Many marketers and advertisers are interested in learning how to create effective ads and ad campaigns on LinkedIn to reach their target B2B audiences. LinkedIn is the world’s largest professional network with over 810 million members worldwide as of 2022. With so many professionals on the platform, LinkedIn advertising represents a major opportunity for brands looking to connect with relevant audiences. However, LinkedIn’s ad platform also has some unique characteristics compared to other social media advertising options. This has led many digital marketers to wonder whether LinkedIn offers formal training and certification for advertising on their platform.
Does LinkedIn Have an Official Ads Certification Program?
The short answer is no, LinkedIn currently does not offer an official certification program specifically for LinkedIn ads. However, there are a few training and credential options available through LinkedIn and external providers that can help demonstrate knowledge and skills related to LinkedIn advertising.
LinkedIn does provide a self-paced online course called “LinkedIn Advertising Essentials” that covers foundational topics for advertising on their platform. Completing this course and passing a final exam will earn a badge that can be displayed on your LinkedIn profile. However, this badge is not considered an official certification.
LinkedIn also offers various levels of professional certification through the LinkedIn Learning platform. For example, there are certifications for more general skills like digital marketing and data analytics. While these certifications do not focus solely on LinkedIn ads, they can help build relevant hard and soft skills for managing LinkedIn ad campaigns.
A few external providers, such as the Digital Marketing Institute and Hootsuite, also offer social media advertising certifications that include components specific to LinkedIn advertising. These types of certifications can provide more formal credentialing to validate LinkedIn ads skills and knowledge.
So in summary, while LinkedIn does not have an official ad certification, marketers can still access training, badges, and certifications through LinkedIn Learning and third-party providers that demonstrate LinkedIn advertising competency.
Why Doesn’t LinkedIn Offer an Ads-Specific Certification?
There are a few potential reasons why LinkedIn has not developed an official certification dedicated solely to their advertising platform:
– Rapidly evolving platform – LinkedIn frequently adds new ad formats, campaign types, and targeting options. A certification could quickly become outdated.
– Want users to utilize other training – LinkedIn seems to be pushing their broader LinkedIn Learning resources and certifications for overall digital marketing skills.
– Relying on external providers – By allowing third parties to offer certifications focused on their platform, LinkedIn avoids having to develop and manage the program themselves.
– Not necessary for basic proficiency – The self-paced LinkedIn Advertising Essentials course likely provides sufficient training for many small advertisers.
– Avoid over-commitment – A certification could imply that passing guarantees advertising success on a platform that depends heavily on testing and optimization.
So for a combination of these reasons, LinkedIn appears to be avoiding an official ad certification for now. However, this could certainly change in the future as demand for a credential specifically focused on their ad platform continues to grow.
What Skills Does a LinkedIn Ads Certification Need to Cover?
Although an official certification doesn’t yet exist, if LinkedIn did develop an ad certification program, some of the key skills it would need to cover include:
LinkedIn Ad Campaign Types
– Sponsored Content – native ads in the LinkedIn feed
– Sponsored InMail – targeted direct messages
– Text Ads – targeted text ads on the right rail
– Dynamic Ads – personalized ads based on LinkedIn profile data
Ad Targeting Options
– Demographic targeting – job role, company, location, age, gender
– Interest/behavioral targeting – interests, skills, group membership
– Matched Audiences – target based on external data like emails or company names
– Account-Based Marketing – target specific companies by name or domain
Ad Creation and Optimization
– Ad copywriting and creative assets
– A/B testing ad variations
– Writing effective calls-to-action
– Leveraging LinkedIn’s ad formats
– Bidding types and bid strategies
– Performance tracking and optimization
Campaign Management
– LinkedIn Campaign Manager platform
– Setting campaign goals and objectives
– Budgeting and billing
– Analyzing reporting and analytics
– Attribution modeling
Covering these types of practical skills related to actually setting up, managing, and optimizing LinkedIn ad campaigns would help prepare marketers for real-world application. While LinkedIn’s own training courses likely touch on some of these, a certification program could provide more comprehensive, standardized training and testing across all these areas.
What are the Benefits of Earning a LinkedIn Ads Certification?
Although LinkedIn does not currently offer an official certification, obtaining LinkedIn ads training and certification through other providers can still offer several potential benefits for digital marketers:
– Gain a deeper understanding of LinkedIn’s ad products and features
– Learn best practices for creating effective ad creative
– Master how to target LinkedIn ads to reach the right audiences
– Understand how to optimize ad performance based on analytics
– Validate LinkedIn advertising skills and expertise for employers and clients
– Differentiate yourself in the job market as a certified LinkedIn marketer
– Increase your credibility when managing LinkedIn ad campaigns
– Stay up-to-date on the latest LinkedIn advertising trends and updates
Passing a rigorous certification focused specifically on the LinkedIn ad platform can serve as proof that you have the hands-on skills needed to manage large-scale advertising campaigns on one of the world’s top professional networks.
What Training Resources Exist Beyond LinkedIn’s Offerings?
For marketers interested in developing their LinkedIn advertising skills beyond the basics, here are some of the top training resources available:
Digital Marketing Institute
The Digital Marketing Institute offers a Professional Diploma in Search and Social Advertising that includes a module specifically focused on advertising on LinkedIn. Learners study topics like identifying target audiences, creating and optimizing ads, and analyzing campaign performance.
