For a digital marketer, it is extremely important to continue learning and upgrading your skills, if you really want to stay in the game.
You’ll find a lot of free and paid training options online. But, which one should you choose?
When it comes to choosing certification courses, a large number of budding digital marketers opt for HubSpot.
Why? Because it’s super popular and widely praised all over the internet.
Plus, they have a wide variety of online certification courses that are available free of cost.
This makes HubSpot an excellent source for people who want to learn the basics of digital marketing without spending a penny.
But, is it worth the hype? You’ll find out in our honest HubSpot certification review.
In This Article...
You’ll learn about 6 popular HubSpot certifications and get answers to some FAQs. Plus, you’ll learn to decide whether or not you should get any HubSpot certifications.
Let’s get on with the review!
HubSpot Popular Certifications
HubSpot offers certifications in a range of domains such as Content Marketing, Inbound, Inbound Sales and Marketing, Frictionless Sales, Social Media Marketing, and Growth-Driven Design. It also provides training on how to use their own automated sales and marketing platforms.
Some of the really popular free certifications that HubSpot offers:
HubSpot Sales Software
The HubSpot Sales Software Certification validates your ability to implement an inbound sales process using HubSpot’s own CRM and Sales Hub. It’s a 1hr 8 minutes long course, which includes 3 lessons, 17 videos, and 3 quizzes.
At the end of each class, you’re given real-world exercises so you can straightaway apply what you learn. It is compulsory to attempt these exercises in order to earn your certification.
There’s also a 50 question multiple choice test that you have to pass if you want to achieve your certification.
Content Marketing
This is another popular free certification course that teaches you all the tips and tricks to become an effective content marketer. From how to use storytelling, to which platforms to leverage, this training overviews everything in great detail.
This course includes 12 lessons, 52 videos, and 11 quizzes. Expect to complete it in at least 6hrs and 6 minutes.
Once you’re done with this course, you learn a content creation framework that helps produce effective content consistently. You also learn how to create and repurpose content that's loved by both humans and search engines.
Plus, it guarantees to make you a stronger, smarter, and more strategic content marketing specialist.
Inbound
The HubSpot Inbound Certification helps you explore the basics of inbound, the inbound methodology, and the flywheel. Plus, it teaches you how to apply all these concepts to your business.
This 1hr 54 minutes long free course helps you learn how to run a prosperous inbound business, from advertising to sales to customer services. You also learn how to categorize your contacts based on their lifecycle stage. This free course includes 6 lessons, 15 videos, and 4 quizzes.
In this HubSpot Inbound course, you get a chance to learn the inbound methodology and the flywheel as a core part of any company so that you can also start your journey with inbound.
Frictionless Sales
This course takes you one step ahead in the inbound game.You learn how to visualize business as a flywheel instead of a funnel.
You know what a flywheel is, right? It’s a machine that stores rotational energy.
This course explains how a flywheel’s spin signifies your company's development. And, it teaches you how to upturn that development. You need to add force to it, or eliminate friction from it.
Companies often have no issues with using force. But removing friction is usually subtler, and isn’t so easily done!
This is what this free course teaches: Ways to use the frictionless selling framework so that your sales people can spend more time selling.
You also learn ways to align your sales people with your target customer, and turn your salespeople into more knowledgeable team members.
This course includes 4 lessons, 12 videos, and no quizzes. You can easily complete it within 61 minutes.
Social Media
This free certification will help you contour the discussion around your company. You learn strategies to build loyalty, and entice new clients and associates.
Creating an effective social media strategy will increase all of your other inbound marketing and sales team efforts along with building brand awareness, driving word of mouth, and attracting customers.
In this course, you learn how social networks are the definitive way to do inbound marketing. It teaches you how to develop an effective social media strategy, set up social listening and moderation, generate social content, prolong your reach, outrival in digital marketing, measure ROI, and more.
This course includes 9 lessons, 40 videos, and 34 quizzes. Expect dedicating at least 4hrs and 39 minutes for successful completion.
Email Marketing
This free course teaches you how to construct an email marketing plan that develops your business, and your career. You learn how to craft an email marketing strategy that’s human and supportive, that develops trust with your connections.
