New CEO Jennifer Radke is seasoned executive within the education marketplace and one of the new owners

MINNEAPOLIS – MAY 25, 2016 –– The National Institute for Social Media (NISM), a pioneer in the certification and education of social media professionals, has been purchased by a duo of education and business operations industry veterans: Jennifer Radke and Shannon Gronemeyer. Radke has become NISM’s new CEO, and Gronemeyer has joined the company as vice president of operations.

The NISM Social Media Strategist certification program validates the foundational skills required of professionals using social media. To achieve certification as a Social Media Strategist, participants are required to pass a certification exam covering the six primary content domains of general practitioners in social media: strategic planning; compliance and governance; project and campaign management; social media marketing; community management; and research and analytics. An optional course and self-study materials are available for those who wish to study these areas closer before taking the exam. Certified professionals have demonstrated comprehension and mastery of essential social media best practices, and can apply them on the job with a marginal level of supervision.

Interest in NISM and its certification have grown significantly in the last few years, as more organizations become aware of the power of social media. According to Marketing Land, between January 2011 and January 2015 the number of job listings on employment site Indeed.com increased by about 350 percent – and the number of LinkedIn profiles containing “content marketing” has risen 168 percent since 2013.

At the same time, organizations have realized the costs of poor strategy and execution in social media, and they are having difficulty tying social media efforts to business outcomes. According to the February 2016 edition of The CMO Survey, 47.9 percent of respondents said they haven’t been able to show social media’s impact on their companies’ performance at all, and another 40.6 percent said they have a qualitative sense but no quantitative impact.

“Social media is here to stay, and it remains as dynamic and ever-changing as ever before,” said Radke. “Organizations have begun to recruit skilled social media professionals who can execute well and prove their value to their business, but there is a significant gap between the relatively small number of trained professionals in this space and the rising level of demand for them in the market. Our ongoing education and certification programming will make a big difference in filling this market need, and help professionals stay on top of their game as the social media landscape continues to evolve in the years ahead.”

Radke has more than 15 years of experience in sales and recruitment management, leadership, coaching, development and training within the education sector. Most recently, she was owner and chief strategist at Socially Inspired, a social media training and consulting company. She also rose through the ranks and held a variety of executive roles at Argosy University. Radke holds NISM’s Social Media Strategist certification, and today teaches classes at NISM to people pursuing the certification in addition to her new duties as CEO.

About the National Institute for Social Media

The National Institute for Social Media (NISM) is dedicated to social media education and certification for professional social media practitioners. The organization’s mission is to provide premier, vendor-neutral public education and resources related to social media. In addition, its Industry Advisory Committee defines and supports certification and continuing education standards for social media professionals in a manner that upholds industry standards for competent practice. For additional information, call 763-200-6476 or visit www.nismonline.org.