This weekend, I spent about two hours obtaining my advanced certification in SEO and technical SEO. Yes, I am a marketing geek, and this is not how most of you reading this prefer to spend your weekend mornings!
But I did this with a purpose in mind: personal branding. Personal branding is the art and science of shaping your online persona to resonate with your target audience. Most people think of branding as the logo, colors, and images associated with a company, but it’s much more than that. Branding is about who you are and how you portray yourself through your words, actions, and interactions. It is the implicit promise that you make when people choose to do business with you. It is a combination of many factors, but it rests on your reputation.
Online, we craft our brands through a variety of tactics, including our websites, portfolios, and social media presence. We share our brand through pictures, stories, words, and more.
I’m a marketing consultant, and I want my brand to resonate with my target audience: B2B marketing decision makers.
To improve my online presence, I decided to pursue several certification courses. Many people dismiss certifications and consider them worthless, but I disagree. Certifications, even those from free platforms such as Hubspot Academy and SEMRush, show your customers that you take continuing education seriously. They tell your customers that you care enough to keep abreast of the latest industry information. And they demonstrate that you have certain skills in these areas.
Paid or Free Certifications?
You can gain certifications through free or paid sources. Free sources include Hubspot Academy, Semrush Academy, and Alison.com
Paid certificate courses can be found on platforms such as Udemy, Coursera, and similar sites, as well as through universities and community colleges nationwide.
I have taken both paid and free certificate courses. The quality was similar in both, including the final test and scoring methods. I think that customers do not know the difference between these paid or free platforms and that they are more interested in whether you have the skills, as evidenced by the certificate, than whether you paid for it or not. So, don’t hesitate to try some free courses!
Never stop learning. Showcase your knowledge with free professional development and certificates of completion that add to your personal brand!
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