Jobs and careers are moving and shifting at a rapid pace nowadays. And that’s especially true for people in the field of digital marketing. From search engine optimization to social media marketing, content marketing, PPC campaigns, email marketing, and every other form of digital outreach you can think of, the marketing tools and capabilities are growing and expanding. So how are marketing professionals able to keep up?
One of the best options available for digital marketing experts is certification courses. From web analytics to copywriting, eCommerce, and many more, there are countless courses and certification programs to choose from to help you bolster your online marketing skills at your own pace. The only difficult part? Figuring out where to start.
That’s why we consulted with several of our partners and expert service providers here at UpCity to get their thoughts on the best digital marketing certifications, modules, and options available, as well as which ones are the most important in the 2022 marketing landscape. No matter what your specialization, read further to get a look at what our panel identified as your best bet for marketing certification courses and digital marketing skills to work on starting today.
Google Ads, Social Media Marketing, and Similar Digital Marketing Certifications
The biggest players when it comes to digital marketing are pretty well known to everyone. Google, Facebook/Meta, LinkedIn, MailChimp, and many more are common platforms and resources in the digital media and marketing spaces. In addition to their prevalence, they also happen to offer a lot of quality training and content to help everyone from startup CEOs to digital marketing specialists enhance their marketing expertise and their marketing campaigns.
“All of the Google Certifications, including Google Digital Marketing, Google Ads, Google Shopping, Google Analytics, and more. First and foremost, they’re FREE. They are also some of the most common skills you’ll want and need when getting your career started in digital marketing. They focus on some of the core strategies and tactics regarding Google Ads and Analytics and are a great place to start for beginners or even as a refresher for experts.” – Shan Serran, CEO, and Founder at Veewz
Several of our panel of experts jumped on the Google options first. Not only because they are free courses, and not only because Google is a behemoth in the digital space. The people we spoke to also recommended the Google options because of how informative and easy to follow the certification courses are, including information about digital media, display advertising, marketing analytics, and real-world examples to learn from.
“Google Analytics Certification, Google Digital Marketing Certification, and Hubspot Content Marketing Certification –these courses offer well-rounded classes that teach you some of the most important topics you need to know, and will help you increase and improve your digital marketing experience while also providing more expertise for your company and clients. ” – Mark, SEO Manager at Big Leap
Moving beyond Google, several of our experts pointed to HubSpot as another key learning platform with training courses and tutorials that are extremely valuable to digital marketers.
“I’d suggest the HubSpot Email Marketing Certification Course and the SEO Training Certification Course in 2022. I like the HubSpot SEO Certification Course because SEO is always changing, and HubSpot has always been at the forefront of digital marketing and SEO changes. And I picked the email course because email marketing is often viewed as a secondary marketing platform for businesses, but it can be one of the top performers in terms of ROI if executed properly.” – Asad Kausar, CEO at Dabaran Inc.
Social media platforms are rapidly changing, too, and are critical outlets for successful digital marketers. So adding some social media training and certifications can have a big impact on your daily work and your results.
“Google Ads Marketing Certification, or Facebook BluePrint Marketing Certification–these platforms are still very much part of many marketing strategies for businesses of many sizes. And their programs provide you with not only tactical elements of campaign management, but also with a deeper understanding of how to identify, create, and run successful campaigns.” – Leah Nolan, CEO at Storm Brain
When it comes to social media, you don’t have to go directly to courses from Meta or LinkedIn Learning. Learners also have the option of courses offered by social media management tools and platforms such as Hootsuite, along with courses you may find on Coursera or Udemy that cover everything from content strategy to video marketing, social media strategy, and much more.
“Personally, I think that social media marketing is one of the most important aspects of digital marketing, and Hootsuite provides an excellent certification program. And I believe that content marketing is an often overlooked but crucial part of any digital marketing strategy, so the Hubspot certification is my favorite in this category. The Hootsuite social media marketing certification focuses on social media marketing and is unique in its focus on platforms other than just Facebook and Twitter.” – Clint L. Sanchez, Partner at BlakSheep Creative
“My favorite digital marketing certifications are the Google Skillshop Certifications and the Hubspot Certifications. Both of these platforms provide in-depth certifications, and they help employees to learn during the examination/certification process. They’re my favorites because of their thoroughness and because they offer many scenario questions in which you have to work through problems and answer real-life scenarios.” – Robb Fahrion, Partner and Co-Founder at Flying V Group
Other Digital Marketing Courses, Certifications, and Online Courses to Consider
What about other certification options? There are a ton of courses aimed at helping digital marketing professionals advance their marketing careers; almost as many as there are different digital marketing platforms and options. Whether your focus is on email marketing or pay-per-click ads, social media content or SEO, metrics and analysis, YouTube Marketing, or anything else, you can earn certifications and certificates of completion in a wide range of options.
