Digital Marketing Certificate: Do You Need One?

Online courses on digital marketing are growing in popularity. And many of those who want to enroll in one are looking specifically for a digital marketing certificate program. But is getting certified even important? And if so, what should you look for in a digital marketing certification course?

Why Get a Digital Marketing Certificate?

If you just want to learn digital marketing to help you in your business, maybe you don’t need to get a certification. It’s like wanting to learn accounting so you can do your own books. Or have a better idea what to ask from your accountant. You don’t need to be a Certified Public Accountant (CPA).

However, if you want to pursue a profession as an accountant, it definitely pays off to be a CPA. Sure you can watch free YouTube tutorials, enroll in cheap Udemy courses, or take up a local seminar on accounting. But you won’t have the credentials that would make employers or clients feel confident about your capabilities. You yourself may also not feel confident that you’re at par.

It’s the same thing with digital marketing. If you want to pursue digital marketing as a career or profession, being certified will boost your credentials. Having a digital marketing certificate means:

1. Your knowledge is aligned to a common standard. As with most, if not all, professions, a standard sets the bar for practitioners. It ensures that their knowledge and skills are aligned with what their industry peers consider best practices. In fact, for many industries, it’s the minimum requirement to even practice a profession! For others like the digital marketing field, a digital marketing certificate serves as an imprimatur. It’s a “signal” to peers, employers, and clients that you meet the industry standard.
2. You get a title that lends credibility. Why do doctors, lawyers, engineers, etc. post their certificate on their walls? Why do MBAs, PhDs, CFPs, RFPs, CFAs, etc. add those letters after their name? It signals to others, both to colleagues and customers that not only are they legitimate but they are also capable. It’s not easy to review and pass a certification exam or, more so, a post-graduate degree. But if they did, that lends credibility that assures others of their capability. That’s the same thing for a digital marketing certificate. For example, being a Certified Digital Marketing Professional (CDMP) issued by the Digital Marketing Institute will give you the same kind of credibility.
3. You show your commitment to your professional development. Some people say getting trained or certified in digital marketing is not important (or is just, as one agency owner wrote, B.S.). They say experience is what matters. Of course experience matters! You won’t just hire a lawyer with a degree but no work experience to represent you. But you wouldn’t hire an experienced law practitioner who has no law degree! Now, you might hire a bookkeeper who isn’t a CPA for your small business. But if you manage a mid-sized or large corporation, would you do the same? Of course not. You would want an experienced CPA. Between someone who is certified in digital marketing or someone is not, both equally experienced, employers or clients will naturally prefer someone with a digital marketing certificate. Why? It shows you take your profession seriously that you spent time and resources for your professional training and development.

Which Digital Marketing Certificate?

So, which digital marketing certification course should you enroll in? ValueColleges came out with a list of their Top 30 Best Value Digital Marketing Certificate Programs. The list is composed largely of global top-tier universities such as Duke University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, University of Notre Dame, University of Illinois, University of California Berkeley, Rutgers University, and University of California Los Angeles, among others.

Only one non-university made that list: the Digital Marketing Institute (DMI) ValueColleges says “A non-traditional educational choice, the Digital Marketing Institute is an example of how digital technology and new media are turning education on its head.”

In the Philippines, DMI is represented by Learning Curve, through its DMHQ brand. DMHQ runs classroom and online digital marketing certificate courses in digital marketing, social media marketing, search marketing, social selling, and digital strategy and planning.

Hundreds of marketing professionals, entrepreneurs, freelancers, and fresh grads proudly call themselves Certified Digital Marketing Professionals (CDMP). They appreciate the value of digital marketing training and certification and the impact on their business or career.

So if you want to be certified in digital marketing, enroll in any of the digital marketing certificate classroom and online courses of the Digital Marketing Institute in the Philippines.