Facebook Ad Certification: Worth It or Worthless?

Facebook ad certification is an accreditation exam from the mothership, aka Facebook. It’s meant to set the standards for digital advertisers and prove that you know all there is to know about running Facebook ads, and that you’re one of the best.

And it totally makes sense that you would want to be one of the best.

There’s a lot of competition (or so you feel) in the Facebook ad specialist niche, and it makes sense to want an edge.

As a Facebook ads manager, your expertise is what you’re selling. It’s how you’re able to create, run, target, and test ads that work for your business or your client’s. Having Facebook ad certification shows potential clients how many drops are in your knowledge bucket, and is how you’ll make oodles of money. Or something like that, right?

That’s exactly what we’re going to talk about today — Facebook ad certification, do you really need it? You’re about to learn:

Exactly what Facebook ad certification is
How much it costs
The situations when Facebook ad certification really applies
Alternatives to Facebook ad certification

Facebook ad certification: Worth it… or worthless?

What is Facebook ad certification?

Facebook advertisement, when done correctly, can fuel entire businesses. It can bring in reasonably priced leads without a ton of capital, which is especially effective for small-but-mighty models. On the other side of the coin, businesses that are actually pretty successful before and without Facebook use ads to raise brand awareness, engage millions of customers, and stay “relevant.”

A lot of these brands, big and small, have absolutely no idea how to use Facebook ads — this is where a Facebook Ad certification comes in. Specifically, Facebook itself has a newish certification it has dubbed Facebook Blueprint.

In the past six months and throughout 2019, Facebook Blueprint grew from a sweet little baby guide teaching the basics of Facebook to a full-fledged moneymaker.

What used to be a quick demo of how Facebook ads work has turned into a small assortment of courses (Facebook ad certifications) that promise certified knowledge in how to run ads with luster. They currently have certifications for:

Media planning professionals
Media buying professionals
Product developers (I, II, III)
Digital marketing associates
Marketing science professionals

All of the Facebook ad certification courses promise to cover the basics plus some specifics based on the role you have at a company. All certifications include Instagram and Messenger training as well.

There’s an outline of what each course focuses on so you can practice the necessary skills. You can also go over the exam process and policies.

How much do Facebook ad certifications cost?

Facebook Blueprint ad certifications cost $150 each, and they are good for one year. There are some rumors that Facebook will be expanding their certifications and the price range shortly. We don’t know if and when this will happen, but we’ll keep you updated.

Are Facebook Blueprint Certifications worth my time?

Here’s the thing: as Facebook expands its specific offerings, some of the more advanced ad techniques can be very useful, especially to businesses that have tech talent that needs to understand how specific things work on Facebook. These are techniques like Marketing API integrations, app events, and offline conversions, for example.

With that being said, Facebook ad certifications through Blueprint might be worth the cash if one or more of these apply:

1. You are trying to develop a Facebook app that requires technical knowledge and you want to know more about ads

Facebook has a way to build apps on its platform to integrate with custom systems. No idea what we’re talking about? Then… this one doesn’t apply to you, so don’t worry, carry on.

2. You’re looking to really hone in on the small intricacies of ads and use the data you collect to make educated changes and marketing recommendations for clients

For most of us, knowing what the word “the” does when replaced with “those” isn’t going to matter, and we’re not going to really notice the changes and how they all connect if it DOES matter.

Most of the time, when you keep perspective and keep trying new things with bigger changes to creative, copy, and targeting, your ads are going to be successful and everyone will be happy. For those of us who need a bit more data… there’s a certification for you.

3. If, in any way, you need specific knowledge about a specific type of ad that does a very specific thing

That’s not very specific, is it? Well, there are some things a good, general education in Facebook ads doesn’t quite cover, and you’ll need a bit of extra whipped cream on top of the people who literally invented these ads.

Where Facebook ad certification fits in the world of Facebook ad courses

Facebook Blueprint is great and teaches valuable and specific lessons. And you know, knowledge is POWER!

But, Blueprint is developing into something that’s really going to help people with specific knowledge and needs. So where does that leave all of us folks who just… kind of… need to know what a Facebook ad is? We’re talking about comprehensive, yet general Facebook ads knowledge.

While the Facebook for Business (which is slowly morphing into Blueprint) database has a great beginner’s course, it’s not much more than a beginner’s course, meaning there’s not much in between that and Facebook ad certification courses.

