9 Marketing Certifications to Boost Your Career (+ How to Showcase Them)

To be a certified marketing professional in the marketing industry, you have to go through great pressure to demonstrate your skills to employers by gaining several marketing certifications. As the digital marketing world has gotten more complex and specialized, employers are looking for professional marketers with specific marketing skills, and marketing certifications are a great way for them to assess the expertise of their potential employees. 

For professional marketers, certification is an excellent way to improve your career prospects, as employers may prefer marketers who are certified in specific, relevant marketing tools and skills in the job market. A marketing certification can demonstrate your credibility to hiring managers and help you meet industry standards. Taking a certification course or certification program is also a great way to improve your skills and practice new tools, making it a great choice for your own growth.

In this article, we’ll discuss popular digital marketing certification courses, each one unique to a different growing demand in marketing, and some of them even have free certifications. We’ll also dive into the benefits of seeking these in-demand certifications and provide some tips on listing them on a resume. 

Google Ads Certification

Google Ads Certification is a digital marketing certification serving as a credential for people who pass the Google Ads exam, thereby demonstrating their expertise in using Google Ads. There are six different exams that each cover different topics, like search, video, shopping, apps, and display. The exams include optional training content for those wanting to review their skills, which can take a few hours to go over. The content for each course and exam varies by topic. For example, the Google Ads Display course covers concepts like automated billing and increasing conversions, while Google Ads Apps teaches how to set third-party link IDs. Each exam requires 80% to pass and you are allotted 75 minutes to complete it. This marketing certification is valid for a year.

How much does it cost?

The training material and the exam are both free. It’s worth noting that failing the test will result in a one-day waiting period before you can try again. 

Where to get this certification?

You can get this marketing certification online here. Simply choose the Google Ads certification you’d like to get and log in to your Google account. 

Why is it useful?

These certifications are great for most marketers as Google Ads is an industry-standard. Any marketing position that requires heavy use of Google Ads would benefit from these marketing certificate programs. 

Google Analytics Certification

To get the Google Analytics Certification, you must pass the Google Analytics Individual Qualification (GAIQ). Like Google Ads, optional coursework is offered for this certification for marketing professionals, and students can opt just to take the exam to demonstrate their knowledge and proficiency in Google Analytics. There are different courses available on Google Analytics Academy to help you prepare for the digital analytics exam, such as Google Analytics for Beginners and Advanced Google Analytics. The exam covers marketing management concepts like data collection, conversion and attribution, reports and metrics, and configuration. The exam is roughly 90 minutes and unfortunately, you are not able to pause the exam at any time.

How much does it cost?

This certification is free and valid for 12 months. 

Where to get this certification?

Google Analytics Academy, the hub for all the coursework, can be found here. To take the GAIQ exam, you must first be a member of Google Partners. After you’ve made a Google Partner profile, click on certifications to see your options.  

Why is it useful?

This is an ideal marketing certification for market researchers and market analysts interested in brand management. Apart from roles related to market research, SEO specialists will also benefit from this credential, especially those utilizing social media platforms. Google Analytics is the most often used software in inbound marketing analytics, so regardless of your specific marketing job title, this certificate might be a worthwhile pursuit.

Hootsuite Social Media Marketing Certification

The Hootsuite Social Media Marketing Certification is a roughly three-and-a-half-hour digital marketing course, and it covers basic social media marketing topics like content marketing strategy and social media marketing strategy. You can also learn more specific skills like developing a crisis management plan and doing social media audits. The course even covers topics like content creation and publishing tips. To get certified after finishing the training material, you must pass a 60-question exam with at least 80%. You also have the option of taking the exam without finishing the training material, but that is advised only for people with social media marketing knowledge and experience. This certification is one of the many professional certifications and marketing certifications worth pursuing to enhance your career in digital marketing.

How much does it cost?

This is not a free course. It costs USD 199, and its certification doesn’t expire. 

Where to get this certification?

You can access this marketing certificate program here. Go to ‘Take Certification Course’ and either log in or sign up for a free Hootsuite account. 

