Taught by Chris J. Vargo at the University of Colorado Boulder, this Coursera course gets past the buzzwords to the craft of paid social — planning campaigns, targeting audiences and reading the metrics that show whether your money is working. It leans toward data and performance rather than generic 'post more' advice. Practical and measurement-focused.
Good for: Learning the data-driven craft of paid social advertising.
Less suitable if: You want organic social strategy or general content tips.
Skills you'll gain
Social media advertisingPaid socialAudience targetingCampaign planningMarketing metricsPerformance marketing
Is this course right for you?
A good fit if you…
You run or want to run paid social campaigns
You want the data and metrics side
You are a marketer or small-business owner
Consider something else if you…
You want organic social or content strategy
You want a broad marketing overview
You already run paid social confidently
Requirements: Basic marketing familiarity helps; no prior ad-buying needed.
Realistic time: Around 10–15 hours over a few weeks.
About this course
Social Media Advertising gets past the buzzwords to the actual craft of paid social: how to plan campaigns, target audiences, and read the metrics that tell you whether your money is working. Taught by Chris J. Vargo at the University of Colorado Boulder, it leans toward the data and performance side rather than generic 'post more' advice.
What you'll learn
Plan a paid social advertising campaign end to end
Define and target the right audiences
Choose objectives and budgets that match goals
Read the metrics that reveal campaign performance
Optimise spend based on results, not guesses
Apply the approach across changing social platforms
This course includes
Yes
Certificate
Yes
Mobile access
English
Language
What it costs
You can audit the course free on Coursera. A certificate needs a Coursera subscription (about $49/month) or Coursera Plus, with financial aid available.
Comparison · LBS
Compare alternatives for Social Media Advertising
Same topic, different options. We surface the trade-offs others hide so you can pick the course that actually fits your time, budget, and goals.
A University of Colorado Boulder certificate on Coursera is a credible learning record. It is a course certificate rather than a professional qualification or degree.
Last updated
Ad platforms change their tools and interfaces often; the strategy and metrics principles last longer than any specific platform walk-through.
Instructor
CJ
Chris J. Vargo
Coursera instructor
Chris J. Vargo is a professor at the University of Colorado Boulder who researches computational advertising and social media analytics. His teaching brings a data-driven lens to paid social rather than surface-level tactics.