The internet is full of marketing agencies claiming to be the best at promoting small businesses. It’s not easy to choose who you should trust with marketing your business’s social media presence. No one knows your business better than you, but you just don’t have the time to do it all yourself; we get it. After all, social media is a huge networking opportunity that can make your brand a success or give it a bad reputation. How can you tell if one agency is better or more knowledgeable than another?
One surefire way to cull some of the best from the crowd is to look for a marketing agency that has a Facebook Blueprint Certified badge or icon on its website.
WHAT IS FACEBOOK BLUEPRINT CERTIFICATION?
Facebook Blueprint is a resource for advertisers that provides training and certification programs for marketing on Facebook and Instagram.
There are three main components to Facebook Blueprint:
- Blueprint eLearning
- Blueprint Certification
- Blueprint Live
Blueprint eLearning
Blueprint eLearning is an online education platform that teaches users the best ways to use Facebook and Instagram for advertising.
As of November 2020, there are over 90 courses in 18 different categories, from “Getting Started with Facebook” and “Building Awareness” to “Campaign Optimization” and “Targeting.” These courses can be taken at any time to fit into your schedule when most convenient.
There are also learning paths for individual roles and responsibilities. For example, if you are responsible for brand marketing, there is a learning path that contains a course curriculum specifically for your objectives.
In addition to courses, Blueprint eLearning offers a rotating assortment of webinars for which you can register to learn from Facebook marketing experts. These webinars are a fantastic way to stay current with Facebook marketing trends.
Those who register for these webinars will receive a recording of the webinar once it has concluded. If you missed something while it was live, you can review anytime at your convenience.
Not able to attend some webinars? No problem. Previous webinars are also available for viewing to anyone regardless of past participation.
Blueprint Certification
Blueprint Certification is a program that tests users’ understanding of Facebook advertising products and services.
Once you’ve completed the program, you earn a certification after successfully completing two exams.
There are nine certification paths:
- Facebook Certified Digital Marketing Associate
- Facebook Certified Marketing Science Professional
- Facebook Certified Creative Strategy Professional
- Facebook Certified Media Planning Professional
- Facebook Certified Media Buying Professional
- Facebook Certified Marketing Developer
- Facebook Certified Advanced Marketing Developer
- Facebook Certified Advertising API Developer
- Facebook Certified Community Manager
Each certification is valid for 12 months, and your certification status can be maintained by proving your proficiency every year.
If you’re keeping up with trends and immersed in Facebook advertising as part of your job, it should be easy to recertify once a year.
Upon completion, you will earn a digital badge that can be shared on social media, in an email signature or on a website. Clicking on the badge will provide information about your certification so that others can verify it online.
Blueprint Live
Blueprint Live is an in-person training workshop held globally where participants are led through interactive exercises. They are given the opportunity to apply their Blueprint knowledge by developing an advertising plan for a theoretical client.
These one-day workshops are held in cities all over the globe and are by invitation only. Those interested should reach out to their Facebook partner about attending.
NOW, BACK TO THE ORIGINAL QUESTION: ARE THERE BENEFITS TO WORKING WITH A FACEBOOK CERTIFIED COMPANY?
I think we can all agree… Yes!
A marketing agency that is Blueprint Certified will have a detailed understanding of Facebook advertising and best practices, which translates to a great return on your investment.
Not only are they certified, but they’ve invested a great deal of time and money into learning from the best of the best to ensure they can give your company the top strategies, plan of action and highest return for your advertising dollars.
Blueprint Certification is the only training tool that is officially recognized by Facebook, so you can be certain that your marketing campaign will be run by experts when choosing an agency with this certification.
At Dream Local, we utilize our direct partner relationship with Facebook to keep our team educated and prepared to leverage your advertising budget for the best results. Contact us today to see how we can help your business.
