Jennifer Radke, CEO, National Institute for Social Media
CEO Jennifer Radke is offering new courses and textbooks on social media education and certification after acquiring the National Institute for Social Media (NISM).
NISM is the first organization to offer industry educational standards for practitioners in the rapidly changing social media industry, Radke said. She received social media strategist certification from NISM, served as an instructor there and founded her own social media consulting firm before acquiring NISM last year.
"Certification establishes a difference between people who say they use social media as an 'expert' and those who have demonstrated some actual core competencies in areas that are most important to organizations that are hiring," Radke said.
NISM also offers continuing education and professional development opportunities. "Social media is evolving at a pace that is so superfast that no one can be up to speed on every aspect of every platform," Radke said.
NISM has developed textbooks on six core competencies of social media, including strategic planning, project and campaign management and social media marketing. Those seeking certification can use them in the preparation course or those working in the field can use them to add to their skills.
NISM works with colleges and universities to offer certification to graduating students, individuals specializing in social media in marketing communications and public relations and with social media agencies that want to unify staff training, Radke said.
Q: How competitive is social media strategy education and certification?
A: There are some other certification programs. Most are platform specific. To my knowledge we are the only industry-standardized certification agency that's focusing on social media strategy and we intend to apply for accreditation later in 2017 through the National Commission for Certifying Agencies.
Q: What motivated you to acquire NISM?
A: One reason I chose to purchase the organization was my passion for what it's doing. It's about the ability to promote best practices within the industry, educate social media practitioners and assist in finding those practitioners a home in the companies that need their skill sets.
Q: What do you like about working in social media?
A: Social media has tremendous power to connect people who may not have otherwise been able to connect. It allows a free-flowing conversation, a sharing of ideas and creativity and really the evolution of the conversation and the communication process. That's what I love most, the ability to connect with other people, learn from other people and grow on both sides of the screen, if you will.
Todd Nelson
