Best Digital Marketing Certifications in 2022

You already know the importance and benefits of getting certified in digital marketing. Now, the next step is to decide which digital marketing certification to choose. The bad news is there are so many options out there! The good news is (a) it’s easy to shortlist the ones that matter and (b) you don’t have to end up with just one certification.

For example, finance professionals can hold different titles from different certification organizations: CFA, CFP, CMT, CMA, CPA, etc. It’s the same for other professionals in I.T., human resources, marketing, and the like. In digital marketing, there are also many certifications to choose from.

In general, you can categorize them into two: vendor-specific and vendor-neutral. To compare apples to apples, we focus only on the foundational or fundamental digital marketing certifications for beginners, not the advanced courses.

Vendor-Specific Digital Marketing Certifications

Vendor-specific certifications are given by tech and Internet companies like Google, Facebook, and HubSpot. There are others from Twitter, LinkedIn, HootSuite, etc. but among vendors, Google, Facebook, and HubSpot offer the most popular digital marketing certifications. Their goal is mainly to educate their customers to use their platforms. As such, they are free, since they will make money from placing ads on their platform or subscribing to their services. Still, they are worth looking into.

Options

1. Google Digital Garage

Certification: Google Fundamentals of Digital Marketing
Modules: 26
Length: 40 hours
Format: video tutorials
Assessment: online exam (40 questions)
Features: self-paced, online, unlimited access
Support: online form
Price: free
Website: https://learndigital.withgoogle.com/digitalgarage/

2. Meta Blueprint

Certification: Meta Certified Digital Marketing Associate*
Modules: 27
Length: 3.5 hours
Format: video tutorials
Assessment: online exam (90 minutes) or Pearson Vue test center ($150 fee)
Features: self-paced, online, unlimited access
Support: online form
Price: free
Website: https://www.facebook.com/business/learn/certification

* Meta Blueprint (previously Facebook Blueprint) also offers more specialized certifications, namely: Meta Certified Marketing Science Professional, Meta Certified Creative Strategy Professional, Meta Certified Media Planning Professional, Meta Certified Media Buying Professional, Meta Certified Ads Product Developer I, II & III

3. HubSpot Academy

Certification: Inbound Marketing*
Modules: 11
Length: 4.5 hours
Format: video tutorials
Assessment: online exam (3 hours)
Features: self-paced, online, unlimited access
Support: discussion boards
Price: free
Website: https://academy.hubspot.com/

* HubSpot Academy is best known for popularizing the concept of inbound marketing, but it also offers other short certification courses, including Social Media Strategy Certification Course, Inbound, Content Marketing, Inbound Sales, Growth-Driven Design, Email Marketing, Frictionless Sales, HubSpot Sales Software, HubSpot Marketing Software, HubSpot CMS for Marketers, Sales Management Training, HubSpot CMS for Developers, Sales Enablement, Growth-Driven Design Agency, Contextual Marketing

Pros & Cons of Vendor-Specific Digital Marketing Certifications

Pros

industry-recognized (they are, after all, run by the Internet’s top companies)
online, self-paced (convenient)
free

Cons

too short (e.g. Facebook’s course runs for just 3.5 hours while that of HubSpot is just 4.5 hours)
not as comprehensive (e.g. some modules in Google’s course are too short: email marketing is just 30 minutes while social media is 1 hour)
biased towards own platforms (e.g. Google’s course naturally focuses on search ads while Facebook’s is solely on Facebook marketing)
no classroom or live sessions (no interaction with trainers or other participants)
validity of certification is short (e.g. 1 year for Facebook and 2 years for HubSpot)
assessment is not reliable (except for Facebook Blueprint’s certifications, which are assessed through third party test center Pearson Vue, the others are not proctored; in fact, you can Google the answers for their exams)

Conclusion

So, is there any value to these vendor-specific certifications? Well, they are informative. You will definitely learn something. However, they don’t carry as much weight as vendor-neutral certifications. The fact that they are free and exams are not as strictly controlled means these credentials are questionable.

Vendor-Neutral Digital Marketing Certifications

There are really just two credible, industry-backed, internationally-recognized digital marketing certification bodies: OMCP (Online Marketing Certified Professional) and DMI (Digital Marketing Institute). Each has a network of accredited education partners worldwide. DMI both trains and certifies professionals while OCMP only certifies them and uses a network of training providers for the actual training.