Why is it useful?

This marketing certification is ideally suited for social media marketers and managers, as well as content and influencer marketers. This course is also great for anyone wishing to manage campaigns and grow their following using social media, or small business owners hoping to increase their reach. Any marketing professional wishing to specialize in marketing on social media can make use of this certificate and its training material. Additionally, online learning platforms offer flexible options for completing this certification, making it accessible to a wide audience.

HubSpot Content Marketing Certification

This marketing certificate program takes roughly eight hours to complete and has 11 quizzes throughout its course content. It includes training material on SEO tactics and content marketing strategies. You’ll learn storytelling techniques, video marketing, and blog creation, as well as how to measure the success of your content using data. 

How much does it cost?

The HubSpot Marketing Certification and the course are both free. 

Where to get this certification?

You can access this marketing course here, on the HubSpot site. To access the course, you must sign up for a free HubSpot account, then click ‘start course’.

Why is it useful?

While this certification is great for marketing professionals generally, content marketers can especially benefit from the lessons available from a digital marketing expert. This training is also great for small businesses and individuals hoping to increase their reach with website optimization. 

Facebook Blueprint Certification

Meta Blueprint, previously Facebook Blueprint, is a hub for courses related to Meta platforms, where users can go to improve their skills and help them optimize their use of Meta products. While many of these courses and how-to tutorials are free, Meta Blueprint also offers some paid marketing certifications, such as Media Planning Professional, Marketing Science Professional, and Digital Marketing Associate. For Marketing Science, the course content covers technical topics like data and testing basics, and SQL. For Media Planning and Digital Marketing, the courses cover skills like managing ads, measuring strategies, Meta Business Suite, and tips to connect with customers and build a following., Courses are 90 minutes or more, and include all the content to help you prepare for the certification exam, including a brief practice test. 

How much does it cost?

The cost of these certificates ranges from USD 99 to USD 150, with costs varying by country and specific certification chosen. 

Where to get this certification?

You can find the link to all Meta Blueprint Certifications here. Scroll down to explore the different online marketing certifications available. 

Why is it useful?

These Meta Blueprint credentials are ideally suited for marketing professionals and small businesses who frequently use Meta platforms for their marketing and e-commerce needs. 

SEMrush SEO Toolkit Course

The SEMrush SEO toolkit has over 20 SEO tools, like link building, rank tracking, and on-page analysis. Given the range and complexity of these applications, SEMrush offers some training material to help people get the most out of their tools. Their course covers all aspects of the search engine optimization SEO toolkit and some major SEO topics like keyword and competitor research as well as site auditing and more. The course has video lessons, quizzes, and exercises, while the certification exam is a way to demonstrate your proficiency in SEMrush’s SEO tools.

How much does it cost?

While the exam is free, access to the Toolkit and its training modules is subscription-based. They also have some free beginner courses in SEO, found here. 

Where to get this certification?

The SEMrush Academy can be accessed at this link, where you’ll find more information on their courses and certifications. A more detailed breakdown of the SEO Toolkit is here. 

Why is it useful?

This Toolkit and its certification are great for SEO specialists and digital marketers, but anyone with a website or a small business can benefit from the search engine marketing tools offered. 

Advanced Email Marketing Course

Simplilearn’s email marketing certification course covers email marketing topics like how to build and manage email lists and get subscribers, as well as content creation and video integration. They also cover basics like using email to drive traffic and the rules and regulations regarding email marketing. You’ll learn how to optimize your content and automate your emails. In total, it’s around five hours of content, and it’s self-paced, but some people caution that it’s tough for beginners.

How much does it cost?

This course and its certification are free. Once you start, you have 90 days to complete it. 

Where to get this certification?

You can find the sign-up for this course at the Simplilearn site. Simply click on ‘Start learning’ to the right of the screen, where you will be prompted to sign up for a free account. 

Why is it useful?

This online marketing certification is great for email marketers and digital marketers who want to grow their customer base and use email to connect to consumers at key points in their customer journey. 