What’s coming out of Facebook right now is either the basics or the very, very specifics with Blueprint. Facebook just isn’t offering the comprehensive program a lot of people need when they’re looking for a Facebook ad certification, especially if you’re someone trying to sell your knowledge of Facebook ads to others.

PS – here’s a link to the Facebook course sitemap, which you should bookmark for safekeeping if you’re serious about getting a Facebook ad certification (you never know what they’ll add next).

In general though? Blueprint’s list of Facebook ad certifications is still fairly new, and it’s hard to say whether it’s worth your time and money. We don’t think you’ll need one, and right now since Blueprint is fairly new, it won’t even look that shiny on your resume.

Alternatives to Facebook ad certification

If you were hoping that Facebook’s Blueprint certifications would hold all the answers for you, we’re sorry to disappoint you. They lack a lot of the generalized knowledge that’s so important. There are other courses that teach the basics and beyond in a way that feels pointed, tested, and well… a little more personal than what Facebook is currently offering. We mean funny and real.

Finding an alternative to Facebook ad certification starts with what you’re trying to accomplish…

I want to use Facebook ads to promote my own business.

If you’re looking to get good at Facebook ads to give your own business a boost, the Facebook Side Hustle Course has what you’re looking for. It’s comprehensive in not only the structure and basics of Facebook ads, but it teaches you how to do them and make successful ads as well.

This course walks you through every step, and then you’ll be walked through your first ads to ensure that you’ve mastered the techniques you’re learning. If you’re still confused, the course includes access to a private Facebook community where you can connect with peers and experts who will help you get the ball rolling. The group has weekly live trainings, coaching calls, and more.

Here’s a sample of what you’ll learn in the Facebook Side Hustle Course:

Exactly why Facebook ads are the #1 source of new customers for local businesses
How to use Facebook to generate leads for a local business.
The anatomy of a well-performing Facebook ad
What a sales funnel is and how to create them for your business
Choosing the correct campaign type
Targeting your audience
Direct response copywriting
All about the Facebook Pixel
Walkthroughs of your first conversion campaign and your first lead for the campaign
Facebook ads best practices
How to troubleshoot your ads

Learn more at Facebook Side Hustle Course.

I want to use Facebook ads to drive traffic to my website or blog.

Sweet! If you don’t already know, one of the Laptop Empires creators built his blogging business (Millennial Money Man, if you’re interested) using the method that’s taught in the Facebook Ads for Bloggers course. M$M calls Facebook ads a “secret weapon” for bloggers.

One of the best lessons in this course teaches the “Unicorn Strategy” — how to find a top-performing post using Facebook’s Analytics Tool and then turning that post into a successful ad. You’ll love this course because it has all of the basic info you want to know about ads, but it’s also super focused on how to make your blog or website go BOOM (in a good way).

I want to sell my ad expertise to run Facebook ads for others.

This is the Facebook Side Hustle Course’s bread and butter. Seriously, even if you want to make it big with Facebook ads and quit your job and go full-time, this course is worth checking out. PS, there are a number of students who have done just that, so it’s far from impossible.

You’ll learn how to run ads, how to find clients, how to pitch clients, and how to keep your business growing. You’ll also get access to that private and incredibly valuable Facebook community we mentioned earlier where you can ask questions, share your wins, glean wisdom, and more.

As well as those courses, we have a lot of specialized Facebook ad information right here:

Final thoughts on Facebook ad certification

With Blueprint, Facebook is developing an excellent resource that will be powerful and enormously useful as time continues to roll on. BUT, nothing quite tops being able to get through the information and then ask as many questions as you possibly want to.

That’s the main weakness with Facebook’s Blueprint — the information is delivered to you, you take a test to prove you’re competent, and then you’re left on your own. There’s no information on how to find people that need your knowledge. There’s no information to help you with that one thing you didn’t quite get. Why the community you get with the Facebook Side Hustle Course is so valuable.

A knowledgebase is fantastic, but it’s static. Sometimes you need real help from a real person or two, or three, or fifteen. And you’ll find that with courses that specialize in Facebook ads without being part of Facebook.

Is getting a Facebook ad certification from Facebook a terrible thing? No, not at all, especially if you’re technical. Is it necessary? Also no. Don’t stress too much if you’re waffling about it. Time will tell if this is going to be “the” resource for all things Facebook, but we have a hunch that you just can’t replace everything.