The Best Certifications for Marketing Professionals
The world of marketing changes fast, evolving with each new app release and algorithm update. Professional certifications can help you stay on top of your game as a marketer while demonstrating your commitment to prospective employers and increasing your salary. From advertising to AI and beyond, we’ll share a dozen of the best certifications for marketing professionals to pursue if you want to advance your career.
The importance of certifications for marketing professionals
Grow your knowledge
First and foremost, completing certifications helps you acquire new skills. You’ll be exposed to new ideas, techniques, and technology to help you do your job better and faster. This increases your on-the-job performance and makes you more of an asset to your organization.
Expand your job opportunities
Earning new certifications can make you a more competitive candidate. It can give you an advantage over less qualified candidates and opens the door to more advanced positions that require specific certifications to be considered.
Build your credibility
A certain level of authority comes when you know your stuff and feel confident in your expertise. Enhancing your marketing capabilities will help you gain buy-in from company leaders and earn the trust of colleagues who rely on your skills.
Increase your earning potential
Professional certifications are excellent ammunition when negotiating a higher starting salary or making a case for a raise. In addition to making you more knowledgeable, completing a certification demonstrates your investment in your career, which is a desirable quality for employers.
Ignite your passion
Getting a certification can renew your enthusiasm for your chosen field. It can help you break out of a professional slump and provide direction if you’re feeling uncertain about the next step to take in your career.
The top 12 certifications for marketing professionals
1. Google Analytics Certification
Google Analytics has been around for almost two decades and is a staple for anyone conducting online marketing activities. The latest update migrated all properties to Google Analytics 4 (or GA4), with many changes that have thrown even the most experienced users for a loop.
The Google Analytics Certification will ensure you’re current on the platform’s latest features and tools. You’ll walk away with a thorough understanding of how to set up a GA4 property, collect the most relevant data for your organization, and demonstrate ROI with key measurements.
2. Google Ads Certification
There’s a reason some companies have entire departments dedicated to Google Ads–it’s a beast of a platform. And, since those same organizations invest tens of thousands of dollars a year into running ads, they want to ensure the people at the helm know what they’re doing.
Google offers several certifications demonstrating your proficiency in various Ads-related skills, including search, display, video, shopping ads, apps, and measurement. This certification will make you a more appealing candidate for specialized positions.
3. Hubspot Inbound Certification
The Hubspot Inbound Certification is necessary for any marketer selling products or services online. It will teach you to build a customer-centric marketing strategy that attracts, engages, and delights leads to accelerate growth and maximize customer lifetime value.
In this certification, you’ll master the concept of buyer personas and learn how to use them to create a strategic buyer’s journey consisting of inbound marketing tactics. Best of all, it’s free, making this an ideal certification if you’re just starting or looking for an easy way to beef up the skills on your resume.
4. Hubspot Email Marketing Certification
Email is one of the lowest cost and highest ROI mediums for turning leads into customers. Refine your email marketing skills with Hubspot’s Email Marketing Certification.
It’ll give you a solid foundation of email marketing fundamentals, including personalization, automation, and design. For those already proficient in email marketing, its sections on copywriting, calls to action, and A/B testing will help you drive more conversions and get better results.
5. The Complete Digital Marketing Course
With more than 200 lectures and 22 hours of video, The Complete Digital Marketing Course is the top-selling digital marketing program on Udemy for a reason. It covers a wide range of essential marketing topics like conducting market research, website optimization, social media, and SEO, empowering you with the tools you need to scale a business online. Experienced marketers can also benefit from lectures on niche topics like tips for going viral and how to parlay your skills into a successful career as a freelancer.
This course is endorsed by companies like Nasdaq and Eventbrite, which is a strong indicator of its potential to increase your job prospects.
6. Marketing AI Institute
AI is the way of the future, and it’s already transforming how we do business. Dive into this exciting new frontier with the Marketing AI Institute, which offers online courses from beginner to advanced.
Learn how to leverage AI to do things like predict consumer behaviors, increase the ROI of your campaigns, and reduce time spent on manual tasks.
7. Brand Management from the University of London
Maybe you already have a handle on marketing tactics like social media and email marketing, but do you thoroughly understand how those techniques play into the organization’s larger brand? The University of London’s Brand Management course on Coursera will show you how to do this.
You’ll discover how a modern brand is so much more than a visual identity and instead is a series of strategic “moments that matter” delivered by the entire organization and not just the marketing team. It’s a great palate cleanser for those times when you feel like your head might explode if you look at another spreadsheet.
8. Semrush Academy
Get to know the principles of SEO in this hands-on course from the experts at Semrush. You’ll learn about the three main components of modern-day SEO–on-page, technical, and off-page SEO–and how to apply them to your marketing strategies.
Become proficient in building a target keyword list and deeply dive into the factors that will help you acquire organic traffic through search engines.
9. Amazon Ads Certification
American businesses sold more than four billion products on Amazon in 2022 alone, making it a lucrative and important sales channel for organizations across industries. Validate your proficiency in the platform’s various Ads products with Amazon Ads Certifications.
This program allows you to choose from varying tracks based on your area of expertise, including retail ads, ad server campaigns, Amazon DSP, and more. The certifications are free and can be renewed on an annual basis.
10. TikTok Academy
TikTok has established itself as a formidable presence in the social media landscape, but for many marketers, incorporating it into a company’s strategy is still a mystery. TikTok Academy will help you master the platform, becoming more proficient at shooting creative content and using Shop Ads to drive sales.
11. Storybrand Messaging Framework
You might have the largest marketing budget in the land, but with a clear message, your campaigns are sure to succeed. Storybrand’s Messaging Framework course will show you how to craft a brand message that resonates with your target audience in a way that increases sales–a cornerstone for any successful online business.
12. Mini MBA in Marketing
If you’ve ever thought about returning to school but couldn’t realistically commit, a Mini MBA in marketing may be the perfect middle ground. This program allows you to receive MBA-level training from some of the top minds in business on a smaller and more affordable scale than a full MBA.
You’ll become a better marketer, increase your earning potential, and may even decide to pull the trigger on further post-secondary education.
The great thing about the marketing certifications covered above is that there’s something for everyone, from short and sweet free courses to extensive month-long investments. Choose the one that feels right for you and expand your career prospects within a few clicks.
For more marketing resources to further your professional development, check out these top marketing courses.
