Can Digital certifications Save Us From the "Gurus"?

Digital Marketing doesn’t yet have an official certification - for better or for worse!

What qualifies someone as a digital marketing expert? Or even gives them the right to call themselves professional?

The lack of a centralized certification in this space is both confusing for employers and frustrating for people who have been hard at work, honing their craft for years; however, the lack of barriers also means that digital marketing has the potential to be incredibly inclusive. There are no expensive degrees, gatekeepers to impress, or even physical requirements beyond the ability to interact with a computer.

Perhaps the answer doesn't need to be one or the other. What if it were possible to introduce micro-certifications that people could accumulate that served as proof of their commitment and skills, and we found ways to reduce or eliminate barriers to that recognition?

As a local agency owner, and friend of The Brief, Darian Kovacs writes in the Globe and Mail, it is possible, and necessary that we collectively raise the bar without leaving behind what built our industry in the first place. Of course, Darian is biased, but his Jelly Academy that's mentioned in the article is a good example of a training platform that is helping to raise that bar.

There are also free opportunities, like Google's Fundamentals of Digital Marketing course, and the Digital Marketing Bootcamp being offered by the Government of BC.

In the long run it's exciting to think of how professional training is going to become more open, inclusive, and practical. As for today, there are a few questions that employers can take away as they think about hiring contractors or staff to contribute to their digital marketing:

• Have I defined the specific skills I'm looking for?
• Has this person demonstrated the ability to perform the tasks I need (either through certification or experience)?
• Do I need a generalist or a specialist?
• How will I measure their success in this role/engagement?
• What do I consider to be a reputable source of learning or experience?

There is no single right answer to any of those questions, but once you've defined them for yourself, then it gets a whole lot easier to weed out the "gurus" and identify the right person for the job.

Written by Conner Galway, Junction Consulting