All-in-one internet marketing software provider HubSpot offers a free certification in inbound marketing that is available to anyone who wants to take advantage of it. The certification track consists of 11 one-hour video classes covering the inbound marketing waterfront, from strategy to blogging to social media to marketing analytics, with many stops in between. Participants who pass an exam on the material are awarded a certification from HubSpot attesting to their knowledge of modern internet marketing strategy and tactics. The first task I assign anyone who works with my company is to get their inbound certification. While it may seem that the certification is geared towards younger professionals, many others can derive a real business benefit from obtaining it.

A must for newly-minted college grads entering the workforce

As any recently graduated person can tell you, it's a tough job market out there. I can sympathize - I graduated from college in 1981 when the unemployment rate was north of 10%. For the business graduate looking to enter the workforce, the inbound marketing certificate rounds out your education by teaching you the fundamentals of the most relevant marketing channel - inbound marketing, also referred to by several other terms including digital marketing, social media marketing, content marketing and internet marketing.

Inbound marketing is a channel that reflects the way businesses and consumers buy today. As a recently graduated job-seeker, the inbound certification could be the factor that separates you from the competition and gets you the job. It shows employers that you're not only up to date on modern marketing, but that you've taken the initiative to educate yourself beyond your college degree. For the over 10,000 business using HubSpot, the certification demonstrates that you have specific knowledge on a major part of their business strategy.

Sales manager and professionals can benefit too

I recently had a discussion with a former colleague who is a sales professional with a major international consulting firm about his company's sales approach. His sales manager's idea of an effective lead generation approach is to double down on cold-calling efforts. Think about that - a major international consulting firm is paying sales professionals well in excess of six figures to be a glorified telemarketer. When the tactic inevitably fails, the solution is to fire the sales professional and hire another one that will likely be fired two years later. I'm surprised they don't issue the early-90s cell phones that were the size of bricks to their sales team.

For the sales manager, an inbound marketing certification will improve the success of the sales-marketing relationship. Knowing the process and the science behind it enables the sales manager to give marketing better feedback that will result in more and better sales leads for her team. It also enables the sales manager to help her team to use marketing assets more effectively and to close more deals.

For the sales professional, the certification will help them understand how to promote their company's content marketing  materials in their personal social media profiles to generate leads and help move prospects down their pipelines.  Depending on the industry you're in, the effectiveness of cold-calling ranges from a waste of time to a solid lead generation tactic. Regardless of your industry, promoting your company's helpful (not a sales pitch!) content though your social media channels will start conversations with buyers. Understanding the various elements of your company's inbound marketing strategy will help you be successful.

Let's not forget business owners and C-suite executives

For the busy manager, devoting time to educating yourself may not seem like a high priority. But think about it - inbound marketing is (or should be) a crucial element of your growth strategy and you probably didn't learn about it in school. Having a solid grounding in the fundamentals of internet marketing will improve your ability to manage your marketing function exponentially. It will also help you integrate your marketing and sales teams to achieve maximum productivity.

If you're hiring outside firms to help you with inbound marketing, the certification will help you choose the right provider for your company and manage them to get the maximum return on your investment. It seems that everybody with a Facebook account is promoting themselves as a "social media marketing expert." Some can spin a good line of bulls#$t. One of my favorite sayings is "in the valley of the the blind, the one-eyed man is king." With the inbound marketing certification, you have the knowledge to  only hire people that have two eyes.

Dedicate an hour per week to watch one of the eleven videos and absord the concepts. You will complete the certification path in 3 months. The certification may not be important to you, but the education certainly is. If that will take too much of your time, access the different video courses on an as-needed basis. Having a meeting to figure out how to improve lead generation? Watch the video on Perfecting the Conversion Process. Figuring out how to kickstart your email marketing program? Watch the video on Sending the Right Email to the Right Lead. The time you invest in educating yourself on these topics will pay off in tangible business results derived from applying your knowledge to your company's execution.

Summary

In the interest of full disclosure, I've built my business around helping other businesses hit growth targets using the HubSpot software - I'm a HubSpot value-added reseller. There's a reason for that, it's a very good product and the people behind it are top-notch. Mark Kilens and his team at the HubSpot Academy have one goal and one goal only - to be helpful. I'm confident you'll feel their enthusiam to help when you watch the videos. My advice? Put obtaining an inbound marketing certification from the HubSpot Academy on your to-do list.