Seven Must-Have Digital Marketing Certifications Students Can Get Free Right Now

As of this writing we are in an uncertain environment.  Students that are graduating have gone from one of the best job markets in history to a different scenario, at least in the short term.  I am in a group of fellow digital marketing academics and we have a weekly conference call.  This past week we decided to help students by providing a recap of the certifications viable on various commercial platforms that can help them to strengthen their resumes for when the hiring situation improves.

Why use Digital Marketing certifications?

In addition to impressing employers, industry certifications can increase learning by reinforcing course material. The certificate tells employers that students have taken the time to learn about a subject.  However, certifications are like a driver's license.  When I got my license, I could operate a car, but I couldn't navigate every situation when driving.  Simply, put, I needed experience. Students will still need applied experiences like an internship or an action-learning project to reinforce the certification material.  

However, students generally like the certification process because it is a little different than the typical classroom experience.  I've been using industry certifications in my classes for over ten years.  I've been teaching digital marketing for almost 20 years and these certifications have made a big difference in teaching the material and in helping students in the job market.  Here are the top free certifications  I would recommend with some other programs at the bottom.

Seven "Must-Have" Certifications

1) Google Ads: This is a classic certification on the Google Ads platform.  In class, the certification can be a perquisite to a student/client Google Ads project.  Students can take one of five certification or all of them.  There is also an introduction to search course but there is no longer a certification associated with it. Please note this certification and Google Analytics have recently moved to the Skillshop platform.

2) Google Analytics:  The Google Analytics Individual Qualification (IQ) is another must-have in my opinion. Although there are other analytics platforms out there, GA gives students a good feeling for how web analytics applications work.  Linking GA to a blog such as blogger provides an opportunity for students to see the effect of their efforts on a daily basis.

3) SEMRUSH:  In keeping with the search theme, SEMRUSH has several SEO qualification exams including SEO fundamentals and keyword research.  This certification would be particularly helpful for those seeking jobs and internships in organic search.

4) HubSpot Academy:  HubSpot Academy has always been free and has been around for several years.  HubSpot is a CRM tool but they offer certification in many areas. Inbound Sales, Inbound Marketing and Inbound are the most popular but there are courses in SEO, email and content marketing and many others.

5) Hootsuite: This is one of the most popular social media posting platforms.  Platform training is free and social marketing training is free in an associated class approved by Hootsuite.

6) IBM Big Data Badge: This badge is useful for those interested in the data analytics side of digital marketing.  We use it in our graduate program at St. Edward's but it is suitable for undergraduates as well.

7) Twitter Flight School  Learn about advertising on the Twitter platform  and earn various badges. Log in to "X" to access.

There are Also some other excellent tools that are free now but don't have a free certification exam:

1) Marketo This leading marketing automation tool, now offers free platform training and marketing training for but no free certification.  These are free practice videos. The company offers certified associate and expert exams for a fee.

2) Tableau is a popular data visualization tool that  has free access and training for university students but the Desktop exam still has a fee. Students have been able to get a one year license but I noted an error when I accessed the site recently. I assume this error is because of increased demand and will be corrected. 

3) Moz Academy courses are free for now.  Anyone can sign up by May 31 and get free access for a year.  The main certification exam (SEO Essentials Certificate) is not free.  Moz has a keyword planner tool that many instructors find useful for their classes.

I've also included some other resources below for incorporating digital marketing certifications into your class from past blog posts. Please let me know how else I can help.

1) Three approaches to incorporating industry certifications in undergraduate digital marketing

2) How to apply digital marketing certification content

3) Secrets to teaching Google Analytics the easy way

Secrets to Teaching Google Analytics the Easy Way

This Post Was Updated for GA4 on February 10, 2020

 

Focus on Analytics

At the Fall Marketing Management Association Conference in Kansas City, which focuses on marketing education, I will be facilitating a workshop with Dr. Holly Syrdal and Dr. Leila Samii on Tool and Approaches for Teaching Digital Marketing:  Focus on Analytics.  This is the fourth time academic colleagues and I have facilitated this type of workshop at MMA.  We are delighted to present this topic to our interested colleagues and I am summarizing the highlights of my talk in this blog post.  A link to the Conference information is included in the list of Web Resources at the end of this post. 

