Foundations of Social Media for Business
Analyze the role of social media in business and explore the power of these tools to build relationships with your customers.

Note : This instructor-facilitated online course begins and ends on set dates with specific deadlines for assignments. Courses may include optional live video-conferencing sessions.

Subject (for registration) : Computers- Specialty Programs

Social Media Strategy
Learn to create a practical and effective social media strategy. Develop social media objectives, advanced target market profiles, engagement maps and several content development frameworks. This approach is effective regardless of the channels used.

Note : This instructor-facilitated online course begins and ends on set dates with specific deadlines for assignments. Courses may include optional live video-conferencing sessions.

Subject (f o r registration): Computers- Specialty Programs

Online Community Engagement

Flourishing online communities can help organizations develop customer trust and loyalty, increase employee engagement, manage brand reputation and stimulate word of mouth marketing. 

 In this course, students acquire advanced, in-demand digital marketing skills to build an authentic and powerful online community. They discover the role of Community Manager, identify content contributors and create a content calendar to manage multiple social channels.  They also learn to identify and partner with champions, ambassadors and influencers within their community to establish brand allegiance.

Note : This instructor-facilitated online course begins and ends on set dates with specific deadlines for assignments. Courses may include optional live video-conferencing sessions.

Subject (for registration) : Computers- Specialty Programs 

Digital Marketing Measurement

Learn to locate, manipulate and analyze data using popular social media channels — such as Facebook, Instagram and Twitter — to enable effective, targeted and cost-effective digital marketing aligned with broader business goals.
Gain practical experience using Google Analytics to objectively measure the performance of online marketing efforts, including important indicators such as awareness, attention, reach and influence.
It is recommended that students taking this course have a basic understanding of social media.

Note : This instructor-facilitated online course begins and ends on set dates with specific deadlines for assignments. Courses may include optional live video-conferencing sessions.

Subject (for registration) : Computers- Specialty Programs 

Each course may be offered in a variety of formats. Check the “Courses and fees” tab for more information.

The schedule above is subject to change. Courses start on various dates within each semester. Fall schedule and registration available in June. Winter schedule and registration available in November. Spring/Summer schedule and registration available in March.

Karen Richards
As the Word of Mouth Marketing Strategist at Mount Royal University, Karen combines marketing, grassroots community initiatives, a love of brand, technology and social media to ensure she, and the university, are always ahead of the curve. Karen's passion is embracing and creatively implementing word of mouth marketing principles to meet business goals while cultivating a loyal community in person and online that help spread the good word about MRU.

Karen holds a Bachelor degree in Psychology from the University of Calgary, is an active member of the international Word of Mouth Marketing Association, presenter and workshop facilitator and is personally very active in the Calgary community using social media to create unique events and connect people with businesses, charities and each other.

David Howse
David administered the world's largest Facebook Group for marketers (Marketing 2.0) in 2007.

Originating in Lethbridge, Alberta, he established David Howse Marketing, a one-man operation that grew its client base by gaining the trust of local businesses. In the fall of 2015, his company merged with Salmon Dev Studios Inc. a specialized I. T. company to form Matterhorn Business Solutions Inc.

David manages and executes marketing strategies for several prominent Calgary businesses in a range of sectors. Clients include Borger Group of Companies, Waterford Station Land Development, and Q Haute Cuisine. For more details, visit www.davidhowse.com.

David has a marketing diploma from College of the North Atlantic and a management degree from the University of Lethbridge.

Nancy Smith
Nancy Smith loves to help businesses understand and develop strategies for social media. As an early adopter and avid social media user, it has been a natural transition for her to apply knowledge from her marketing career to assist brands such as Travel Alberta, SportChek, and Samsung.

As a passionate advocate for social media, Nancy has been an instructor at Mount Royal University since 2015 in the Social Media and Marketing and Strategic Communications programs. Nancy is also an acclaimed speaker, with more than 10 years of experience providing workshops and sessions at large-scale conferences dealing with issues related to social media.

As the mother of a teen, Nancy can also relate to the challenges parents face in today's digital world. Realizing that there was a gap in the information available for generating positive discussions, she has recently launched SocialCitizens.ca as a resource for parents in order to provide the practical advice that parents were looking for-and that kids needed. She enjoys helping adults learn about the positive aspects of social media and working with kids on how they can be responsible social citizens in a rapidly changing global environment. She is an author of a book, Social Citizens: A Positive Approach to Social Media & Parenting in a Digital World.

Gwendolyn Richards

Gwendolyn Richards is a Calgary-based freelance writer, social media enthusiast and the author of Pucker: A Cookbook for Citrus Lovers who also teaches journalism at Mount Royal University. 

A long-time journalist who spent many years covering news for the Calgary Herald, Gwendolyn was an early adopter of social media, recognizing the myriad benefits of digital communication tools, including the ability to engage with an audience, drive conversation and build brands.  

She holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts, specializing in Writing, from the University of Victoria and earned her Master of Journalism at UBC. 

Her journalism work has appeared in publications across the country, including Avenue Magazine, Culinaire, WestJet Magazine and the Globe and Mail. She also writes for a variety of Calgary- and B.C.-based organizations, focusing on corporate communications and marketing, including social media posts.