Marketing and advertising are evolving rapidly. As technology advances and buyer behaviors evolve, so do the skills required in the highly competitive field of marketing professionals. Those looking to gain an edge over competitors and accelerate both career growth and opportunity recognize the value of marketing certifications.
To be successful in 2023, marketers need to stay on top of the latest trends and strategies. Marketing certifications allow professionals to gain knowledge, gain credentials, and differentiate themselves from other job candidates. This quest for more knowledge ultimately brings value to internal teams and external customers.
Why are marketing certifications important?
Marketing certifications provide an opportunity for marketers to demonstrate expertise in various areas, including social media marketing, content marketing, search engine optimization (SEO), and digital analytics. A certification is proof of knowledge and experience in a specific area that employers need. Obtaining a certification creates a clear advantage over another job seeker who does not have such training.
Marketing certifications are also important for professional growth and development, providing marketers with recognition for hard work and dedication in their respective fields and opening doors to internal opportunities or new positions with other companies. Perhaps most importantly, they allow marketers to become more knowledgeable about different aspects of marketing: consumer behavior or brand identity, for example. This knowledge can help them create campaigns that bring higher ROI. By keeping up with industry changes through certification programs, salespeople stay competitive in today’s ever-changing marketplace while gaining experience and growing in their careers.
In 2023, having a certification or two, and understanding their value to employers, can make the difference between getting hired or promoted. Regardless, it indicates a willingness to take the time to advance professional skills and a commitment to keeping up with industry trends and best practices. Whether it’s an SEO or digital analytics certificate, investing in certifications is one of the best investments for success as a marketing professional in 2023 and beyond.
Free or paid marketing certifications
Obtaining a marketing certificate depends on the time invested by the person seeking additional experience or training. While there are many ways to get a marketing certificate, they usually come in two types: free or paid.
Paid marketing certifications usually offer more comprehensive education, usually from recognized institutions or experts. These regularly include in-depth course materials and instructors who can provide guidance on the topics covered, such as those issued by professional organizations or through higher education. These certifications often require tests or projects that demonstrate subject matter competency, and may have additional requirements, such as experience or prerequisites before taking the certification program.
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Free marketing certifications often provide an introduction to certain concepts and are widely available from some of the top marketing companies, but typically lack the depth of paid certifications. However, a certificate of completion is awarded, which represents proof of the experience gained. Free certifications are usually self-directed and include online tutorials, videos, articles, and other resources from a variety of sources.
Unlike paid certifications, which can often take months to complete, free certifications are self-paced and typically result in a badge or other recognition for course completion. While free certifications provide some skill development, they cannot replace the benefits of a paid certification program, including access to industry experts, structured learning materials, professional feedback on student work and a tangible credential that stays with salespeople throughout their careers.
Ultimately, when deciding between paid and free marketing certifications, consider your needs and budget. Both options have their advantages. Someone interested in long-term professional growth and professional development is more likely to choose a paid certification to access quality training materials and obtain an official certificate or credential recognized by employers in 2023. On the other hand, the free certifications are much more accessible and many of them can show the commitment of a seller to improve professional knowledge to employers.
Marketing certifications and courses for 2023
Popular marketing courses and certifications include the following:
1. Google Analytics certification
A Google Analytics certification would have always made the list of top certifications, but in 2023 this certification is more necessary than ever. This year, Google will retire its Universal Analytics platform and replace it with Google Analytics 4. Marketers have been using the Universal Analytics tool for many years, but the transition is on the horizon. To address the learning curve, Google has made training available for over a year to prepare sellers.
Google is offering a free course for marketers to introduce the new Google Analytics 4, teach how to continue using data within GA4, and offer a new certification, adding historical value to the marketing toolkit.
Price: Free
Enrollment: Enroll in a Google Analytics 4 certification course here.
2. HubSpot Entry Certification
HubSpot was a pioneer in defining and impacting inbound marketing methodology. The company has always offered a large set of free certifications through its HubSpot Academy, and the list of certifications has grown. Each has a high production value and offers both novice and experienced marketers in-depth training to grow their careers.
The HubSpot Inbound Certification program allows marketers to become familiar with inbound strategies to attract, nurture and convert leads in the marketing funnel. The customer-centric approach to inbound marketing is showcased throughout this course, including how to create buyer personas, map out the buyer’s journey, and use impactful content to move a prospect into a customer.
Price: Free
Sign up: Sign up for HubSpot Entry Certification here.
3. Digital Marketing Professional Course+
Professional organizations Digital Marketing Institute (DMI) and American Marketing Association (AMA) have teamed up to create the Professional Digital Marketing Course+ to help marketers acquire a wide range of skills. This comprehensive course covers many digital marketing topics from social media marketing, SEO, email marketing, website optimization and more.
The course is a long-term commitment, but it covers everything marketers need to grow in their careers. Designed for management and senior management marketers, the self-paced, 30-hour course earns you dual DMI and AMA certification and hones the skills these now-seasoned marketers started their careers with.
Price: $1442
Enrollment: Enroll in the Digital Marketing Professional Course+ here.
4. Google Ads certification
Another entry from Google is the ad certification program. Building on the skills learned with the GA4 certification, marketers can expand their knowledge of Google platforms by mastering important skills around digital advertising on the big search engine. This series of courses takes much longer to complete than analytics courses, but implementing a payment strategy within an organization can generate significant ROI when done correctly.
Throughout this course, students have the opportunity to master the disciplines of search, display, retargeting and video advertising. Certification leaves marketers with the skills to create campaigns and measure their success.
Price: Free
Sign up: Sign up for Google Ads certification here.
5. Semrush SEO Toolkit
Like HubSpot, Semrush, a recognized leader in the online search community, offers its own Semrush Academy with courses for marketers to improve their skills. While the course through the Semrush Academy focuses heavily on using the Semrush software, the concepts learned in the SEO Toolkit course build a deep understanding of keyword research, ranking, and planning for both content creation as for digital advertising.
SEO is the main way brands get their websites and content found online. By mastering the fundamentals of SEO, marketers can begin to research and implement SEO best practices into their marketing strategy to attract their target audiences.
Price: Free
Enrollment: Enroll in the SEO Toolkit course here.
6. Hootsuite Social Media Marketing Certification
Hootsuite, a social media expert brand, offers a course tailored to intermediate marketers looking to further improve their skills in the growing world of social media marketing.
The course is designed to develop the basic skills needed to build a brand through social media. It covers topics such as page creation, leveraging channels, engaging with prospects and customers, and crisis management. The course leaves marketers with the knowledge to grow an audience on social media platforms.
Price: $199
Registration: Register for the Social Marketing Certification here.
7. HubSpot Email Marketing Certification
HubSpot’s Email Marketing Certification dives into email marketing best practices, including segmentation and list management, as well as how to present content in different types of email messaging. Content and design are important elements of good email marketing, as well as how to measure the impact email is having on your marketing efforts. Additionally, students do not need to purchase HubSpot to find this relevant content, although HubSpot users may be better off using HubSpot’s email suite to implement this training.
Price: Free
Sign Up: Sign up for HubSpot’s Email Marketing Certification here.
8. Certification of Microsoft Advertising
Similar to the Google Ads certification, Microsoft also offers an advertising certification to help marketers learn advertising strategies focused on the Bing search engine. Since Bing is still a widely used search engine, it is very valuable to become a Microsoft Advertising Certified Professional.
This course teaches many of the same advertising fundamentals, but its focus will be on Microsoft’s native platform.
Price: Free
Sign up: Sign up for Microsoft Advertising certification here.
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