In 2023’s competitive job landscape, you need to do everything you can to stand out from your competitors to win new marketing clients and jobs. A great and inexpensive way you can meet that goal? Get a marketing certification online.
In this article, we define what a marketing certification is and the benefits of getting one, along with why you should consider enrolling in an online program. Finally, we’ll let you in on the 17 best online marketing certifications that you can start right away to give your career a much-needed boost.
Let’s get started!
What is a Marketing Certification?
To kick things off, let’s make the important distinction between a marketing certification and a marketing certificate. A marketing certificate is awarded to marketers who go through a broad, generalized program of study. They’re taught various industry skills without specializing in a particular area. It’s almost like an extension of a college degree.
If you’re a marketer, you already have the skills you need to be a success. But so do a lot of other people in your field. To stand out, you need to become an expert in using a specific tool, software, or program. That’s exactly the type of training a marketing certification can provide.
Depending on the program, you can become a pro at utilizing tools in Google, HubSpot, Facebook, Twitter, and countless other platforms. Plus, to receive a certification, you must pass an exam and then retake it periodically to renew your certification before it expires (which usually happens after one or two years).
This enables you to stay up to date on the latest trends and changes in your particular marketing niche. For these reasons, a certification can be far more valuable than a certificate. And now you know why it’s essential to know the differences between the two!
What are the Benefits of Getting a Marketing Certification?
Why should you spend the extra time and money to get a marketing certification – especially if you have experience in the industry or already have a degree?
Here are three unique benefits that a marketing certification brings to your career.
1. Makes Your Resume or Portfolio Stand Out
A marketing certification shows drive, initiative, and most importantly, training and expertise in a particular marketing platform or software. All three of these qualities help your resume or portfolio stand out and make clients want to choose you over your competition.
2. Qualifies You for Higher Pay
The more skills you have to offer – particularly the specialized ones that marketing certification programs teach you – the better position you’re in to negotiate higher pay. In fact, according to Texas State University, digital marketers with certifications get paid 16-26% more than digital marketers who aren’t certified at all.
3. Improves Your Quality of Work
A third benefit of getting a marketing certification is it gives you the skills to improve the quality of your work. The higher quality work you produce, the more you will get noticed and rewarded. Plus, there’s no greater satisfaction than knowing you’ve gone the extra mile and done an incredible job.
17 Best Online Marketing Certifications
Here are the 17 best online marketing certifications that you can enroll in or register for right away.
Google Certifications
1. Google Ads Certifications
Key Features: Teaches multiple areas of focus, including AI-powered performance ads, Google Ads measurement, Google Ads creative process, offline sales growth, Google Ads search, Google Ads display, Shopping ads, Google Ads video, and Google Ads apps.
Pricing: $0
Duration: 2 ½ – 4 hours each
2. Google Analytics Certification
Key Features: Teaches marketers how to set up a Google Analytics 4 property for a website and an app, collect and analyze data, and recognize key measurements to evaluate their marketing campaigns.
Pricing: $0
Duration: 4 ½ hours
3. Google Marketing Certifications: Fundamentals of Digital Marketing
Key Features: Comes with 26 modules that cover the fundamental elements of digital marketing in detail, including analytics and data insights, business strategies, content marketing, display advertising, e-commerce, SEM, SEO, and more.
Pricing: $0
Duration: 40 hours
HubSpot Certifications
4. HubSpot Content Marketing Certification
Key Features: Teaches marketers how to create compelling SEO content that drives traffic and engagement, as well as how to measure and optimize results.
Pricing: $0
Duration: 7 ½ hours
5. HubSpot Inbound Marketing Certification
Key Features: Teaches you how to create buyer personas and content that targets those personas to generate leads and convert customers.
Pricing: $0
Duration: 5 hours
6. HubSpot Email Marketing Certification
Key Features: Instructs you how to market effectively via email and then how to demonstrate those skills in HubSpot’s free email marketing tool.
Pricing: $0
Duration: 4 hours
Social Media Marketing Certifications
7. Twitter Flight School’s Social Media Badges
Key Features: Explains how to use Twitter marketing tools – including Ads Manager, cross-border advertising, Launch and Connect campaigns, Performance Ads, and Video Ads – to greatest effect. At the end of each course, instead of receiving a certificate, you’ll receive a Badge.
Pricing: $0
Duration: 4-5 hours each
8. Meta Blueprint
Key Features: Teaches the skills necessary to become a digital marketing expert on Facebook, Instagram, and other Meta-owned social media platforms. Includes certification courses for digital marketing associates, marketing science professionals, media planning professionals, community managers, and more.
Pricing: $0
Duration: 15-50 minutes per course per certification
9. YouTube Certified
Key Features: Provides YouTube creators with knowledge of advanced YouTube marketing skills such as content ownership, asset monetization, and music rights management.
Pricing: $0 (must be a YouTube creator and partner with a YouTube partner manager or have access to Content ID)
Duration: Not specified
Digital Marketing Certifications
10. IIDE Advanced Digital Marketing Certification
Key Features: Teaches mastery of more than 20 core marketing skills and provides interview training, resume feedback, and 100% job placement assistance.
