Guide to Marketing Certifications

Best marketing certifications

These are the most in-demand certifications: 

• HubSpot email and inbound marketing
• Google Ads and Google Analytics
• Social media marketing 

We’ll discuss these certifications in more detail below.

Marketing certifications from accredited universities

Many accredited universities and colleges are responding to the high demand for marketing certifications. Some university certifications are intended for seasoned marketing professionals, while others are for recent college graduates entering the workforce or people changing careers. 

Whether you’re a longtime marketer or transitioning into the field, a well-regarded university’s name on your resume can boost your professional standing. Here are some universities that offer marketing certifications: 

• Cornell: Cornell’s Marketing Strategy Certificate Program is a six-class program that takes three months to complete and costs $3,750. The program is sold as “MBA-level strategic marketing training” and is geared toward professionals looking to level up.
• Harvard: Harvard Extension School’s Marketing Management and Digital Strategy Graduate Certificate focuses on marketing fundamentals, digital marketing strategies and marketing management. Harvard’s program includes four graduate-level credit classes. The total cost for all four classes is $13,360.

In addition, these colleges and universities offer reputable marketing certifications:

• Duke University
• MIT
• Baruch College
• University of California, Berkeley
• Georgetown University
• University of Georgia 
• Oregon State University

Programs vary widely in price, duration, format (online or in person) and focus. Most certification programs cost from $2,000 to $5,000, but some go up to $15,000.

Before you enroll in a certification program at an accredited university, make sure you understand what you’re purchasing. Some programs are up to a week long and don’t offer college credits, while others in the same price range span months and do count for college credit.

Marketing certifications for specific digital marketing tools

Certifications for specific programs or services can bolster your resume and help keep you current in the constantly evolving world of digital marketing. Many specific-skill certificates are free or low-cost. Some are provided by the company that created the tool, such as Google or HubSpot. Others are offered through third-party online training companies.

The certification that will be most valuable for your career depends largely on your company’s marketing niche. Here are some of the most popular and reputable digital marketing certifications for marketing professionals:

• Google Analytics Individual Qualification (free)
• Google Ads Search Certification (free)
• Google Digital Marketing & E-commerce Certificate (free)
• Meta (Facebook) Blueprint marketing certifications (free)
• X Ads Academy (free)
• HubSpot Academy (free)
• Hootsuite Social Media Marketing Certification ($199)

Marketing certifications from industry organizations and associations

It pays to be discerning about certifications from independent marketing associations. Many organizations that provide certificates are for-profit education companies that don’t operate as industry touchstones. There are also legitimate professional organizations offering valuable certifications. 

Marketers who keep up with industry affairs value certifications from the following organizations.  

American Marketing Association

The American Marketing Association (AMA) is one of the country’s most established professional marketing organizations. In addition to hosting educational networking events and disseminating industry information through its publications and partnerships, the AMA offers the American Marketing Association Professional Certified Marketer program.

The AMA’s certification program has four tracks: digital marketing, marketing management, sales management and content marketing. All programs begin with an overview of the skills required for the certification and a free practice exam.

• Digital marketing: The AMA has two options.
  
  • Digital Marketing Pro: The AMA Digital Marketing Pro program is done in cooperation with the Digital Marketing Institute (DMI) and includes two certificates: PCM Digital Marketing and Certified Digital Marketing Professional. According to AMA, nine in 10 DMI graduates say this digital marketing course positively impacted their career. The course encompasses 30 hours of online learning about social media, pay-per-click advertising, email marketing, search engine optimization (SEO), content marketing and digital marketing strategy. You finish the course on your own timeline and then schedule an exam at a local testing center. The cost is $2,060, but it’s sometimes reduced to $1,442.
  • Digital Marketing Expert: For more comprehensive training, you can choose the AMA Digital Marketing Expert program, which includes 120 hours of self-paced online learning. Marketers who complete this training earn two credentials: PCM Advanced Digital Marketing and Certified Digital Marketing Expert. Instead of a test at the end, students are required to write two 5,000-word assignments: a digital marketing research paper and a digital marketing strategy document. Both documents comprise a complete digital marketing campaign from start to finish. The Digital Marketing Expert program costs $5,310 and is sometimes discounted to $3,717.
• Marketing management: The marketing management track comes with a free handbook and the AMA Marketing Management Study Package ($749 for members; $849 for nonmembers). The price includes the certification exam.
• Sales management: The AMA Sales Management Certificate Program costs $2,595 for AMA members and $2,895 for nonmembers. The course is three days long and can be taken in person or online. 
• Content marketing: The AMA Content Marketing Certification costs $1,295 for AMA members and $1,395 for nonmembers. As with the sales management track, you can take this course in person or on the AMA website. 

To maintain your certification in any area of study, the AMA requires you to earn 30 continuing education units (CEUs) every three years, with a minimum of 10 units per year, and to recertify every three years. CEUs are determined by the AMA and may include events, webcasts, virtual conferences or training sessions. 

