Staying on Top: Best Places to Get a Digital Marketing Certificate

Today, the average American changes jobs about 12 times during his or her working career. The days when people worked a single position for 40-50 years are ending.

Why are people switching careers and changing jobs more often than before? Many reasons include increased pay, self-fulfillment, and job security.

Digital marketing is one of those fast-growing careers offering competitive pay and fulfillment. You can earn a digital marketing certificate online without going back to school.

Online educational tools and resources make changing careers easier than ever before! Online programs enable workers to pursue an education in (almost) anything they want. As you’ll find below, you can earn a digital marketing certificate in half the time and for a fraction of the cost of attending a traditional university.

Are you considering a career change to digital marketing? Here are the best marketing courses to help you break into the marketing industry.

Why Digital Marketing?

The digital marketing industry is booming. Digital marketing job postings have grown 30% since 2011.

Digital marketing is more than posting to Facebook or Instagram. The digital marketing sector includes content marketing, digital analytics, and mobile marketing, to name a few.

The salary for a digital marketing manager averages $65,488. There are opportunities to move up, gain a commission, and receive bonuses.

Digital marketing is an exciting career that anyone can switch to with the proper certifications. You can learn the trends in digital marketing without having to return to a traditional school. Depending on your experience, you can complete an online certificate in just a few months.

Interested in learning how you can earn a digital marketing certificate? Check out these online certifications to make your dream job a reality.

Online Digital Marketing Certificates 

Don’t have time to return to school but are looking to boost your resume? These online certifications will make building your skills a breeze.

Google AdWords Certification

Even if you’re not in a marketing position yet, you have probably heard of Google Analytics and Google Ad words once or twice. Google plays a major role in digital marketing, offering a Google AdWords certificate.

This digital media certificate includes introductory and advanced classes. You must pass one fundamental and one advanced assessment in one of Google’s categories. Choose from Search, Display, Mobile, Shopping, or Video.

You can add this professional certificate to your resume or LinkedIn profile. The courses have a high rating of 4.7/5 stars.

The course isn’t free as the 2 exams you must take are $50 each. However, you can find many deals and discounts for the rest of the courses.

Hootsuite Social Marketing Certificate

Hootsuite offers a free digital marketing certificate that covers all the basic concepts you’ll need to know for a career in digital marketing.

Most of the certification courses are free. However, you will have to pay for the exam and any advanced techniques to pursue. After you complete the 60-question exam, you’ll receive an industry-recognized and permanent certificate.

Hootsuite is an excellent resource for those looking to brush up on their marketing skills.

Facebook Blueprint Certification

Facebook is an important advertising and marketing tool in today’s digital marketing. Their free Blueprint Certification courses are in high demand and are well-known in the marketing industry.

There are two primary digital marketing certificates in the course, the Planning Professional and the Buying Professional certifications.

The Planning course focuses on planning campaigns and finding relevant target audiences. The Buying Professional teaches you how to improve proficiency and use Facebook Pixel.

Both certificates are good for one year but will require you to refresh your skills to keep them.

PCM Digital Management Certification

The Professional Certified Marketer, or PCM, is a digital marketing certificate by the American Marketing Association. It offers the most formal and in-depth approach to marketing out of the online options on this list.

The courses explore branding, public relations, social media, planning, and more. PCM offers both in-person and online courses. Once you pass the 120-question exam, you’ll earn a certificate that will last you 3 years.

The course costs $349 for non-AMA members and $249 for AMA members.

HubSpot Inbound Digital Marketing Certificate

Are you searching for a certification that covers all areas of digital marketing? Then HubSpot’s Inbound Certification is just what you need.

The 5 lessons in the course cover all inbound methods, including marketing, sales, and service. You’ll gain a foundation in inbound digital marketing that you can continue to build on.

HubSpot Academy also offers several other courses such as Email Marketing, SEO Training, and Content Marketing. Each certification, including the InBound one, is about 4 hours.

Udemy’s Digital Marketing Certificate

Udemy is the go-to marketplace for all your online learning needs. They offer over 65,000 courses, with a large portion focusing on marketing.

Modern Marketing is a top-rated digital marketing course with author and instructor Seth Gobin. Udemy offers 45 video lessons of Seth Gobin’s lectures.

If you wish to learn more, Seth Gobin also offers an altMBA. AltMBA is a workshop focusing on marketing and lead management.

Udemy offers 12 other great marketing courses, such as Email Marketing, Market Research, Copywriting, and more. Udemy is the perfect resource for professionals to keep their digital marketing skills fresh.

Continuing Education Online Classes

The following programs offer digital marketing certification from reputable universities. You can take classes online or in person, depending on your preference.

A perk of these courses is they offer a more in-depth education that includes labs and hands-on learning. Often, you’ll have access to an instructor or aid who can help you with any questions you may have.

These courses are reputable and led by professional instructors. They will cost around $1000 or more per course.

The University of Vermont

The University of Vermont offers one of the best online digital marketing certificate programs. The 10-week marketing course takes a traditional marketing approach.

It’s an excellent course for people new to marketing and marketing generalists. Other marketing professionals will learn to keep their skills fresh.

The course dives into the many facets of digital marketing. You’ll learn about SEO, Mobile Marketing, Analytics, Display Advertising, and more. The course finishes with a project demonstrating the skills and knowledge you learned in the class.

Oregon State University

Oregon State University offers an online digital marketing certificate in Digital Brand Management. The course explores how to use social media in marketing, make the most of your branding efforts, SEO, and more.

The course explores how to use social media in marketing and make the most of your branding efforts.

This program also certifies digital strategy, content development, technology, and social media. The 4 courses take 5-7 weeks to complete. You’ll earn a certificate and a digital badge you can add to your resume and professional social networks.

Duke Continuing Studies

The Digital Media and Marketing Certificate through Duke’s Continuing Studies Office is a self-paced program. Of the non-credit options on this list, this program is one of the most complete.

Anyone new to the marketing field or looking to improve their skills will benefit from this comprehensive course—students taking the course range in age from 18 years and older.

In this program, you’ll learn all the fundamentals of digital marketing. Lessons include SEO, Digital Marketing, Mobile Marketing, Web Analytics, and more.

The course is a mix of lectures and hands-on course materials. You’ll need to complete several modules to earn your digital marketing certificate.

The program is 350 hours of combined instruction and study time.

University of Wisconsin Milwaukee Digital Marketing Certificate

UW Milwaukee offers a Professional Certificate in Digital Marketing. This program allows students an in-depth look at marketing practices and methodologies. It covers content strategies, marketing analytics, and digital advertising.

Before you can apply, you will need 1 to 2 years of marketing-related experience and a degree in marketing or a similar field. The certificate takes about 2 years to complete the 3 core and the 2 elective classes. You can complete the certification in less time.

What’s unique about this certification is it covers more than just the fundamentals of digital marketing. You will learn to use industry products such as Adobe Photoshop and Indesign. You’ll learn about advertising on social media, Google AdWords, and more.

People looking to stay up-to-date with the latest marketing technology will benefit the most from this course.

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

MIT offers a Digital Marketing and Social Media Analytics program for any professional looking to broaden their marketing skills. It’s an in-person course that takes about 2 days to complete.

This program covers the foundations of digital marketing. You’ll also learn about search marketing, randomized experimentation, viral product design, and more. Once you complete the course, you can receive a life-long certificate.

This is a great program for people from any profession.

Let’s Get Started!

Why wait to start a new and exciting career? There are dozens of ways to earn your digital marketing certificate and start a job you love.

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