Hootsuite
Hootsuite’s Social Marketing Certification has units covering advertising best practices across leading social platforms including LinkedIn. It involves 22 hours of training and a final exam.
Google Skillshop
While not exclusively focused on LinkedIn, Google Skillshop offers free online certifications in areas like search advertising fundamentals which are relevant to PPC ads.
Udemy
Udemy offers a range of paid online courses related to LinkedIn advertising, including tutorials focused specifically on conversion optimization and targeting.
Lynda
LinkedIn Learning (formerly Lynda) has extensive libraries of digital marketing courses including tutorials covering the basics of advertising on LinkedIn.
Third-Party Blogs & Forums
Industry blogs, marketing communities like r/PPC, and the LinkedIn Help Forum also provide opportunities to learn from other practitioners sharing their LinkedIn ad experiences.
Combining LinkedIn’s own training with these external resources can help provide well-rounded knowledge on both strategic and tactical aspects of running effective LinkedIn ad campaigns. Those willing to invest the time and effort can become deeply skilled despite the lack of an official certification.
What Steps Can You Take to Demonstrate LinkedIn Ads Skills Without a Formal Certification?
For marketers seeking to validate their LinkedIn advertising skills without an official certification, some options include:
– **Earn LinkedIn Learning badges** – Complete LinkedIn’s own courses and display badges on your profile.
– **Get hands-on experience** – Manage real LinkedIn ad campaigns and document results/optimization.
– **Curate a portfolio** – Compile examples of successful LinkedIn ad creative and campaigns.
– **Volunteer to lead projects** – Initiate and lead LinkedIn ad efforts at your company.
– **Highlight skills on resume/profiles** – Prominently feature LinkedIn advertising experience on your resume and LinkedIn profile.
– **Publish guest posts** – Write blog posts or record podcasts sharing your LinkedIn ad tips and expertise.
– **Speak at events** – Submit speaker proposals to conferences about LinkedIn advertising topics.
– **Participate in forums** – Actively engage in industry communities like /r/PPC and the LinkedIn Help Forum.
– **Achieve vendor certifications** – Complete certifications in Google Ads, HubSpot, etc. that display broader marketing knowledge.
– **Get credited on client work** – Have client testimonials and case studies that visibly credit you for LinkedIn ad success.
– **Focus interviews on skills** – Emphasize hands-on LinkedIn advertising knowledge and results during job interviews.
The combination of real-world experience, public visibility, client evidence, and industry contributions can demonstrate LinkedIn advertising expertise just as powerfully as – if not more than – a formal certification.
How Can You Get Hands-On Experience With LinkedIn Ads Without a Job or Clients?
For those looking to gain hands-on LinkedIn advertising experience without current employer projects or client work to point to, a few options include:
– **Set up test accounts** – Create LinkedIn advertiser accounts and experiment with low-budget campaigns.
– **Volunteer for nonprofits** – Offer to assist local charities with pro-bono LinkedIn ad management.
– **Support small businesses** – Take on affordable LinkedIn advertising projects for local small businesses.
– **Learn through courses** – Some LinkedIn and third-party courses provide simulated practicing environments.
– **Shadow professionals** – Connect with experienced LinkedIn advertisers open to mentoring more junior marketers.
– **Compete in contests** – Enter LinkedIn ad challenges through organizations like the DMI.
– **Freelance online** – Build up experience taking on small LinkedIn ad freelance gigs through sites like Upwork.
– **Intern at agencies** – Look for internship opportunities at digital marketing agencies that manage LinkedIn ads.
– **Run experiments** – Test innovative approaches like multi-touch attribution modeling.
– **Analyze client accounts** – Obtain read-only access to established LinkedIn ad accounts to analyze and optimize.
– **Develop content skills** – Create sample LinkedIn Sponsored Content and InMail messages.
Gaining real-world experience, even on a small scale, can provide tangible evidence of LinkedIn advertising skills that credentials alone cannot demonstrate.
Conclusion
While LinkedIn currently does not offer an official advertising certification, marketers have various training options available to validate their skills in managing LinkedIn ad campaigns. Completing respected certifications through providers like DMI or Hootsuite can signal a solid foundation in best practices. However, real-world experience creating, running, and optimizing actual LinkedIn ad campaigns is equally, if not more, valuable. Documenting those experiences through case studies, speaking opportunities, writing samples, and client testimonials allows you to showcase your LinkedIn advertising expertise whether you have the certification or not. So for ambitious marketers, lack of a formal LinkedIn credential should not limit your ability to demonstrate your proficiency and advance your career in this critical advertising channel.
| Ad Platform | Official Ad Certification Available? |
|---|---|
| Google Ads | Yes – Google provides an official certification exam for Google Ads. |
| Facebook Ads | Yes – Facebook offers the Facebook Certified Digital Marketing Associate certificate covering Facebook and Instagram ads. |
| LinkedIn Ads | No – LinkedIn currently does not offer an official certification program for LinkedIn advertising. |
| Twitter Ads | No – Twitter does not have a formal certification for Twitter advertising. |