Options

1. Online Marketing Certified Professional (OMCP)

Certification: Online Marketing Certified Professional (OMCP)
Advisors: Project Management Institute, P&G, Google
Assessment: online, remote proctored exam (72 questions to be finished in 2 hrs. 15 min.)
Exam Fee: $395
Other Requirements: 5,000 hours of relevant work experience (no training) or post-secondary degree and 2,000 hours of relevant work experience (no training) or passing of approved digital marketing course and 1,000 hours of relevant work experience
Validity of Certification: 2 years, renewable by passing the exam again or taking 100 Professional Development Units (PDUs) by participating in recognized organizations, events, and training programs
Website: https://omcp.org/

OMCP Education Providers

OMCP claims hundreds of institutions teach using the OMCP standard. But only 30 are on their list of Registered Education Providers. These are the better-known ones:

a. SimpliLearn

Course: Digital Marketing Specialist
Modules: 6
Topics: SEO, Content Marketing, PPC, Digital Analytics, Social Media, Mobile Marketing, Digital Strategy
Format: live instructor-led online classes + recorded, self-paced video courses
Access: 1 year
Features: discussion forums, monthly mentoring sessions, Mimic Pro simulations
Price: $1,499
Website: https://www.simplilearn.com/advanced-digital-marketing-certification-training-course

b. MarketMotive

Course: Digital Marketing Specialist
Modules: 7
Topics: Fundamentals of Marketing, Demystifying Digital Channels, Conversion and Strategy, Advanced Web Analytics, Advanced SEO, Advanced PPC, Advanced Social Media
Format: live instructor-led online classes + recorded, self-paced video courses
Access: 1 year
Features: discussion forums, monthly mentoring sessions, Mimic Pro simulations
Price: $1,499
Website: https://www.marketmotive.com/masters-in-digital-marketing/

2. Digital Marketing Institute (DMI)

Certification: Certified Digital Marketing Professional (CDMP)*
Advisors: Google, Facebook, Microsoft, LinkedIn, IBM, HubSpot, Coca-Cola, Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB), The Economist, CA, Neil Patel Digital, etc.
Assessment: proctored exam through any Pearson Vue test center (200 questions to be finished in 3 hrs.)
Exam Fee: $200
Other Requirements: none
Validity of Certification: 3 years, renewable by taking 45 Continuous Professional Development (CPD) units (PDUs) by taking other DMI courses and partner programs like Facebook Blueprint and HubSpot Academy as well as participating in recognized events, webinars, and training programs
Website: https://www.digitalmarketinginstitute.com/

DMI Education Partners

DMI has more than 80 education partners across Europe, North America, South America, Asia Pacific, Africa, and the Middle East, all listed on its website. These include training providers and universities.

a. American Marketing Association (AMA)

Course: Certified Digital Marketing Professional (CDMP) + PCM^® Digital Marketing (double certification for US-based students)
Modules: 10
Topics: Introduction to Digital Marketing, Content Marketing, Social Media Marketing, SEO, Paid Search, Website Optimization Email Marketing, Display & Video Advertising, Analytics, Digital Strategy & Planning
Format: online, self-paced video course
Access: 6 months
Features: post-module quizzes, practical exercises, 1-year access to DMI’s Membership portal for continuing education (includes free short courses, webinars, articles, templates, etc.)
Price: $1,955
Website: https://www.ama.org/digital-marketing-certification/

b. DMHQ / Learning Curve

Course: Certified Digital Marketing Professional (CDMP)
Modules: 10
Topics: Introduction to Digital Marketing, Content Marketing, Social Media Marketing, SEO, Paid Search, Website Optimization Email Marketing, Display & Video Advertising, Analytics, Digital Strategy & Planning
Format: instructor-led classroom sessions, live instructor-led online sessions, and self-paced video course
Access: 6 months
Features: post-module quizzes, practical exercises, 1-year access to DMI’s Membership portal for continuing education (includes free short courses, webinars, articles, templates, etc.)
Price: Php65,000+VAT
Website: https://digitalmarketershq.com/digital-marketing-training-philippines/

Pros & Cons of Vendor-Neutral Digital Marketing Certifications

Pros

industry-recognized (backed by industry advisors, especially DMI)
academic credential (i.e. for DMI, as its certifications are equivalent to a professional diploma, as its curriculum is mapped to the European Qualifications Framework)
flexible delivery (i.e. for DMHQ, online, self-paced or live, plus classroom)
comprehensive (covers all major areas of digital marketing, especially DMI’s course)
not biased (e.g. covers not only Facebook and Instagram, or Google and YouTube, but also Twitter, LinkedIn, SnapChat, Bing, TikTok, etc.)
validity of certification is longer (i.e. 3 years for DMI)
continuing professional development (ensures up-to-date skills and credibility of credentials)
assessment is reliable and credible (proctored exams that are longer and more comprehensive)

Cons

a bit pricey (although DMI’s Education Partners like DMHQ have the flexibility to offer very competitive rates)

Best Digital Marketing Certification in the Philippines

In terms of their weight as a certification, vendor-neutral digital marketing certifications like OMCP and DMI are much more substantial. And members are held to a much higher global standard. As such, they are much more valuable and thus more impressive to employers, clients, and colleagues.

Between OMCP and DMI, they are competing standards, but given DMI’s backing of industry heavyweights, including the heads of Meta Blueprint, Google Digital Academy, and HubSpot Academy, it holds a lot more cachet. Its courses are also more comprehensive, the curriculum is standard (unlike OMCP, which outsources training to other companies), and its continuing education program is rich. Plus the fact that its certifications are also academic credentials, DMI is the superior digital marketing certification.

Learn more about getting a digital marketing certification in the Philippines.