Anyone practising the art of ‘Inbound Marketing’ will undoubtedly have heard of and have probably used Hubspot at one time or another, but for those of you who haven’t – Hubspot is an inbound marketing software platform that helps companies attract visitors, convert leads and close customers. Famed for coining the phrase ‘inbound marketing’, Hubspot have been operational since 2006 and now boast a portfolio of over 19,000 customers in over 90 different countries.
One of Hubspot’s many fantastic features is its Certification Academy. Here you have the opportunity to undertake a number of different certifications, each relevant to Inbound Marketing. A few examples of current certifications that Hubspot offer are: Inbound certification, HubSpot certification and Inbound Sales Certification, amongst many others.
There is a number of pro’s and con’s surrounding the Hubspot Certification and below is a list of the most important factors to take into consideration before you undertake your first certification.
The pros of Hubspot certification
- One major pro has to be that taking the Hubspot certification will cost you a grand total of £0. That’s right, it’s completely free. You have access to all training material including downloadable content slides and transcripts of training videos and Hubspot ask for nothing in return. Having done some research on other similar exams or certifications such as Bing Ads Accredited Professional for example, it has become apparent that this is quite a rarity so fingers crossed that Hubspot don’t hike up their prices any time soon!
- Another huge advantage is that you don’t even have to be a Hubspot member to take the exams. So if you’re Mr Average Joe who works in the local butcher but just so happens to have a keen interest in Inbound Marketing then all you have to do is go to the academy section of their site, fill out a short from with some details including your email address and you’ll soon be directed to all the free inbound marketing content you could ask for. It really is as easy as that and it’s guaranteed that the content you receive is absolutely identical to those who are Hubspot members so you won’t miss out on a thing.
- If you’re not lucky enough to pass your certification the first time then never fear as Hubspot give you three opportunities a month to take the exam. There’s only one rule and that is that you have to wait 48 hours before you can re-take the test so if you don’t pass the first three times, well, then there’s always next month! This gives you plenty of time to brush up on your training.
- Once you’ve passed your certification, it’s time to start shouting about it. Hubspot give you the opportunity to add your new shiny ‘I’ve got my Hubspot certification’ badge to your LinkedIn profile. You can also add the badge to the HTML of your site by using the embedded code offered to you and as if that’s not enough you also get a printable certificate to take home and show your mum! (She’ll be so proud).
The cons
- Admittedly there aren’t many cons when it comes to these certifications but the first thing that comes to mind is the length of the videos. They are REALLY long and if you’re particularly busy on a day to day basis then it can be quite hard to fit study time in, however I do appreciate there is a lot of content to get through but personally I feel that some videos could have been condensed. Hubspot do offer the option of speeding up the videos but in all honesty you’re only able to speed them up by about 2 or 3 speeds before the speakers start sounding like they’re on helium and then it gets really hard to concentrate!
- Secondly it’s been stated that the exams are too ‘Hubspotty’ and not relevant enough to general inbound marketing. Even the most Inbound savvy of us can struggle to hit that 80% pass rate if you’re not clear on Hubspot’s idea of Inbound Marketing. So there’s no cutting corners or taking the test without watching the videos if you want a chance of passing and really understanding the psychology behind their multiple choice format.
- The only other bug bear would be that the Hubspot certification is only valid for a year. Now this may sound like a relatively long time but a year in the life of someone who may struggle to find time in the day to have a lunch break is not long at all and before you know it, the year is up and there you are watching Angela from Hubspot tell you about Calls-to-Action best practises again!
So in brief what Hubspot has offered us all is the opportunity to better our inbound marketing knowledge at no cost or incentive to them, and the pros certainly outweigh the cons. The training may be lengthy but it’s also comprehensive and extremely beneficial to anyone working within the Inbound Marketing sector.
The badges have become highly accredited within the inbound marketing world and it’s fair to say that Hubspot are ahead of the game in every sense of the word. If you have any burning questions surrounding the Certification Academy then you can raise them on Hubspot’s Frequently asked questions page but if not then in the words of Hubspot – ‘love and hugs’ and happy training!
