Learning is power: 3 resources to make you an advertising pro

As a digital marketer, there’s something new to learn every day, and that’s never been more true than in the last 16 months as the pace of industry change accelerated. Staying sharp by learning new skills is more than just a competitive edge, it's a requirement in the modern workforce. To help you prioritize your professional development, here are several great resources that can take your skills to the next level, and help bring you fulfillment and success.

1. Global Day of Learning

The Association of National Advertisers (ANA) is hosting an industry-wide Global Day of Learning on September 14, 2021 in partnership with the Global CMO Growth Council, Cannes LIONS and others. They’ll be hosting 24 hours of free workshops, self-paced webinars, conference presentations, on-demand content, and keynote sessions for anyone in the marketing industry who registers through their website!

While the Global Day of Learning is just one day, growth opportunities don’t end when the event does. There are more year-round Microsoft Advertising resources that can help you become a more skilled professional.

2. Microsoft Advertising Learning Lab

The Microsoft Advertising Learning Lab was created to teach advertisers how to use tools that can help grow their businesses. Every day of the year, it offers free, on-demand online courses to help you stay on top of the latest resources, trends and tactics in digital marketing and advertising. No registration required.

Digital Fundamentals

If you’re just starting in digital advertising or need an up-to-date refresher, the Digital Fundamentals learning path can teach you the foundations of digital advertising, terminology, and key industry players. It’s perfect for anyone in large companies or small businesses looking to expand their skillset. The course includes:

• The basic workings of search engines
• How search is an effective marketing tool
• Shopping Ad fundamentals
• Display Ad fundamentals
• How to identify key performance indicators (KPIs)

Once you complete the course, you’ll earn a badge to showcase your certification on digital platforms, resumes, and email signatures, and anyone who views your badge will immediately recognize it’s been issued by Microsoft Advertising, which will help position you as a highly-skilled professional.

For more advanced digital marketers, take your business to the next level by studying about new Products and Features, or how to Market with Purpose.

Microsoft Advertising Certified Professional certification

Certification is an excellent choice for those ready to dive deep into digital advertising. The Microsoft Advertising Certified Professional certification program shows you how to optimize your ad spend and better understand tactics, as well as digging into the Microsoft Advertising interface, tools, and best practices. The best part? It’s free, and you can complete it without hurdles! Simply take the course, study the guide, and pass the open-book exam to earn your certification.

3. Small and medium-sized business (SMB) get started page

For SMBs, there are a wealth of additional topics, real-world examples, and insights from which to learn, available on our Small business hub page. Microsoft Advertising provides tools and examples that can save advertisers time to focus on business, while automated solutions do all the heavy lifting. There are also success stories like the one from RVshare, who grew their recreational vehicle (RV) rental business 3x using paid search and non-branded keywords,¹ or German coffee company Tchibo, who optimized their advertising campaigns with automated bidding strategies and saw a 7x increase in their return on advertising spend (ROAS).²

Now is the time to learn

Whether you decide to join the Global Day of Learning or sharpen your Microsoft Advertising skills at any time year-round, learning is vital for business success and professional fulfillment. So, what will you learn next?