What is Analytics?

Our workshop team thinks that Analytics does not have to mean advanced statistics.  We think that analytics means insights from data and that employers are looking for graduates who can put on a thinking cap and make intelligent inferences from data. Holly and Leila focus on developing insights from data by teaching easy ways to look at social media in Excel and derive insights from that data.  No higher math is required but the focus is on the students being able to make marketing interpretations of data to improve marketing campaigns.

Teaching Google Analytics the Easy Way through Blogging

My section of the workshop is on how the easy way to teach Google Analytics.  In particular, the presentation focuses on teaching introductory Google Analytics with a project that links Google Analytics to a blogger blog.  Blogging is a good way for students to learn the valuable skills of blogging and get started applying course concepts in a digital marketing course to managing a real-life marketing campaign. 

The basic concept is that students create a blog of interest to them and then over the next few weeks they promote the blog on social media and email (Mailchimp).  They also practice using visual images on the blog and writing a long-form blog post (1500 words or more).  The students start out with a simple blog post introducing their blog and then write four other blog posts over about a ten week period. I recommend a few weeks between blog posts so students can analyze the results of the prior post, write another post and give it at least a week to see the effects of any changes in writing style or promotion.

To think about what topic to use for the blog and what keywords to use, I ask the students to turn on Google alerts for topics they might be interested in focusing on for their blog and follow them through the course of the semester.  We also look at Google Trends

Linking Google Analytics to a Blogger Blog

Blogger provides excellent analytics, particularly on individual posts, but these numbers can sometimes appear inflated. To link a blogger blog to Google Analytics, simply copy the URL to the blog, open the admin tab in Analytics and add a web property.  In the process you will be invited to copy and paste HTML tracking code in to the blog.  This is not necessary when using blogger.  Copy the Website Tracking ID, which is in the form of UA (Universal Analytics) followed by numbers, i.e. UA-12345678-1.  Go back to blogger and paste under “Settings/Other” the Tracking ID.  Within a day or so the blog will start showing up in Google Analytics.

 

NOTE:  Since the upgrade to GA4, please note that you must create both a GA and GA4 web property.  Then toggle to Universal Analytics and get the UA code under admin.  

Finding the Tracking Code

In my class, we are not using advanced analytics.  Our undergraduates learn that information in the Marketing Metrics and Analytics Course.  In digital marketing, we learn the basics of analytics.  So we look at page views, the audience, the bounce rate, session length etc.  Students derive insights on the traffic to their blog and how changes such as using more visuals or writing longer copy affect the blog.  Students also report on the insights from blogger, which provide greater details on individual blog posts. 

Google Analytics Tracking Code is Added Under Settings, Other

Reflecting on What Was Learned

Students are required after seeing the results of each post to write a short reflection in Canvas about what they observed from weeks to week.  Students might report that visuals were most appealing to their audience or that LinkedIn resulted in the most page views because of their particular topic.  They might report that the long-form blog posts increased the average page session length. In these posts, I ask them to apply the reading from class.  For example, they might apply the metrics chapter of Zahay and Roberts and pick key metrics.  Or they might create a compelling call to action in their blog and apply the direct marketing material.

Not only can creating and track a blog can teach students analytics and campaign management skills, but this real-life project does not need a project sponsor.  The students and their careers are the client.  Several students have reported to me that they received job offers based on having a blog. It is likely that students will be employed.

Incorporating HubSpot Inbound Marketing Certification

During my undergraduate digital marketing course where students blog, students also become certified in Inbound Marketing at HubSpot’s online Academy.  The HubSpot material focuses on the importance of blogging in business applications.  Students sometimes have to be convinced of the benefits of blogging, so there is a link to a blog post with some pertinent statistics at the end of this post.  Basically, blogging can dramatically increase the chances of being ranked highly in search engines and is the number one content marketing tool for most business-to-business firms. 

