media marketing strategic planning.
- Define a social media marketing tactical plan.
- Describe how social networking communities enable user participation and sharing.
- Describe the channels of social publishing.
- Define and contrast social entertainment and branded entertainment.
- Define the relationship between social commerce and e-commerce.
- Interpret how companies utilize social media data and research to inform marketing decision.
- Analyze the metrics in a social media marketing program.
- Create targeted content (video, illustrations, photos, text-based posts)
- Explain why infographics are so popular as online content
- Design a graphic designers and/or marketing infographic resume
- Week 1, The Social Media Environment
- Week 2, Social Consumers
- Week 3, Network Structure and Group Influences in Social Media
- Week 4, Social Media Marketing Strategy
- Week 5, Tactical Planning and Execution
- Week 6, Social Community
- Week 7, Social Publishing
- Week 8, Social Entertainment
- Week 9, Social Commerce
- Week 10, Social Media Analytics
- Week 11, Social Media Metrics
- Week 12, The Case Study Zone
- Week 13, The Science of Infographics
- Week 14, Online Infographics
- Week 15, Infographics and SEO
- Week 16, Infographic Resumes
Required Textbook(s)
Name: Social Media Marketing
Author: Tracy L. Tuten
ISBN: 978-1-5297-3199-6
Publisher: Sage Publications Ltd.
Copyright 2021
Edition: 4th
Name: Cool Infographics: Effective Communication with Data Visualization and Design
Authors: Randy Krum
ISBN: 978-1118582305
Publishers: Wiley
Copyright: 2013
Required Supplies:
Cell phone
Headphones/earbuds
Web camera
External hard drive
Grading for the course will be based on study questions, quizzes, platform projects, final project, final exam, class attendance/conduct.
Program Grading Scale
Grade Points
A 900-1000
B 800-899
C 700-799
D 600-699
F 599 or less
Point Distribution:
Study Questions: 150 Points
Quizzes: 150 Points
Platform projects 400 Points
Final Project: 100 Points
Final Exam: 120 Points
Attendance/Conduct: 80 Points
Business, Technology & Human Services
Dean, Paul Carlson; 815-802-8858; V105; pcarlson@kcc.edu; Division Office – W102; 815-802-8650
or information related to the Student Code of Conduct Policy, Withdrawal Policy, Email Policy, and Non- Attendance/Non-Participation Policy, please review the college’s Code of Campus Affairs and Regulations webpage, which can be found at catalog.kcc.edu under the Academic Regulations & Conduct Guide.
KCC offers various academic and personal resources for all students. Many services are offered virtually, as well as in person. Please visit Student Resources - Kankakee Community College to access student resources services such as:
- Clubs and organizations
- Counseling and referral services
- Office of disability services
- Student complaint policy
- Transfer services
- Tutoring services, etc.
The materials on this course are only for the use of students enrolled in this course for purposes associated with this course. Further information regarding KCC's copyright policy is available at https://kcc.libguides.com/copyright.
|Course syllabus/calendar is subject to change.
Week 1, The Social Media Environment 1/14/2026
Learning Objectives:
- What is social media? How are social media similar to, yet different from, traditional media?
- How does the Social Media Value Chain explain the relationships among the Internet, social media channels, social software, and the Internet-enabled devices we use for access and participation?
- What are the major zones of social media that make up the channels, modes, and vehicles for social media participation?
- What is social media marketing? What marketing objectives can organizations meet when they incorporate social media in their marketing mix?
- Create a Facebook account
In-Class Activities:
- Review Syllabus
- Review Canvas
- Review Intellectual Property
- Reading Assignment: Chapter 1 – Tuten
- Study Questions – The Social Media Environment, Due Week 1 – By the end of class
- Platform Project: Facebook, Due Week 3 – Friday, January 30th 9:00 PM
Week 2, Social Consumers 1/21/2026
Learning Objectives:
- Why do social media marketers need to understand the behavior of consumer segments? What are the bases of segmentation used to group consumers?
- What are the elements of social identity? How do individuals build their social identities? How are these identities relevant to marketers?
- What behaviors are exhibited by people using social media? To what extent are people participating in the four zones of social media?
- How can we explain the motives for participation in social media activities? What attitudes are most relevant for our understanding of social consumer behavior?