Interactive Advertising Bureau

The Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) counts more than 650 media and technology companies among its members and offers four certification programs: 

• Digital Media Sales Certification (DMSC)
• Digital Media Buying and Planning Certification (DBPC)
• Digital Ad Operations Certification (DAOC)
• Digital Marketing and Media Foundations Certification (DMFC)

IAB certification applications cost $500 each. Applications must be successfully completed within six months, otherwise you will need to reapply. People who failed their exams will need to pay a $175 retest fee.

4As

Founded in 1917, 4As is one of the oldest and largest professional marketing organizations in the U.S. It serves 600 member agencies across 1,200 offices, and its Benefits division insures more than 160,000 marketing agency professionals. 4As offers various learning and development programs, including webinars, workshops, lectures and multiday networking events. 

4As offers four certification training programs:

• Team Leadership Certification for Managers ($1,500; 4A member rate: $1,200)
• Media Essentials: From Chaos to Clarity ($799; 4A member rate: 20 percent off)
• Agency Fundamentals ($299; 4A member rate: free)
• Revenue Growth Certification ($1,799; special pilot pricing: $1,499)

What is the purpose of a marketing certificate?

There are many reasons for obtaining a digital marketing certification. Some of the most common reasons include refining your marketing skills, showing proof to potential employers or clients, advancing your pay or career status, and boosting your confidence.

Skills and knowledge

A marketing certificate can be valuable if you think you need more formal training in marketing skills, including in the following areas:

• Media marketing
• Email marketing best practices
• Customer development
• SEO strategies
• Market research
• Strategic brand management 

Marketing certificate courses can also help you understand marketing tools, including social media platforms, Google Ads, Hootsuite, HubSpot and other web analytics tools. There are certificate courses for both longtime professional marketers and total newcomers. 

“In marketing, a certification can be useful if you want to develop a specific skill, such as SEO, copywriting, or digital ads — especially if you’ve already worked in marketing for some time and can build on already acquired knowledge,” Paulius Zajanckauskas, web growth lead at Omnisend, told us.

Career advancement

Although marketing certificates (or lack thereof) are not always a necessity for employers, they are a signal that you are committed to learning and honing your skills. This can set you apart from others when seeking new clients, applying for a new job, or asking for a promotion or raise. 

“Marketing certifications from well-established and respected certifying organizations benefit both individuals and companies,” said Laura Grant, senior marketing manager at Bluesky Solutions. “For individuals, they show their skills, knowledge and expertise meet a particular standard and that they are committed to ongoing professional development. This places them in a good position in the job market, as they have tangible worth to employers.”

Confidence

While some professionals seek certifications to learn new skills and tout it on their resumes, others do it for the confidence that it brings. Earning certain marketing certifications can affirm that you know what you are doing in your field of work. 

“Oftentimes, certifications tend to lead to an increase in confidence,” said Jennifer Radke, CEO of the National Institute for Social Media (NISM) and Online Marketing Certified Professionals (OMCP). “A lot of digital or social media marketers ended up there by chance, not through a focused effort, … so they often feel unsure of their skills and expertise. Certifications can help validate that for them and their employers.”

Should you obtain a certification in digital marketing?

The answer to this question largely depends on your professional status and goals. Radke listed the following situations where obtaining a certification in digital marketing can make a huge impact.

• Career transition: You are at a transition in your career. It is time to move up into more of a leadership role, and you want to highlight your qualifications in a new way.
• Team cohesion and development: As a marketing leader, you want to offer professional development to your team and get them all speaking the same language, understanding and respecting the different roles members play and helping them work more efficiently together.
• Skill relevance: As a more seasoned marketer, you can often be questioned about your abilities in digital marketing. There is a bias that only the young truly understand digital technologies. While we all know that isn’t true, certification can help prove that you are skilled in digital strategies and that you are keeping up with the changing environment.

Ask yourself these questions when deciding whether to obtain a digital marketing certification: 

• Are you planning to expand your online presence? If you plan to build your business’s online presence, a digital marketing certification will likely be relevant to your work.
• Do you need to learn specific marketing tools? If you must learn certain digital marketing tools — like Hootsuite, Google Ads or HubSpot email marketing — pursuing a digital marketing certification can help familiarize you with these platforms on your own schedule, often for far less money than college courses. 

However, if your business requires minimal or basic use of internet platforms for marketing purposes, a certification in digital marketing might not be for you. Also, if you aren’t currently in the job market, you might want to skip the certifications.

How do you become a certified marketing professional?

You don’t need a certification to work in marketing. However, if you want one, there are many ways to become a certified marketing professional:

• Taking courses at a university
• Completing online programs through marketing platforms and companies 
• Attending special in-person classes hosted by industry organizations and associations of longtime professional marketers

If you want to pursue any of these avenues for a marketing certification, the links provided in this article are a great way to get started.

Skye Schooley and Jennifer Dublino contributed to this article.