DMA’s Certification Program in Search Engine Marketing
The Direct Marketing Association (DMA) is now offering a Certification Program in Search Engine Marketing which will be inaugurated at DMA06, DMA’s Annual Conference and Exhibition. DMA06 will be held October 14-19 in San Francisco.
With cooperation from the major search engines Yahoo!, MSN, and Google, the DMA says that their DMA’s Search Engine Marketing Council (SEMC) driven program “has been developed in response to the nearly daily changes in this dynamic marketplace that profoundly affects the tactics and knowledge used by today’s search marketers.”
DMA’s Search Engine Marketing Certification represents the competency and training of the marketers that DMA member companies and agencies employ, as well as provides a training path for their more junior marketing staff.
Marketers seeking DMA certification will be required to apply to the program and gain acceptance, successfully complete coursework, pass an exam, and complete ongoing recertification.
DMA’s certification program is the first program developed by a major marketing association designed to train and certify the level of competency of in-house and agency marketers. Members of the DMA involved with program development include marketers, media properties, and search engines.
The program will include two levels of certification:
Level 1: Designed for individuals able to work under the direction of an advanced search engine marketer. These individuals would know and be able to employ current best practices in organic or paid search marketing.
Level 2: Designed for individuals who are capable of devising, creating, and managing effective search engine marketing programs within agencies or as lead members of in-house marketing teams. At this level, individuals can seek advanced certification in organic or paid search.
“Search engine marketing is the fastest growing direct marketing channel, with 40 percent annual growth and over $5.7 billion in search advertising spending in 2005,” said John A. Greco, Jr., president & CEO, DMA. “There’s a growing need in the search community for training that is both credible and that enhances performance of DMA members practicing search engine methods as part of their multichannel marketing strategies.”