- What are the most important segments of social media consumers? What do they tell us about targeting users of the social web?
- Define your target audience and their customer journey in Facebook
- Create targeted content in Facebook
Before Class Activities:
- Reading Assignment: Chapter 2 - Tuten
- Study Questions – Social Consumers, Due Week 2 – Tuesday 9:00 PM
In-Class Activities:
- Quiz: The Social Media Environment – In-class only
- Platform Project: Facebook, Due Week 3 – Friday, January 30th 9:00 PM
Week 3, Network Structure and Group Influences in Social Media 1/28/2026
Learning Objectives:
- How are social networks structured?
- What is flow and how do ideas travel in a community?
- What are the characteristics of online communities? What are social objects and memes valuable?
- What role do influencers play and what are their sources of power and social capital? Why is influencer marketing an important part of social media marketing?
- Create a Twitter account
- Define your target audience and their customer journey in Twitter
- Create targeted content in Twitter
Before Class Activities:
- Reading Assignment: Chapter 3 - Tuten
- Study Questions: Network Structure and Group Influences in Social Media, Due Week 3 – Tuesday 9:00 PM
In-Class Activities:
- Quiz: Social Consumers – In-class only
- Platform Project: Facebook, Due Week 3 – Friday, January 30th 9:00 PM
- Platform Project: Twitter, Due Week 5 – Friday, February 13th 9:00 PM
Week 4, Social Media Marketing Strategy 2/4/2026
Learning Objectives:
- Where does social media marketing planning fit into an organization’s overall planning framework?
- What are the phases of social media marketing maturity? How does social media marketing change for companies as they shift from trail phase to transition phase and eventually move into the strategic phase?
- What are the steps in social media marketing strategic planning?
- How can organizations structure themselves to support social media marketing?
- What are the key components of an organizational social media policy, and why is it important to have such a policy in place?
- Define your target audience and their customer journey in Twitter
- Create targeted content in Twitter
Before Class Activities:
- Reading Assignment: Chapter 4 - Tuten
- Study Questions: Social Media Marketing Strategy, Due Week 4 – Tuesday 9:00 PM
In-Class Activities:
- Quiz: Network Structure and Group Influences in Social Media – In-Class only
- Platform Project: Twitter, Due Week 5 – Friday, February 13th 9:00 PM
Week 5, Tactical Planning and Execution 2/11/2026
Learning Objectives:
- What is a social media marketing tactical plan and how does it support the execution of a social media marketing strategy?
- What is a channel plan and how is it used?
- How does a content plan relate to experience strategies? What are the elements included in the content plan?
- What is an editorial calendar and what should be considered in developing the calendar?
- How do social media teams manage the roles, tasks, and schedules related to executing social media tactics?
- Create a LinkedIn account
- Define your target audience and their customer journey in LinkedIn
- Create targeted content in LinkedIn
Before Class Activities:
- Reading Assignment: Chapter 5 - Tuten
- Study Questions: Tactical Planning and Execution, Due Week 5 – Tuesday 9:00 PM
In-Class Activities:
- Quiz: Media Marketing Strategy – In-Class only
- Platform Project: Twitter, Due Week 5 – Friday, February 13th 9:00 PM
- Platform Project: LinkedIn, Due Week 7 – Friday, February 27th 9:00 PM
Week 6, Social Community 2/18/2026
Learning Objectives:
- How do social networking communities enable user participation and sharing?
- In what ways can brands utilize social networking communities for branding and promotion?
- How can brands reach consumers organically using social network sites? What characteristics do brand fans exhibit?
- What forms of paid media can be used in social communities? Why is paid media important to social media marketers?
- Define your target audience and their customer journey in LinkedIn
- Create targeted content in LinkedIn
Before Class Activities:
- Reading Assignment: Chapter 6 – Tuten
- Study Questions: Social Community, Due Week 6 – Tuesday 9:00 PM
In-Class Activities:
- Quiz: Tactical Planning and Execution – In-Class only
- Platform Project: LinkedIn, Due Week 7 – Friday, February 27th 9:00 PM
Week 7, Social Publishing 2/25/2026
Learning Objectives:
- What are the channels of social publishing?
- Who creates the content published in social channels? What kind of content can be published?
- What content characteristics enhance perceived content quality and value? How can marketers plan and organize their efforts as they embrace a social publishing strategy?
