How to Become a Certified Online Marketing Specialist: The Postbacc Program

The number of jobs available for online market specialists is growing.

According to Monster.com, job openings for this career sector are projected to increase by 16% year from 2020 to 2025.

What is an online market specialist?

An online marketing specialist performs marketing tasks for businesses and organizations online.

These tasks can include setting up email marketing campaigns, analyzing social media performance, or optimizing websites for increased sales.

Most importantly, an online market specialist helps businesses and organizations increase their presence online so they can reap the benefits of being visible and accessible to potential customers.

The Necessity Of Digital Marketing Specialization

The need for digital marketing specialization grows as businesses become more digitally oriented.

If you’re considering a career in digital marketing and want to know more about what it entails, here are some important points to keep in mind.

The growing importance of digital marketing

The importance of digital marketing increases every year. Google search volumes for the term “digital marketing” increased by 62% from 2019 to 2020 and are projected to continue increasing.

According to HubSpot Blogs, “Digital marketing specialists help businesses and organizations market themselves online. They may do this through email marketing, social media, or web optimization.”

What this essentially means is that more and more businesses are relying on digital marketing to find their customers. In the past, a business could rely on print advertisements, billboards, and radio commercials to reach its audience.

However, with the rise of online marketing, businesses can now target their ads toward those who are most likely to be interested in their product or service.

The importance of digital marketing is supported by the fact that search volumes for the term “digital marketing specialist” increased by 62% from 2019 to 2020.

The changing nature of work

The changing nature of work is also a factor in the growing demand for digital marketing specialists. More and more people are working remotely, which has opened up some really great job opportunities in this field.

Not only that, but the field is also incredibly varied. You may be working for a business, managing a team, or even working independently. All of these things contribute to the broad scope of work in the field.

Mastering Digital Marketing

Another factor contributing to the increasing demand for digital marketing specialists is the fact that more and more people are looking to become master experts in this field.

According to LinkedIn, “Digital marketing’ share of new job opportunities is projected to increase from 15% to nearly 20% by 2025.” 

To follow suit, Monster.com recommends that new graduates choose a “specialization” in digital marketing and begin learning the ropes from the ground up. By gaining experience and getting certified, you can then look for jobs in a more specialized area.

Becoming A Certified Online Marketing Specialist

As a digital marketer, you will be expected to know how to perform digital marketing tasks for a business. These tasks can include email marketing, analyzing social media performance, or optimizing websites for increased sales.

In order to become certified, you must first complete the requirements for the postbacc program, which is a graduate level accredited certificate program. Here are the specifics on what you can expect to learn:

Principles of Digital Marketing

In the postbacc program, you will learn the essential principles of digital marketing such as search engine optimization, email marketing, and social media marketing. These are all important topics that you must know in order to succeed as a digital marketer.

You will learn about the major search engines, the anatomy of a typical web page, and the different types of marketing campaigns available to business owners.

In addition to learning the theory, you will put what you’ve learned into practice through practical workshops that focus on real-world challenges.

Marketing research

One of the things that separate accredited certificate programs from other online learning programs is the in-depth study of marketing research.

This optional, elective course focuses on different aspects of market research, including quantitative and qualitative methods. With this knowledge, you will be able to tackle complex marketing issues with the utmost confidence.

In order to obtain this knowledge, you must either complete a bachelor’s degree in a related field or have equivalent experience in a marketing or research role. A marketing research role usually requires knowledge of statistics and the ability to analyze data.

Digital Marketing Campaigns

In the postbacc program, you will learn to build marketing campaigns for businesses, and this will be done largely through practical workshops that teach you to plan, execute, and analyze marketing activities.

You will learn to create marketing strategies that incorporate all the steps of a marketing campaign, including branding, audience segmentation, advertising, and measurement. This includes everything from marketing material (posters, web banners, etc.) to setting up automated email campaigns and analyzing traffic.

Digital Marketing Specialties

By the time you complete the postbacc program, you will be able to select a specialty in which to specialize. There are several options available, including:

  • Analyst
  • Administrator
  • Digital Marketing Manager
  • Entrepreneur
  • Inbound Marketing Specialist
  • Marketing Operations Specialist
  • Marketing Research Analyst
  • Marketing Specialist
  • Online Marketing Specialist

These specialties are broken down into sub-areas, including marketing analytics, search marketing, social media marketing, email marketing, and online marketing.

Once you have your specialty, you can begin looking for jobs in that area. With your specialized knowledge, you will be able to tackle complex marketing issues with the utmost confidence.

To become a certified online marketing specialist, you must complete the postbacc program. To find out more information, click here.