Pricing: INR 98,250 or $1188
Duration: 4 months
11. Digital Marketing Institute Professional Digital Marketing Certificate
Key Features: Combines two certificates in one – the Professional Digital Marketing certificate from Digital Marketing Institute, and the PCM from the American Marketing Association. Marketers will learn the basics of PPC Google Ads, Analytics, SEO, social media marketing, and more.
Pricing: $1442
Duration: 30 hours (average completion time is 8-10 weeks)
12. OMCP Digital Marketing Certification
Key Features: Verifies skilled digital marketers with a minimum of 1000 hours of experience in their field who have completed an OMCP-approved digital marketing course. Provides highly valued credentials that companies look for during hiring.
Pricing: $395
Duration: Not specified
13. Hootsuite Academy Marketing Certification
Key Features: Teaches marketers how to be experts at social marketing, so that they can help brands, businesses, and influencers grow their reach and their sales.
Pricing: $199
Duration: 3 ½ hours
Other Marketing Certifications
14. Content Marketing Institute Certificate
Key Features: Provides comprehensive, self-paced training in content marketing strategy through 11 core classes. Lectures are given by CMI’s Chief Content Advisor and marketing expert, Robert Rose, as well as other experienced instructors.
Pricing: $995
Duration: Up to 12 months
15. Microsoft Advertising Certification
Key Features: Teaches marketers how to effectively utilize the Microsoft Advertising platform. Offers certifications in Search, Native and Display, and Shopping Advertising, all through Microsoft’s Advertising platform.
Pricing: $0
Duration: 4-5 hours per certification
16. SEMrush SEO Toolkit Course
Key Features: Guides marketers on how to use the SEMrush SEO Toolkit to research, manage, and improve SEO.
Pricing: $0
Duration: 1 ½ hours
17. SMEI Certified Professional Marketer Course
Key Features: Prepares marketers to take and pass the SMEI Certified Professional Marketer certification exam. Teaches how to initiate the marketing process, understand buyers and markets, and target and satisfy marketing opportunities.
Pricing: $989
Duration: Up to six months
College or University Courses vs Online Certifications
When you pursue a marketing certification or even a marketing certificate, you have two choices: go through a college or university course or enroll in an independent online program.
One advantage that many online programs have over academic ones is they focus on teaching you the skills to use a specific platform or software. Most college or university programs offer more generalized marketing certificates. Those are still valuable, but not as specialized as you may be looking for.
In addition, you will always have to pay for a certificate or certification from an academic source. Some online certification courses are free!
So, while you may think you need to attend an academic institution to get a proper certification, the truth is there are a number of amazing online marketing certification programs that will serve you just as well – if not better.
Things to Consider When Choosing an Online Marketing Certification
There are many online marketing certification programs to choose from, as you’ll soon see. To help you select the right one (or ones), consider these three factors.
1. Area of Focus
Before you choose a marketing certification program, know what you want your area of focus to be. You may, for example, want to become skilled at using Google Analytics or social media marketing on Twitter.
And yes, there are marketing certifications for each one of those topics. That’s why it’s important to define your goals for getting certified before choosing a program, so that you can find just the right one that meets your needs.
2. Pricing
Another important factor to consider is pricing. With so many online marketing certification programs, there is almost always something for any budget. This is a good thing since most marketers who are padding their resumes or portfolios with certifications are looking to do it as cheaply as possible.
At the same time, however, you want the price, whatever it may be, to be worth the skills the program has to teach you. So, if you find a program you like that goes over your budget, consider its benefits and whether or not you think you can earn that money back quickly with what you’ve learned by the end.
3. Duration
Finally, factor in the duration of the marketing certification programs you’re interested in. This is essential because you may find that a program that is too long or too short can negatively impact your capacity to learn.
For example, a short program may not teach you everything you need to know, or the workload could be so heavy that you have trouble keeping up with it.
Know your schedule, your limits, and the level of knowledge and expertise you want to ascend to, and use that information to pick an appropriate duration.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Will having marketing certifications help me get a job?
Yes, having marketing certifications can improve your chances of getting noticed by hiring managers and securing a job position.
- How much easier is it to get a job in marketing with a marketing certification?
It is easier to get a job in marketing with marketing certifications on your resume. Companies often look for certifications as a sign of skill, expertise, and drive.
- What’s the best digital marketing certification course or program?
The best digital marketing certification program is the IIDE Advanced Digital Marketing Certification. Not only do they provide marketers with in-depth instruction on core topics, but they also help with job placement at the end.
- Is it worth it to get a marketing certificate online?
Getting a marketing certificate online is worth it because it allows you to learn at your own pace. There are even certification programs on the internet that are completely free, which relieves the financial burden.
Conclusion: Should You Get an Online Certification in Digital Marketing?
Throughout this article, you learned the difference between a marketing certification and a marketing certificate, why getting a certification is so valuable, and what to look for in your ideal program. Finally, we also covered 17 of the best marketing certifications you can find on the internet, some of which are completely free.
Considering how many options there are for getting a certification, regardless of your budget and schedule, it’s safe to say that this is a smart strategy that will boost your career and make you shine brighter than other job candidates.
