Course Content and Outcomes Guides (CCOG)

CCOG for BA 235 Winter 2025


Course Number:
BA 235
Course Title:
Social Media Marketing
Credit Hours:
4
Lecture Hours:
4
Lecture/Lab Hours:
0
Lab Hours:
0

Course Description

Covers the use of social networks and emerging media in marketing and the role of social media in developing corporate, institutional or brand identity. Prior completion of Principles of Marketing (BA 223) is recommended. Completion of Computers in Business (BA 131), Basic Computer Skills (CAS 133) or computer literacy recommended. Prerequisites: WR 115, RD 115 and MTH 20 or equivalent placement test scores. Audit available.

Addendum to Course Description

Due to the nature of the course, all students will be required to access and use social media for course completion both for research purposes and for exploration of communication options within social media networks. This may include establishment of social network accounts outside of the PCC network infrastructure, as well as creating minimal user profiles within those accounts. Protection of privacy and the legal ramifications of social network use is a significant topic of this course and will be stressed throughout the class duration.

Intended Outcomes for the course

Upon successful completion, students should be able to:

  1. Write a social media marketing plan for a new or existing product.
  2. Identify primary social media channels used by corporations and analyze the function of each channel in order to participate in channel decisions and discussions within marketing teams.
  3. Use terminology related to use of social media in a marketing context.
  4. Develop both proactive and reactive strategies to manage corporate messaging in a social media environment.
  5. Identify and respond to significant legal and ethical issues related to social media including laws and voluntary agreements covering protection of individual information protection.
  6. Use understanding of privacy and data integrity issues associated with social media to identify both personal and institutional data privacy threats and maintain both personal and institutional data integrity.

Course Activities and Design

  • Development of marketing plans
  • Analysis of plans and proposals
  • Presentation of plans and proposals
  • Group interaction for project completion
  • Creation and maintenance of on-line accounts
  • Development and facilitation of closed on-line groups
  • Dissemination of information through blogs and other social media
  • Group analysis of media goals, implementation and success

Outcome Assessment Strategies

  • Attendance and participation in class activities
  • Participation in individual or group project assignments
  • Completion of assigned homework
  • Completion of assessment examinations

Course Content (Themes, Concepts, Issues and Skills)

Marketing and the marketing management process
Marketing philosophies and goals
Strategic planning and the marketing process
Target markets and information gathering

  • Primary social media networks
  • Data gathering and sharing on social media networks
  • Unidirectional and bidirectional communication on social media networks
  • Security, data and privacy risks
  • Search engine optimization and its role in social media marketing
  • Advertisement placement techniques
  • Rapid dissemination of information
  • Brand control and management
  • Integration of digital and non-digital communications programs
  • Showrooming and impacts on traditional distribution
  • Social responsibility and ethics
  • Global marketing considerations