Why Real-World Marketing Projects Matter More Than Online Certificates

Introduction

While employees with digital marketing competencies continue to increase in value and opportunities, earning digital marketing certification(s) alone, may not create an opportunity to stand out from your competition. Digital marketing certifications typically prove that an individual has acquired a certain level of theoretical knowledge concerning digital marketing, but do not accurately reflect whether they are able to demonstrate this knowledge through their ability to execute, measure and optimise digital marketing strategies in the real world. Real-world marketing projects fill a critical gap between learning to develop digital marketing strategies and learning how to do so.

Real-world marketing projects provide opportunities for learners to experience situations that will mimic the real-life situation(s) therefore developing practical application knowledge. This includes working with an array of client companies, identifying target markets/audiences, working with marketing budgets, creating and utilising marketing tools, managing a timeline, etc. Real-world marketing projects also provide students an opportunity to learn how digital marketing campaigns actually perform, compared to the information provided in textbooks and/or pre-recorded lessons.

The most critical point about real-world marketing projects is that they help the learner develop problem-solving, analytical thinking and decision-making skills that employers want and truly need in their employees. A real-world marketing project provides the opportunity for learners to learn from their mistakes and actually view the results and learn how to adjust their campaigns according to the information that they have obtained through the data and how to change their strategies or tactics as necessary. The hands-on experience of a real-world marketing project creates confidence, industry readiness and a results-oriented way of thinking.

As competition for jobs continues to become tougher and tougher, employers typically prefer to hire job candidates who can show work product and related measurable results, as opposed to simply having earned a number of digital marketing certificates. A portfolio of completed real-world marketing projects will speak volumes compared to a list of completed digital marketing certificates.

Importance of Why Real-World Marketing Projects Matter More Than Online Certificates

Projects are essential in developing the skills of successful marketing professionals because they turn theoretical knowledge into actual skills. Because marketing is performance, data, and results-oriented, businesses want to hire marketing professionals that can be successful, instead of just having an understanding of marketing concepts. Real-world projects allow students to experience actual business challenges, which is why they provide students with learning opportunities that are meaningful and impactful.

One way that real-world projects create job-ready skills for students is through providing students with direct experience in areas of market research, campaign planning, SEO, social media, advertising, analytics, and conversion optimization. The experience that students gain through these projects enable them to see how different channels work together to accomplish company goals.

Real-world projects also increase a student's problem-solving and critical-thinking ability. Unlike structured online courses that have predetermined structures, live projects will put students in unique and unpredictable situations where they must respond to changing requirements of clients, budget restrictions and performance variations. The experience of dealing with these challenges will teach students how to make-determined, data-driven decisions quickly and effectively.

Further, the practical experience of working on real-world projects will develop a student's professional portfolio by providing evidence of their ability. Employers and clients are more likely to rely on demonstrable results than certifications. The results from real-world projects provide evidence that supports their ability to perform. These projects will also improve a student's communication skills, teamwork capabilities, and time management skills, which are all critical components of a professional work environment.

Benefits of Why Real-World Marketing Projects Matter More Than Online Certificates

Marketing experience in a practical environment provides so much more value than an online credential. Significant advantages exist when learning how to establish a foundation of practical skills through real campaigns, where students apply the knowledge they gained through school to real-world applications; these skills may include SEO (search engine optimization), social media advertising, paid search advertising, content production, email marketing, and analyzing metrics on performance. Students become familiar with what actually works in a marketplace based on their exposure to using various methods of marketing and their measurable outcomes through experiencing the market through the use of a practical project.

Another important factor when working on actual projects is to build a strong portfolio of work produced from that project that can produce measurable results, i.e. more qualified traffic to a website, improved engagement with prospects, conversion of leads to paying customers, etc. The results of a project's work can provide proof of qualifications for auditioning for employment from prospective employers; therefore, the work and results produced on a project generally hold much more weight than holding multiple certificates.

