14 Marketing Certifications That Can Help Boost Your Earnings

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14 Marketing Certifications That Can Help Boost Your Earnings

The Gist

  • Career impact. Marketing certifications can significantly increase salary and career advancement opportunities.
  • Skill enhancement. Certifications help marketers stay current with industry trends and technologies, such as AI and analytics.
  • Accessibility. Many valuable marketing certifications are self-paced, online and available for free.

Editor’s Note: This article was updated on September 19, 2024 to include new data and information. The original content was authored by Scott Clark.

Marketing certifications are in demand in many industries. Employers use certifications as a sign that an applicant has the necessary knowledge and skills for the job. Even experienced digital marketing specialists use certifications as a way to demonstrate their commitment to keeping skills current.

Are Digital Marketing Specialists in High Demand?

Marketing specialists are in high demand, and that’s not expected to change in the next 10 years.

The job market for marketers is growing faster than average, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, which predicted nearly 75,000 new marketing jobs to open up between 2023 and 2033. That’s faster than the average job growth for all occupations.

Marketing professionals, such as market research analysts, can expect to make around $74,000 per year. A marketing manager, on the other hand, can expect to make $156,580 per year or $75.28 per hour.

Many of these option positions require only a Bachelor’s degree, however some will ask for a Master’s degree. Marketing certifications are a great way to fill in the gaps of your knowledge and show organization’s that you’re interested in keeping your skills up-to-date.

Is a Marketing Certification Worth the Money?

According to Robert Half Technologies’ 2024 Salary Guide, an entry-level Marketing Manager with no certifications can expect to earn $79,500 per year. An experienced, certified Marketing Manager earns approximately $111,000. That’s a difference in earnings of over $31,000.

Recent graduates often question whether certifications are worth paying for. The average price of public, in-state university tuition is $10,662 per year, according to US News.

Chart showing average college tuition & fees for private, public out-of-state and public in-state institutions.

However, some of the certifications we list here are offered free of charge.

The cost of a premium certification program varies from a few hundred dollars to a few thousand. Still, these courses can be completed quite quickly and have the potential to offer a significant increase in earnings.

Related Article: The 8 Most Popular Types of Digital Marketing

The 14 Best Certifications for Marketing Professionals

Certifications are an effective way for candidates to show competency in key skills or the use of common marketing tools. In many industries, digital marketing certifications have become job prerequisites and requirements for promotion.

In this article, we’ll look at some of the most in-demand certifications available for marketing professionals, including:

1. Digital Marketing Strategies: Data, Automation, AI & Analytics

The two-month-long Digital Marketing Strategies: Data, Automation, AI & Analytics is offered by the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University. It’s ideal for digital marketers who want to better understand the digital-centric behaviors of consumers.

Course modules from Northwestern University's Digital Marketing Strategies: Data, Automation, AI & Analytics course

The course includes eight modules, which covers topics like:

  • Customer segmentation
  • Behavioral insights
  • The customer journey
  • Content marketing
  • Brand storytelling
  • Marketing automation
  • Artificial intelligence in marketing

The course costs $2,750, with a payment plan available, and is offered entirely online. Testing is a rigorous process, and you’ll need to achieve at least an 80% success rate to pass. Professionals who pass the course will earn a verified digital certification.

2. Professional Digital Marketing Course + PCM Advanced Digital Marketing

The Professional Digital Marketing Course from the Digital Marketing Institute is offered in combination with the PCM Advanced Digital Marketing course from the American Marketing Association.

This professional development program is entirely online and includes access to various templates you can put to use in your marketing career, calendars to help you manage campaigns, AI tools, AI prompt guides and more.

This digital marketing pro course covers key skills like:

  • Social Media Marketing
  • Search engine marketing
  • Paid Search (PPC) using Google Ads
  • Email Marketing
  • Analytics with Google Analytics 4 (GA4)
  • Digital Marketing Strategy

According to the Digital Marketing Institute and American Marketing Association, graduates with this marketing certificate see a number of career benefits — such as an average of $12,000 salary increase. The groups also claim that 79% of graduates received a promotion within six months of completing the course.

The cost of enrollment for these certification programs (as a bundle) is $2,060. Once you complete the course, you’ll earn a globally recognized certification and gain access to the DMI Network, which includes more than 300,000 marketing industry professionals.

3. Google Digital Marketing & Ecommerce Professional Certificate

This Digital Marketing & Ecommerce Professional Certificate offered by Google covers the in-demand skills you’ll need to learn for a career in digital marketing —  and you can learn it all at your own pace.

This credential includes seven courses and is ideal for beginners. It will take around six months to complete when dedicating 10 hours per week. Those who finish the certificate program can earn a degree credit.

Topics covered in the course include:

  • Strategies to build brand awareness and customer loyalty
  • How to optimize content for SEO
  • Core pillars of social media marketing
  • Where email marketing fits into the digital marketing strategy
  • How to evaluate marketing metrics against performance goals
  • How to build, launch and manage ecommerce stores
  • How to successfully manage the customer experience online

4. The OMCP Digital Marketing Certification

The Online Marketing Certified Professional (OCMP) Digital Marketing Certification is unique in that it’s only awarded to those with verified marketing experience. The traditional route of certification requires a passing score on the OMCP exams as well as 5,000 hours of experience.

Requirements for OMCP Digital Marketing Certification

OMCP digital marketing certification covers a number of marketing disciplines, including:

  • Social media marketing
  • Digital analytics
  • Paid search
  • Mobile marketing
  • Conversion rate optimization
  • Email marketing

It’s free to create an account with OMCP, after which you can set goals for certification and track your status. To earn the Digital Marketing Certification, you’ll need to pass two specialty exams and one broad digital marketing exam. The cost for all three exams is $395.

Once you pass the exams, OMCP certification is valid for two years. After which, you can extend your certification by participating in recognized events or training programs or by passing another OMCP exam.

Related Article: 21 AI Applications to Explore for Marketing, Customer Engagement

5. Google’s Fundamentals of Digital Marketing

The Fundamentals of Digital Marketing certification is offered by Google and accredited by Interactive Advertising Bureau. It’s ideal for those looking to learn foundational skills in digital marketing that will help you achieve long-term career growth.

A snapshot of the Google Fundamentals of Digital Marketing course.

The course consists of 24 modules that cover topics like:

  • Building your web presence
  • Search engine optimization (SEO)
  • Social media marketing strategy
  • Content marketing
  • Display advertising
  • Getting started with digital analytics
  • Building your ecommerce shop

This free course takes approximately 14 hours to complete, though there is no time limit. Learners can access the content at any time and everything is self-paced.

Once you complete all the modules — including a final assessment —  Google will provide you with what it calls an “award,” which you can showcase on LinkedIn.

6. Content Marketing Institute’s Master Class Certification

This Content Marketing Master Class from Content Marketing Institute covers 11 core modules, along with additional content on the latest trends and strategies from top industry leaders. Each module includes a video that learners can watch at their own pace, followed by a short quiz.

A sample video from the Content Marketing Institute's Master Class.

This master class covers key skills and topic areas like:

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