Learning Google Analytics

My recommendation for learning Google Analytics is Google itself. While formal certification in Google Analytics is available through the Google Academy for Ads, there is a stand-alone video course on Google Analytics for beginners that I highly recommend. This video covers enough material for students to do well in this project and to give you, as an instructor, sufficient background in the material to coach students intelligently.

Incorporating Experts

Sometimes I also bring in a guest speaker to talk about blogging or storytelling. Professors from the communications and journalism programs at your University can be great resources for guests.  Industry experts are also often eager to participate and to coach students.

Wrapping It Up

In summary, blogging is a great skill for students to learn to promote their own brand and the brands of others. Connecting the blog to Google Analytics provides students with additional insights in to the reach and impact of their posts.  By writing reflections each week, students learn to apply course material and explore the most effective blogging techniques for the audience of their blog.

For a detailed syllabus containing information on how to use this assignment in class, log in to Cengage’s website and create a course using the book Zahay and Roberts, Internet Marketing:  Integrating online and offline strategies in a digital environment.  The teaching resources are there as well as a link to our course blog run by MaryLou Roberts with updates on digital marketing material per chapter. Or email me at dblatz@stedwards.edu and I will send along a copy of the syllabus.  Good luck and let me know if you have any questions

Web resources:

Google Analytics for Beginners from Google

10 Reasons Blogging Matters for Content Marketing from Hubspot

How to Write a Blog Post from Orbit Media

MMA Fall Workshop Information

Internet Marketing 4e Update Blog

Nine Tips for Coaching the Google Online Marketing Challenge

The Google Online Marketing Challenge as a "Real-World" Experience

**This post is updated to reflect the new Google Grants Challenge**

This blog is dedicated to techniques of teaching digital marketing. Previously, I addressed the issue of industry certification and some of the benefits in preparing the students with qualifications that are sought by employers. However, there are other ways to provide real-world preparation in the Digital Marketing classroom.

The Outline of the Challenge

For example, The Google Online Marketing Challenge (OMC) is another way that instructors can give their students ‘real-world’ experiences in digital marketing. I have used many tools and techniques over the years and the Challenge has many benefits as well as some limitations. In the past, students planned, implemented and measured an online paid search campaign using at $250.00 AdWords (Now Ads) budget from Google. I have also done this project in class where the companies fund the project themselves. This project can be used to reinforce the strategic marketing concepts that are taught in many marketing classes because search keywords convey the company's unique strengths and positioning. While self-funded projects are still an option, now there is a new challenge from Google based on Google Ad Grants. In the new program, students form teams, the Captain passes the Ads Fundamentals exam and Google assigns the team to a nonprofit. The budget is significantly larger than in the past, up to $10,000 in a four-week project.


In the past, the challenge required first finding a client and defining what makes the product/service unique so it can be promoted online. While the team does not have to find a client, the team must still understand how to market a product and promote it through paid search. What follows are some tips for coaching teams in the Challenge.

Students work in teams on the Google Online Marketing Challenge

Some Planning Tips

1) Emphasize learning. I have coached over 40 teams, many of them quite skilled, and we have never made it to any award level. In speaking with those who have been selected, it seems that the difference is the dedication of the team, not the skill of the coach. If the students and you get to fly to California, that is great, but it is also unlikely. Therefore, I recommend emphasizing the team's learnings or outcomes of the project and not necessarily the prizes. Requiring a reflection assignment after the project will help in this area, or instructors may also include other reflection assignments before, during and after the campaign. I personally grade the challenge on the caliber of the written assignments and the team’s reflection, not necessarily the results of the challenge. We often had a presentation based on the pre-campaign report (now a pre-campaign meeting and form) so the entire class and sometimes the client can give feedback and we all learn in the process.


