The marketing sector is full of talented and qualified professionals looking for jobs. That is why it is crucial to have marketing certifications to improve your chances of landing a great job. Marketing is constantly evolving, so certifications help you keep relevant in expanding marketing sectors. Marketing certifications also help sharpen your skillset and learn more about the marketing sector. There are numerous marketing certifications being offered today, and it can be overwhelming choosing which ones suit you best. When deciding, look at what certifications will benefit your current position, or where you would like to go next. This can help you make an informed decision. Here are some key certifications you should get as a marketing professional.
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Hootsuite Marketing Certification
Hootsuite is a popular social media management platform with multiple social media marketing courses. You can get training to sharpen your social marketing skills to achieve better results and drive meaningful impact. Hootsuite is useful because it can reduce administrative time on publishing the same post to different platforms. You can also monitor how well your post did on certain platforms, helping to make adjustments as needed. The Hootsuite social media marketing certification helps strengthen your social marketing and gives you a deeper insight into the core concepts of digital marketing.
You can earn the certification from the Hootsuite academy after completing the 60-question online exam. Moreover, the certification does not have an expiration date. There are nine certifications available, with the cheapest costing about $99 and the highest course the Advanced Social Media Strategy Certification going for $999. It might seem expensive, but giving yourself an edge over other digital marketers is a great thing.
GoogleAds Search Certification
Google Ads certification will teach you how to run paid advertising and how to know what people are searching for. Google Ads are invaluable in the digital space and very effective for companies looking to increase their return on investment. It is one of the most sought-after online digital marketing courses and certifications. The certification teaches how to write good ad copy, campaign setup and management, optimization, and performance tracking and reporting. Paid media is a fast-growing sector of marketing, so specializing in this will be great for your long-term career.
To earn the certification, you need to pass the Google Ads Fundamentals assessment by scoring above 80%. Luckily, you can take courses and read study guides for your certification. You also have to pass an additional advertising assessment in video advertising, search advertising, shopping advertising, mobile advertising, or display advertising. You can get started by creating an Academy for Ads Account for free. The certification is only valid until the produce area assessment expires.
Facebook Marketing BluePrint Certification
Facebook has millions of users worldwide, making it an ideal platform for businesses to drive brand awareness and reach their target audience. Ads from Facebook are highly effective thanks to advanced machine learning algorithms. The program has two unique certifications, including the Facebook Certified Buying Professional and the Facebook Certified Planning Professional. The certification will help to plan successful advertising campaigns and manage Facebook pages. You may have to do some research on how Meta will impact Facebook’s current marketing process.
The Planning Professional deals mainly with targeting audiences for maximum impact and optimizing your frequency and reach. On the other hand, the Buying Professional deals with creating and buying Facebook ads, understanding the Facebook Pixel, and managing pages. To earn the certification, you have to do two exams for each certification which is valid for one year. Facebook is a huge drive for digital marketing, making this certification very worthwhile to receive. You can take the exams through the Pearson VUE website, with each exam costing $150.
YouTube Certification
Google and YouTube are the biggest search engines, and getting a YouTube certification can earn you valuable credibility. Most marketers rely on videos since they are engaging and effective in targeting users. The certification will get you through creating well-defined video content and gain industry-level knowledge and skills to excel on YouTube. YouTube ads are a great investment because they have a huge reach on a wide variety of audiences. Making it perfect to increase your brand recognition. The program has three certifications, including content ownership, channel growth, and asset monetization.
Google Marketing Analytics IQ Certification
Google Analytics Individual Qualification certification will help you measure campaign metrics and assess the strengths and weaknesses of your company’s ad strategy. You can come up with an effective digital marketing strategy and monitor Key performance indicators. Monitoring how effective your digital marketing strategies are is very important for any company. Google makes this easy to do, and having an analytics certification will serve you and your company’s interests.
To qualify, you must pass a 70-questions exam that tests you on the best practices of the Google Analytics platform. You need to create an Ads account to take the exam for free, which lasts for about 90 minutes. The certification is only valid for one year.
Stanford University Machine Learning Certification
Stanford University offers a machine learning course on Coursera that teaches you the basics of machine learning and its core processes. You also get to learn the best practices of machine learning. This course is ideal for marketing professionals, data analysts, and social media specialists. AI and automating some aspects of digital marketing will become increasingly popular as technology evolves. If you can gain skills in this area, it will set you up for the ever-evolving future of marketing.
Conclusion
Marketing professionals are in high demand, and getting these certifications can give an advantage when looking for a job. You also stand a higher chance of getting promotions and salary increases after attaining the certifications. Some come with a cost, but luckily companies will usually pay for your to get certain certifications. Earning these will benefit your career and your company. You should also keep an eye on the rapidly changing technology especially machine learning and AI.