“The Fundamentals of Digital Marketing by Google is a beginner course that provides extensive knowledge regarding the evolving digital world and the opportunities that come with it. This certification provides knowledge regarding SEO, Analytics, PPC Ads, Display Ads, etc., and is a tremendous place for people to get started.” – Bill Watson, Partnerships Manager at LogoPoppin
Of course, professionals looking to add to their toolbox aren’t limited to just taking one course or studying one certification at a time, and our panelists also had recommendations for combinations that you might consider.
“While there are plenty of great certifications, Inbound, Google Ads, and META Blueprint make up the best combination of options that will help you understand what’s happening in your company and what your competitors are most likely doing. These three certifications give you a great foundation for understanding the bulk of digital marketing for companies that are looking to grow and get results from their online presence.” – Chris Milton, CEO at 323 Media Group
If you’re in a marketing role and your company is invested in helping you advance your skills, you have even more options available to you. While the free options from Google and others are valuable for everyone who touches digital marketing as a part of their career, there are paid courses from places like Simplilearn, Udemy, Coursera, and many others that help you dive further into the functions and results.
“Digital marketing is a competitive industry with talented specialists. Digital agencies and companies want people who know the newest trends, techniques, and news. By getting a digital marketing certification such as The Digital Marketing Institute’s Certified Digital Marketing Certifications, you’ll know the trends and technologies implemented by top firms.” – Joshua Allen, Founder of Smartlinks SEO Company
“Digital Marketer’s Ecommerce Marketing Mastery 2022 – I have done quite a few digital marketer certifications over the years, and this training as well as the Paid Traffic Mastery course go in-depth on everything you need to know to become an expert. Digital Marketer’s certifications also carry quite a bit of recognition from potential clients.” – Joshua Kimmes Owner/Business Development & Strategy at Bear North Digital
Industry experts, including our panelists, all recommend adding skills that fall outside of your current role and duties. Even if you don’t plan to be directly involved or your organization already has dedicated people in those areas, understanding the full scope of digital marketing options will help you identify new options, new efficiencies, and new places to improve your marketing performance.
“Agencies who aren’t involved in media need to understand that social/digital advertising extends well beyond Instagram/Facebook, Amazon, and Google. Not knowing what’s possible and how the internet operates will put your team and clients at a disadvantage. The Edge Academy certification from The Trade Desk provides a great overview of the marketing automation landscape.” – Peter Sayn-Wittgenstein, Partner/Executive Creative Director at Big Day the Agency
“DigitalMarketer’s Digital Marketing Mastery Certification, paid traffic certification, and eCommerce Certification have all just been updated by real digital marketers who are true experts running agencies on the ‘front lines.’ Digital Marketing Mastery is designed to give someone a real understanding and knowledge to be a great strategist or generalist. eCommerce and paid traffic are designed to make you a great T-shaped marketer in the areas of online commerce and media buying, respectively.” – Jay Vics, Founder of JVI Mobile Marketing
But of course, there’s no reason not to utilize the free options for certification, especially for small business owners and employees. Tools and sites like HubSpot have tremendous material available and help people jump-start their digital marketing efforts in every category.
“We love the HubSpot academy because they are spot on with their lessons and it’s one hundred percent free to use. HubSpot has five certificates in their HubSpot Academy, a virtual classroom with video lessons followed by a one- to two-hour quiz. Certificates include social media, inbound marketing, S.E.O, digital marketing, and content marketing.” – Jeffrey Miles, Owner/Founder at Jeff Social Marketing
More Digital Marketing Skills to Explore
Whether you’re ready to add some new marketing techniques to your resume, or you just want to gain a better understanding of the power and potential of digital marketing, online courses are available for nearly every skill set. From content creation and video marketing to Google Adwords, SEO, PPC, email marketing, and many more, our digital marketing providers have plenty more advice to offer as well. And even if you have a few certifications already under your belt, they can work with you to further streamline your business’s digital marketing efforts.