From managing contacts and segmenting them, to delivering emails and scrutinizing your sends, it covers all that’s needed to build a successful email marketing strategy.
At the end of this course, you get a chance to apply all that you've learned with the marketing tools that come free in your HubSpot account.
This course includes 9 lessons, 27 videos, and 9 quizzes. You can complete it within 3hrs and 17 minutes.
Is HubSpot Certification Worth It?
The answer in a single word is NO.
And shortly, you’ll learn why. But first, you need to take a look at some of the positive aspects of HubSpot certification.
Quality of Content
If you’re talking about the quality of content, HubSpot is doing a great job. They’re offering valuable content for FREE, which is pretty amazing.
Each course is power-packed with great value that can help any beginner learn the fundamentals of digital marketing and sales.
The courses are easy to navigate, the content is interesting and engaging, and the quality of video is remarkable.
Global Acknowledgement and Acceptance
HubSpot certifications are internationally acknowledged, which means when you earn one your stock goes up.
Their certifications are anticipated to help you develop your career and business, regardless of which part of the world you live in.
Networking
Undoubtedly, networking is vital when it comes to business.
With a HubSpot certification, you become a part of a huge community of inbound marketing specialists with whom you can share ideas and learn from.
A kind of an élite digital sales and marketing club, every inbound marketer would want to join!
Support in Job Search
When you write ‘HubSpot Certified’ on your resume, it does make you stand out from the rest of the crowd.
The independent certifications like these show your enthusiasm, passion, and commitment to your professional goals and career planning.
An employer can easily filter you out when you’re competing against a lot of candidates for a particular position.
All in all, HubSpot certifications are a great resource for learning the basics and landing a good job.
The Downside…
Does HubSpot certification mean anything?
If you want to start your own digital marketing or SEO agency, unfortunately these free courses are of no use.
Most of their courses are more relevant to people who are actually using (or intend to use) HubSpot’s overpriced platforms.
That’s what their certifications and trainings are all about. By offering value for free, they tempt you into buying their products.
By the way, HubSpot products are super expensive.
For instance, HubSpot Sales Hub offers three pricing plans. The Starter tier is $50 per user, per month, the Professional tier is $100 per user, per month, and the Enterprise tier costs $120 per user, per month.
Similarly, their Marketing Hub costs around $50 per month (Starter Plan), $800 per month (Professional Plan), and $3,200 per month (Enterprise Plan).
So if you’re planning a digital marketing startup, you may not be able to afford them right away.
You do learn the fundamental concepts, but there’s no point in learning things and getting training if you don’t get to practice everything in the real world.
HubSpot Certification FAQs
Do HubSpot certifications expire?
All major HubSpot certifications are usually valid for up to two years.
Why just two years? Why not forever?
Because this is what their research and feedback from 4,500 certified users recommended.
Plus, the rate at which the market is evolving is fast paced. Everything related to digital marketing is changing radically. So HubSpot thinks that two years is a more appropriate timeline.
You can check out an accurate timeline for each certification course here.
How long does it take to get HubSpot certified?
Depends on the course you’re enrolled in and how long you take to submit the practical exam at the end of the course.
As soon as you successfully complete your classes and pass your final exam, you will receive a digital certificate of completion.
Here’s the bottom line…
If you’re young in your career, short on experience, and burning with the desire to show potential employers that you have basic knowledge of inbound marketing, sales, and social media, then these certifications are tremendously valuable.
But, if you’re someone with a lot more experience who is trying to land a job with an established marketing agency, or who wishes to start their own digital marketing business that may or may not use HubSpot CRM or any other product, then these courses are really not that effective for you.
In case you don’t fall into any of those categories and you have plenty of time at hand, there’s no harm in getting these certifications. After all, they are absolutely free.
But.......
… don't expect any of these certifications to hold the same worth as appropriate work-related experience executing the inbound methodology or using the HubSpot software to achieve quantifiable goals.
Conclusion
At the end of the day, real-world experience really just trumps everything else.
So start working, doing things, and making your own way if this is the business you want to be in!