One of the best resolutions to make for yourself for a new year is to invest in continuing education and personal development. There are literally hundreds, if not thousands, of marketing courses and certifications that you can enroll in. Some are, of course, more worth the time and money than others. Here’s the top 10 to consider for 2020.
American Marketing Association – Digital Marketing Certification
Made up of 120 questions, the test for the AMA Digital Marketing Certification only takes 2 hours to complete and is built for people who have existing knowledge of the marketing world. To pass the SAT of the digital marketing world, you must at least receive an 80%. You have three attempts to pass within 1 year of your initial try.
Cost: $249 for AMA members, $349 for nonmembers
Cornell – Digital Marketing Certificate
Want to add some Ivy League to your resume without footing the huge tuition bill? Cornell’s online Digital Marketing Certificate might be just what every entry-level marketer needs to jumpstart her career. The certification is a great overview of all major social media and digital marketing techniques including paid engagement, marketing funnels, and implementing marketing plans.
Cost: $950/month or $3,600 total
DePaul University – Digital Marketing Strategy Certificate Program
If you’re located in the Midwest or are ready for an extended stay in downtown Chicago, then this one-month-long, deep dive into the world of digital marketing might be just what you’re looking for this year. The in-class Digital Marketing Strategy certificate is only offered at the university itself. This jam-packed course focuses on social media strategy, SEO, web analytics, and other digital marketing basics.
Cost: $1,295
Google Digital Garage – Fundamentals of Digital Marketing
With SEO being such a big component of digital marketing, is it even a surprise that Google has created online courses? Google’s Fundamentals of Digital Marketing course offers 40 hours of free courses that provide a baseline knowledge of social media and search marketing. There are even specialized courses on Google My Business. Even more so, this course makes the list because it’s all 100% free!
Cost: FREE
Duke University Continuing Studies – Digital Media & Marketing Program
A certification might not pack the same weight as a degree but when enrolling in this course, you’ll still be getting a certification with a lot of name recognition. Originally developed by Simplilearn, the Digital Media and Marketing Program is an online, self-paced program administered by Duke University designed to introduce students to the digital marketing world. This certification confirms a strong grasp of fundamentals, SEO, social media, PPC, and analytics. Expect this course to be complete with labs and electives.
Cost: $3,195
The University of Vermont – Advance Social Media and Marketing
You’ve heard of continuing education but have you heard of distance education? The University of Vermont Continuing and Distance Education offers a number of online digital marketing certificates including the Advanced Social Media Marketing certificate. As you might have guessed, this course focuses on social media marketing, diving deep into the how-to’s of building a social media strategy and putting it into action. As a bonus, after completing The University of Vermont’s course, you will have all the skills needed to achieve Hubspot’s Social Media Certification.
Cost: $950
University of Washington Professional and Continuing Education
Unlike the others on this list, the University of Washington’s certificate in storytelling and content strategy focuses more on the content and less on the digital atmosphere. This 8-month, online course is made up of three sections: content creation (the power of storytelling), content strategy (crafting the user experience), and content science (data analysis & understanding the problem).
Cost: $3,498
Online Marketing Institute’s Content Marketing Certification
The Online Marketing Institute’s classes surrounding the Content Marketing Certification include topics such as “Developing a Content Marketing Strategy,” “Measuring Your Content Marketing Success”, and “Content Curation: Making B2B Content Marketing More Feasible.” At the end of this course, you will be expected to take a regularly updated final exam with exercises to ensure that you have learned all of the material.
Cost: $859
4A’s IPA Foundation Certificate
4A is one of the oldest and largest professional marketing organizations in the country, founded in 1917. Becoming a member of 4A grants you access to a variety of Learning and Development programs that range from webinars and workshops to lectures and multiway networking events. The main course that this organization offers is the IPA Foundation Certificate. Consisting of 35 hours of online coursework, this certification is recommended for recent college graduates and professionals who are new to the marketing industry.
Cost: $600 for members, $850 for nonmembers.
Interactive Advertising Bureau
The IAB has a lot to offer to its members, including 4 certification programs: Digital Media Sales, Digital Ad Operations, Digital Data Solutions, and Digital Media Buying and Planning. Not sure if you want to be a member but want to be certified? The Interactive Advertising Bureau does offer these courses to nonmembers but at a higher price. Unique to the IAB is that the organization requires certified marketing professionals to recertify within 9 to 24 months of their initial certification. Staying certified may entail logging continuing education credits or retaking the certification exam. You’ll want to be sure to read all of the guidelines carefully before enrolling in a course as some certifications require specific eligibility requirements.
Cost: Most IAB’s exams and training packages run $699 for members, $899 for nonmembers
Do any of these make your New Year’s resolution list?