Working on real-world projects allows marketers to gain experience in problem-solving and data analysis. Marketers learn how to extract and analyze data; identify problems with performance; test their hypotheses; and make strategic improvements to campaigns during the course of a project based on the analysis of data. Marketers' ability to analyze data in real-time to make informed decisions and act will continue to be an essential skill set in the rapidly changing digital marketing environment.

Working on real-world marketing projects will build students' confidence and prepare them to work in a professional environment. By working on a project for an external client or company, students learn the skills needed to effectively work as part of a team and on time; students also become familiar with the tools, deadlines, and expectations in the world of marketing that exist in a company.

Advantages of Why Real-World Marketing Projects Matter More Than Online Certificates

In terms of marketing experience, the real-world marketing projects give an advantage over online certificates because they focus on practical experience instead of completing a series of course books on the theory of marketing. A major advantage is that students will enter the workforce more than adequately prepared for their prospective careers. Students that work on real-world projects will acquire the knowledge and experience to use the industry's tools, platforms and data to effectively perform their job duties.

Another major advantage to the student is that they have the ability to showcase their skills in a measurable way. Completion of an online course or certificate does not demonstrate a student’s actual ability; rather, real-world projects provide results of their efforts, such as, increased traffic and engagement, leads generated, and conversion increases. These results demonstrate the students' actual abilities and can help potential employers determine how well a candidate can perform certain job responsibilities and how well they solve problems.

Through the experience of working on real-world projects, marketers gain an in-depth understanding of their challenges. Through the course of their career, marketers are faced with changes in market conditions, audience behavior, restrictions on expenditures, and variability in performance level. Therefore, marketers develop their adaptability, strategic thinking, and decision-making skills in response to these challenges. All of these essential skills cannot be learned through watching recorded lessons.

Working on practical marketing projects enhances a candidate's portfolio, thus giving them an additional competitive advantage in the job market. Potential employers are more interested in reviewing completed projects than in the credentials of the candidates their interviewing. Projects enhance the student’s ability to communicate and work well with others and improve the candidate’s ability to handle client issues, both of which are essential to the success of their career.

Overall, the advantages of the real-world marketing projects stem from their ability to help a student transform their knowledge of marketing into a level of expertise in the subject area.

Conclusion

Experience and Empirical Knowledge

When it comes to gaining employment in today's rapidly evolving marketing industry that demands measurable results, there are no substitutes for working on real campaigns and real business challenges. 

While certifications may serve as an introduction to essential marketing concepts and validate someone's basic marketing knowledge, they are not a substitute for the value of practical experience gained from working on live campaigns and solving real business challenges. 

Employers and clients are no longer impressed by simply having credentials. They want to hire people who can develop a strategic marketing plan, execute that plan through new media or traditional advertising channels, analyze the resulting data/results from their marketing efforts, and deliver quantifiable/measureable results to the business stakeholders. 

Hands-on projects build the bridge between learning and applying the knowledge acquired through learning. They assist marketing professionals in developing a number of critical marketing skill sets including, analytical reasoning, problem-solving, adaptability, effective communication, working with actual tools, working with real audiences, and working with realistic budgets. Therefore, learners who have completed real marketing projects gain confidence and the opportunity for early exposure to the marketplace, thereby preparing them for the types of tasks/responsibilities that exist in a real marketing job. 

A marketing professional's real-world project is often a reflection of the skills acquired through their coursework. 

Real-world marketing projects give marketers an opportunity to develop a growth mindset by promoting risk-taking, experimentation, learning from failures, continuous optimization of their processes and methods, and an ongoing desire for improvement. This type of mindset represents the "new" way of marketing today because successful "marketers of the future" must constantly change their creative strategies based on the data/results received from consumer behaviour and preferences. 

Global competition has created tremendous challenges for job-seekers and hiring managers alike, and candidates with verified/confirmed experience will have a significant advantage in the hiring process compared to those who possess only certification-based experience. 

In short, real-world marketing project experience transforms knowledge into expertise, desire into success.