Certified Digital Marketing Professional (DMI)

This marketing certificate program from the Digital Marketing Institute covers a broad range of topics in digital marketing. Some of the modules cover industry standards like email, content, and social media marketing. They also include a section on marketing with AI and cover topics such as audience listening tools and competitive research. Other modules include Google Analytics, SEO, and PPC, making this certification a very well-rounded course for marketing professionals. 

How much does it cost?

This course is regularly around USD 1500 - USD2000 depending on sales available and currently includes a free AI short course with purchase. They also have payment plans available. 

Where to get this certification?

A link to the course and its description can be found here. Enrolling involves making a payment and a brief registration with email, Google, or LinkedIn.  

Why is it useful?

This professional certified marketer certification course is ideal for any marketing professional in today’s digital age, as it covers everything from SEO and email to AI and social media.

Coursera AI in Marketing Certification by UVA

The University of Virginia partnered with Coursera to offer this 10-hour course on artificial intelligence in marketing. You’ll start by learning the fundamentals of AI and details about marketing automation and data analysis. Coursera will teach you how to create networked business models and improve customer connection using AI. Modules cover broad topics like relationships, data, and network effects, and each module has videos, readings, and quizzes. The marketing certification you receive is also shareable on LinkedIn.

How much does it cost?

While the course alone is free, taking the course with its certification has a cost, which varies by location. 

Where to get this certification?

You can access the course on the Coursera website. After clicking the ‘enroll for free’ button, you’ll be prompted to log in or sign up for a Coursera account. 

Why is it useful?

This marketing certification is an ideal choice for any digital marketers, market researchers, and data analysts. As AI is increasingly a part of marketing and research, it’s important to understand how to use it to your advantage and sharpen your competitive edge.  

Why Is Marketing Certifications Important?

For marketing professionals, certification can improve your career prospects and advance your personal growth and skills. Here are just a few advantages to pursuing professional marketing certification in your career journey: 

Establishing professional credibility

Marketers with certifications can easily prove their proficiency by demonstrating they have the knowledge and skills to pass the course exams. What’s more, it establishes them as someone dedicated to their career and willing to continue learning. 

Practical knowledge acquisition

Marketing certification programs can give you applicable skills and knowledge that you can use every day in your job. Some of these courses even give you more hands-on experience, which will improve your proficiency and future success.  

Staying updated with industry trends

The marketing world moves fast, with new platforms, tools, and technology being introduced all the time. Marketers who stay stuck in more traditional roles will struggle as the industry moves on to new trends. Certification is a great way to stay relevant and keep your skills up to date. 

How to Make Marketing Certifications Stand Out on a Resume?

It’s important to emphasize any marketing certifications you have on your resume, to increase your competitiveness in job applications and demonstrate your skills more readily to hiring managers. Here are a few ways to showcase your marketing certifications on a resume: 

Put in a clearly labeled section for easy identification

A section labeled ‘professional development’ or ‘certifications’ allows you to draw attention to your coursework. List your certifications clearly under this section, along with a quick blurb on what the marketing certification covers, if necessary. 

Customize certification presentation to match specific job requirements

If you have more than one marketing certification or coursework under your belt, customize your resume to the job description by listing the most relevant certificates first, or leaving out unrelated certificates altogether. 

Provide tangible evidence of the impact of your certifications

If you can, include how you used the knowledge gained in your certification course in your previous jobs by listing it under job descriptions, in a skills section, or by elaborating under your certifications how it came to be useful. 

Conclusion

Wherever you are in your marketing career journey, it’s important to continue learning to keep up with the fast rate of change in the marketing landscape. You can do that by obtaining different online marketing certifications in SEO, analytics, email marketing, and social media, among others. Marketing certificate programs are a great way to improve your skills and increase your competitiveness in a job search, so long as you highlight the marketing certifications you have on your resume. 

Check out Cake’s other articles for marketing professionals and follow us for more career advice and job search tips.

— Originally Written by Tiffany Quinn —