- What is the role of social publishing in social media marketing? How do social media marketers utilize search engine optimization and social media optimization to meet marketing objectives?
- How can social content be promoted? What role do social news and social bookmarking sites play in content promotion?
- Create an Instagram account
- Define your target audience and their customer journey in Instagram
- Create targeted content in Instagram
Before Class Activities:
- Reading Assignment: Chapter 7 - Tuten
- Study Questions: Social Publishing, Due Week 7 – Tuesday 9:00 PM
In-Class Activities:
- Quiz: Social Community – In-Class only
- Platform Project: LinkedIn, Due Week 7 – Friday, February 27th 9:00 PM
- Platform Project: Instagram, Due Week 9 – Friday, March 13th 9:00 PM
Week 8, Social Entertainment 3/4/2026
Learning Objectives:
- What is social entertainment? What is branded entertainment? How is it distinguished from content marketing used in social publishing?
- How can social media marketers use social entertainment to meet branding objectives? Why is social entertainment an effective approach for engaging target audiences?
- What are characteristics of social games and gamer segments? How can marketers effectively use social games? How are alternate reality games different from other social games?
- How are brands using original digital video as a social entertainment tactic?
- In what ways are marketers using social music, social video and television, and social celebrity to share brand messaging?
- Define your target audience and their customer journey in Instagram
- Create targeted content in Instagram
Before Class Activities:
- Reading Assignment: Chapter 8 - Tuten
- Study Questions: Social Entertainment, Due Week 8 – Tuesday 9:00 PM
In-Class Activities:
- Quiz: Social Publishing – In-Class only
- Platform Project: Instagram, Due Week 9 – Friday, March 13th 9:00 PM
Spring Break – College Closed March 9-13, 2026
Week 9, Social Commerce 3/18/2026
Learning Objectives:
- What is the relationship between social commerce and e-commerce? How are mobile devices and software applications influencing the development of social commerce?
- How do social shoppers use social media as they move through the consumer decision-making process? Which social commerce elements should marketers employ to meet social shoppers’ needs?
- How do ratings and reviews provide value for consumers and marketers?
- What are the psychological factors that influence social shopping?
- Define your target audience and their customer journey in Instagram
- Create targeted content in Instagram
Before Class Activities:
- Reading Assignment: Chapter 9 - Tuten
- Study Questions: Social Commerce, Due Week 9 – Tuesday 9:00 PM
In-Class Activities:
- Quiz: Social Entertainment – In-Class only
- Platform Project: Instagram, Due Week 9 – Friday, March 20th 9:00 PM
- Platform Project: Pinterest, Due Week 11 – Friday, April 3rd 9:00 PM
Week 10, Social Media Analytics & Metrics 3/25/2026
Learning Objectives:
- How do companies utilize social media data and research to inform marketing decisions? What are the primary approaches to social media research?
- What is the research process for collecting, processing, and analyzing residual social media data used in social listening and monitoring?
- What are common errors and biases associated with social media research?
- How do brands develop social intelligence systems?
- What is the process for netnographic research in social media communities?
- Create a Pinterest account
- Define your target audience and their customer journey in Pinterest
- Create targeted content in Pinterest
- What is the role of metrics in social media marketing programs? How should metric vary according to the level of decision-making in the organization?
- How can the marketing funnel, customer journey, and levels of engagement guide marketing objectives and appropriate choice of KPIs?
- What are the steps in the DATA approach to measurement? What are the three types of metrics?
- How do we calculate social media ROI?
- How is A/B testing used to assess the costs and value of social media tactics?
- How do we track social media results?
