Influencer Marketing
BUSA-40935
This 6-week online course teaches the strategy, tools, and ethical practices behind today’s most effective influencer marketing campaigns. Students learn how to identify, evaluate, and collaborate with influencers—from nano-creators to viral personalities—across TikTok, Instagram, YouTube Shorts, Snapchat, Reddit, Twitch, Substack, and other emerging creator platforms.
Through a mix of video lectures, real-world case studies, and a Final Course Project, students explore how to build influencer partnerships that drive engagement, shape behavior, and reflect brand values. Topics include short-form video strategy, platform trendspotting, FTC-compliant disclosures, campaign ROI, and ethical content practices rooted in cultural fluency and digital trust.
Students complete a real-world influencer campaign pitch that is portfolio-ready and can be showcased in job interviews or on LinkedIn.
What you'll learn
- Identify and evaluate influencers by category (nano, micro, mid-tier, macro, mega) and platform (e.g., TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, Snapchat, Reddit, Twitch, Substack, Fanfix)
- Distinguish true influence from popularity using follower behavior, trust signals, and engagement metrics
- Use analytics tools and platform insights to measure reach, engagement, conversions, and ROI
- Align influencer strategy with brand goals using frameworks like the customer journey and content lifecycle
- Craft ethical influencer outreach materials, including briefs, content guidelines, and compliant paid messaging
- Apply FTC and platform-specific rules for partnerships, endorsements, and disclosures
- Evaluate the psychological and social dynamics of parasocial relationships, representation equity, and trust-building in digital influence
- Critique and develop short-form influencer content aligned with platform trends, brand tone, and legal compliance
Course Information
Course sessions
Section ID:
Class type:
This course is entirely web-based and to be completed asynchronously between the published course start and end dates. Synchronous attendance is NOT required.
You will have access to your online course on the published start date OR 1 business day after your enrollment is confirmed if you enroll on or after the published start date.
Textbooks:
No textbook required.
Policies:
- No refunds after: 3/31/2026
Schedule:
Instructor:
Jennifer Neeley
Current and former clients include Apigee, Castlight Health, Fiverr, LinkedIn, and Microsoft, as well as high-profile health care and technology executives who are referred to Jennifer for her discreet, strategic counsel. She is known for brining left and right brain ideas together through novel marketing and strategy.
Jennifer brought her skills to Iraq's Green Zone in 2011, where she worked with an international NGO to show them how to use practical tools like Google Analytics to identify where and how to disseminate information about voting rights. Her work coincided with the Arab Spring, which would lead to further opportunities to provide input on how to use social media to positive effect.
Jennifer earned her Master of Science (MS) from Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism and her Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree from the University of California, Berkeley. She has also completed programs at Lund University in Sweden and the American Conservatory Theater, and taught ESL (English as a Second Language) as a Peace Corps volunteer in Turkmenistan.
Jennifer a regular media fixture, routinely providing commentary on digital and social media to TV news outlets. She is also a sought-after speaker, and contributes to a number of online publications including Forbes, Social Media Today, Business2Community, and Medium.
Jennifer is passionate about giving back, and is an active participant on a number on nonprofit boards. She also maintains numerous professional memberships, and is active in the lifestyle and fitness community as a yoga teacher and health coach. She continues her personal development by studying Ayurvedic medicine.
Jennifer is currently working on research that aims to measure the impact of social media on at-risk health communities, as well as the mental health benefits of trauma-informed yoga offered to community groups who do not otherwise have access.