Six HAQM Ads Certifications every advertiser should take, according to experts
12 October 2023 | By Jennifer Cress, Senior Content Strategist
The world of advertising is constantly evolving. To keep up, savvy advertisers are always trying to improve their skills and learn the latest ways to grow their business, and HAQM Ads offers a robust library of certifications to help advertisers enhance their HAQM Ads knowledge.
From 24 to 26 October, our annual conference unBoxed returns to New York City, where you can learn about tools and innovations to help accomplish your goals and scale your reach. And this year, we’re offering Educate & Elevate, a pre-event on 24 October designed to help you up-level and up-skill your HAQM Ads knowledge with our certification program. Certifications, available for free on the learning console, validate your proficiency in HAQM Ads products and solutions.
Interested in brushing up on your HAQM Ads knowledge before you join us at unBoxed? To help kick off your learning journey, we tapped a few partners hosting our hands-on-keyboard sessions and Educate & Elevate certification prep workshops to share the HAQM Ads Certifications they think every advertiser should take.
“The HAQM Advertising Foundations Certification is a necessary base for all additional HAQM Ads knowledge and a perfect foundation to build off,” says Gloria Steiner, director of data intelligence at Perpetua.
Claire Leon, co-founder of Acorn-i, also prioritizes this certification, which, along with the HAQM Ads Retail Certification, is required for all staff at her company. “The [certifications] provide a valuable foundation to build understanding of retail and ads, and how the two are interconnected,” Leon says. “I would advocate all new sellers, vendors and HAQM practitioners to take these modules annually, and then build on these with the advanced modules depending on role function or area of expertise that needs enhancing.”
The HAQM Ads Retail Certification covers topics like understanding the diverse selling partner types, getting familiar with HAQM’s fulfilment solutions and exploring the core concepts of selling in the HAQM store. Joe Shelerud, co-founder and CEO of Ad Advance, thinks it’s a great starting point to learn about HAQM’s retail landscape. “For advertising professionals who manage online commerce operations and campaigns on behalf of HAQM’s selling partners, this certification is like a compass, guiding you through HAQM.com,” Shelerud says. “It has some challenging topics, which makes it good for all areas of expertise.”
Destaney Wishon, CEO of BetterAMS, called this certification a personal favourite. “I never managed the retail side of the business before,” says Wishon. “So [the courses in this certification] helped me understand the challenges our brands were facing and provided insights into areas of the retail business that could be directly influencing the success of our advertising campaigns.”
In addition to the HAQM Ads Retail Certification, Wishon recommends taking the HAQM Ads Campaign Optimization Certification. “This is a comprehensive assessment of knowledge and expertise in all of the core HAQM Ads,” Wishon explains. “It not only tests your ability to understand and explain advertising concepts, but it also requires you to demonstrate your skills in hands-on optimization. It’s a valuable asset for anyone who manages campaigns.”
“This certification gives you the nuances of the HAQM DSP advertising solution,” says Sreenath Reddy, CEO and co-founder of Intentwise. “It’s critical for all advertisers who are advising clients or optimizing DSP campaigns because it teaches you the ins and outs of programmatic advertising on HAQM, whether endemic or non-endemic.”
Steiner at Perpetua also recommends the HAQM Marketing Cloud Certification. “It helps you tie everything back together and know how all the HAQM advertising solutions work in cohesion,” she says. Leon is also a fan of this certification, saying it’s useful for “practitioners who want to understand deeper analytics and create bespoke insights for clients”. She adds that it’s a good challenge for the intermediate HAQM Ads advertiser.
Shelerud also suggests the HAQM Video Ads Certification. “This certification equips advertisers with the skills to effectively incorporate video into their ad portfolios. It ensures that you’re ready to tap in to the immense potential of video ads and engage customers in a more relevant way,” Shelerud says. “Even a newer seller can take advantage of higher-converting placements through Sponsored Brands video.”
Reddy echoes this by noting the courses within this certification “give advertisers the knowledge they need to add video campaigns to their strategy”. He adds, “As video advertising continues to be more accessible, it’s critical to understand all the different video ad products offered by HAQM Ads and the different goals for each.”
In-person tickets to unBoxed have sold out, but don’t miss out on the action. You can register for our livestream to watch our keynotes. If you’re joining us in person at unBoxed, register for Educate & Elevate to learn about HAQM Ads Certifications by selecting the “seat icon” on the Educate & Elevate agenda sessions. Pre-registration is required.