- Define your target audience and their customer journey in Pinterest
- Create a YouTube account
Before Class Activities:
- Reading Assignment: Chapters 10 & 11 - Tuten
- Study Questions: Social Media Analytics, Due Week 10 – Tuesday 9:00 PM
In-Class Activities:
- Quiz: Social Commerce – In-Class only
- Platform Project: Pinterest, Due Week 11 – Friday, April 3rd 9:00 PM
Week 11, The Case Study Zone 4/1/2026
Learning Objectives:
- Review 11 different case studies of social media marketing
- Define your target audience and their customer journey in YouTube
- Create targeted content in YouTube
Before Class Activities:
- Reading Assignment: Chapter 12 - Tuten
- Study Questions: The Case Zone, Due Week 11 – Tuesday 9:00 PM
In-Class Activities:
- Quiz: Social Media Metrics – In-Class only
- Platform Project: Pinterest, Due Week 11 – Friday, April 3rd 9:00 PM
- Platform Project: YouTube, Due Week 13 – Friday, April 17th 9:00 PM
Week 12, The Science of Infographics 4/8/2026
Learning Objectives:
- Define why do infographics work
- Explore why infographics can be one of the most powerful forms of communication
- Define your target audience and their customer journey in YouTube
- Create targeted content in YouTube
- Create a Tik Tok account
Before Class Activities:
- Reading Assignment: Chapter 1 - Krum
- Study Questions: The Science of Infographics, Due Week 13 – Tuesday 9:00 PM
In-Class Activities:
- Quiz: The Case Zone – In-class only
- Platform Project: YouTube, Due Week 13 – Friday, April 17th 9:00 PM
Week 13, Online Infographics 4/15/2026
Learning Objectives:
- Compare and contrast different types of infographics
- Explain why infographics are so popular as online content
- Define your target audience and their customer journey in Tik Tok
- Create targeted content in Tik Tok
Before Class Activities:
- Reading Assignment: Chapter 2 - Krum
- Study Questions: Online Infographics, Due Week 14 – Tuesday 9:00 PM
In-Class Activities:
- Quiz: The Science of Infographics – In-class only
- Platform Project: YouTube, Due Week 13 – Friday, April 17th 9:00 PM
- Platform Project: Tik Tok, Due Week 15 – Friday, May 1st 9:00 PM
- Your Infographic Resume Project, Due Week 16 - Friday May 8th 9:00 PM
Week 14, Infographics and SEO 4/22/2026
Learning Objectives:
- Define Infographics and Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
- Explore keywords, embed code, online lifespan, meta data and landing pages which impact on the success of your infographic online
- Define your target audience and their customer journey in Tik Tok
- Create targeted content in Tik Tok
Before Class Activities:
- Reading Assignment: Chapter 3 & 4 - Krum
- Study Questions: Infographics and SEO, Due Week 15 – Tuesday 9:00 PM
In-Class Activities:
- Quiz: Online Infographics – In-class only
- Platform Project: Tik Tok, Due Week 15 – Friday, May 1st 9:00 PM
- Your Infographic Resume Project, Due Week 16 – Friday, May 8th 9:00 PM
Week 15, Infographic Resumes 4/29/2026
Learning Objectives:
- Define why data visualization improves a job candidate’s resume
- Design a graphic designer’s infographic resume of your own
- Create targeted content in Pinterest
- Develop communication strategies around the Pinterest content
Before Class Activities:
- Reading Assignment: Chapter 4 - Krum
- Study Questions: Infographic Resumes, Due Week 16 – Tuesday 9:00 PM
In-Class Activities: Lab Time
- Your Infographic Resume Project, Due Week 16 – Friday, May 8th 9:00 PM
Week 16, Infographic Resumes and Final Presentations of Case Study 5/6/2026
Learning Objectives:
- Decision of best platform for you
Before Class Activities:
- Case Study Presentation – Slide Show
In-Class Activities:
- Your Infographic Resume Project, Due Week 16 – Friday, May 8th 9:00 PM
- Case Study Presentation
FINAL EXAM - 5/13/2026 6:00 - 8:00 PM
The exam is comprehensive, and will include material from the handouts, study questions, quizzes, projects
and lecture.
College Policies, Resources and Supports
For information related to the Student Code of Conduct Policy, Withdrawal Policy, Email Policy, and Non- Attendance/Non-Participation Policy, please review the college’s Code of Campus Affairs and Regulations webpage, which can be found at catalog.kcc.edu under the Academic Regulations & Conduct Guide.
KCC offers various academic and personal resources for all students. Many services are offered virtually, as well as in person. Please visit Student Resources - Kankakee Community College to access student resources services such as:
- Clubs and organizations
- Counseling and referral services
- Office of disability services
- Student complaint policy
- Transfer services
- Tutoring services, etc.
The materials on this course are only for the use of students enrolled in this course for purposes associated with this course. Further information regarding KCC's copyright policy is available at https://kcc.libguides.com/copyright.
|Course syllabus/calendar is subject to change.