2) Expect the unexpected. Especially when you are a new coach, you may not be able to foresee difficulties. We had a team pick a support website for a psychological disease, not realizing that Google places many restrictions on that particular advertising category. Believe it or not, there are sites that promote this particular behavioral disorder and Google goes to great lengths to make sure that it does not encourage this type of behavior in the ad environment. Inappropriate, dangerous, dishonest or counterfeit products or services are not allowed to advertise on Google’s networks. However, if you find your team in a sticky position, make the most of the situation. There is a lot to be learned from even negative experiences and one of the women who was on the team that had all the challenges from Google still considers it to be one of her best project experiences and uses the experience in job interviews to talk about how she has overcome adversity.


3) Be prepared for mono-mania. This project can be all-consuming. I recommend making the project the only project during the course and just having a few examinations and maybe a presentation. Students will become completely absorbed during the running of the campaign and it is often good to give them class time to work on their campaigns and discuss problems as a group.


4) Consider timing. This project used to be confined to the Spring, which meant that after a few weeks of course intro, finding the client and working on the pre-campaign preparation, we were almost at Spring break. Then we had to decide whether to run the campaign over break or how to handle the timing. Students are now allowed to run the campaign over a four week period, which means that teams can suspend their campaign over break. In any case, timing can be critical. I have run this challenge in an eight-week class, but we only had two weeks for the campaign. Instructors wishing to run the challenge in a short-form course would be wise to get started immediately. It is almost certain Google will have some delays on their end, so plan for that contingency.


5) Try it yourself. I recommend setting up an Ads account and writing some ads. I was fortunate to run a program where I had my own budget and we ran some ad campaigns for events. I got to learn how to do Ads well while I was coaching my students. Even so, I learned a lot from coaching the projects. Since the Ads Fundamentals and other exams are now free, I recommend also taking at least the Fundamentals exam before starting as a coach and building into the course that all students take and pass that exam as well.


6) Expect some challenging clients. Even if clients have the best interests of the students at heart, they get busy and sometimes can’t help as much as they would like. Ideal clients give access to their site analytics to the team, make website changes to improve the relevance of landing pages, and stay involved in the entire process. Less than ideal clients never return students phone calls or emails. Hopefully, Google will make sure the client companies for the new challenge already have a landing page so there is something to work with if the client gets too busy to work with the students. Involving the clients by requiring them to have some 'skin in the game' like attending class at the beginning, end and middle of the project helps with not only the student experience but the project outcome. Even if the client is out of town, technologies like Skype and Zoom and Google Hangouts make it possible to involve the client in the classroom experience.


7) Consider two courses. I’m not kidding. Most of us that have been doing this for a while are not trying to teach the students Internet Marketing and also have them run the Challenge or a project. Our approach at St. Edward’s is to get them certified in one course and teach the background and then have them participate in the Challenge or a similar project for another.


8) Realize this is not Google’s major business. Google does not make money on the OMC. The OMC is a public service that also benefits Google by getting them clients and training future digital marketers to use their software. However, sometimes Google can be late in approving pre-campaign reports or crediting accounts with cash and sometimes students don't follow directions exactly to get their campaign credits. Sometimes there are technical difficulties in getting things set up properly. All of these potential problems mean that it is important to include enough time in the schedule to correct any problems or difficulties. I try build slack time in the course schedule to accommodate unforeseen circumstances.


9) Check for special contests. Each year, Google runs special contests along with the Challenge. These contests are sometimes for use of social media, sometimes for having a non-profit client and sometimes for being Ads certified. Check the challenge guidelines each year to see if students qualify as these opportunities can be extra ways to win.


These are just a few tips that I have for you from my years in doing the Challenge. If you have any questions or comments you can post on this blog or email me. If you would like a copy of the complete OMC Appendix to accompany the new Zahay and Roberts Internet Marketing text, please log in to Cengage's website for instructors and create a course based on the fourth edition of the text. There are Power Point resources available there also.

Web Resources:

Google Ads Policy

Google Academy For Ads

Google Ad Grants Online Marketing Challenge

Internet Marketing 4e Update Blog