We generated over half a million dollars in revenue for this client using Google ads…
…and over a quarter of a million for this client using social media ads.
And we have a lot more case studies where those came from, which you can check out for yourself on our case study archive.
So if you want to learn how to become an ad expert from a digital marketing agency that handles millions in ad spend every single day? Keep reading.
And today, I’m going to show you how to become an ad expert.
Alright so in order to talk about how to become an advertising expert, let’s first talk about what an ad expert is.
What Is An Ad Expert?
In this post, we’re talking specifically about a digital advertising expert.
So this is going to be somebody who is an expert in social media advertising as well as Google advertising.
So in general this is a quick list of all the things an ad expert should be able to do:
- Copywriting
- Produce graphic design or video work (for the creatives)
- Navigate and understand everything about different ad platforms (so this is more than just basic entry level knowledge that most people have today)
- Read and interpret advertising analytics to make informed decisions
- Communicate those ad results effectively to anybody else on the team who needs them
- Strategize and effectively A/B test to drive the most results at the lowest cost
- Manage an ad budget efficiently
- Monitor and optimize campaign performance as time goes on
For the most part, the things on that list are self-explanatory.
But we do want to unpack the one about navigating and understanding ad platforms a little more because there’s a lot that goes into that.
What people most commonly think of when becoming a digital advertiser is “I need to learn how to use the ad platform.”
Things like how to create an ad, how to set up an ad account, etc.
And we’ve seen videos about this on YouTube where people talk about taking the free online programs from Google to get “Google certified.”
But we’re telling you right now that all of that, in this day and age, is the bare minimum.
Now don’t get us wrong, we’ve taken Google certification tests and their training programs are great, BUT all the answers for their certification tests are online.
This means you can have the test open in one window and the answers in another.
So just because someone is “Google certified,” that doesn’t mean they know anything about running a successful Google ad campaign.
Just being real with you guys.
Now we’re not discouraging you from going and getting Google certified.
It’s a FREE resource so if you plan on taking it seriously and actually using it as a learning tool, by all means, go do it!
But just know that getting Google certified is not a one-stop-shop for all of a sudden becoming an all-around ad expert or being viewed as one.
So we think this begs the question, how to become an ad expert then? So with that, let’s dive right into how you can make it happen!
5 Steps On How To Become An Ad Expert
Step 1: Learn one advertising platform at a time.
There is A LOT to understand about Google Ads, as well as Facebook Ads Manager, or any other social media advertising platform you’re using.
So it’ll probably be best for you to master one advertising platform before moving on to the next.
And also, once you learn how to use one advertising platform, the rest of them become easier to learn quicker…
…because a lot of them have the same general format with slightly different tools or terminology.
So you should pick the platform that your target audience spends the most time on, and master that one first.
Step 2: Invest in a few training programs.
Now we know we just talked about how being “Google certified” doesn’t carry as much weight anymore, but we didn’t say “Don’t take it!”
We DID say if you plan on taking the programs seriously, it is a free resource and learning tool for you to learn about Google ads.
There are all sorts of training programs out there you can look into for both Google and social media advertising.
The one we can really vouch for the most is the social media advertising course from LYFE Marketing which you can learn more about here.
But overall, you want to pick a training course that is going to teach you more than the bare minimum.
If you’re choosing a free training program like the ones Google offers, for example…
…you have to remember that everybody else also has access to this same information, so you’re probably not going to learn anything groundbreaking.
Now again, we don’t want this post to just sound like we’re knocking Google certifications.
We’ll say it for the third time: take them if you’re totally new to this and just want to get started somewhere, because they’re free, and what do you have to lose?
But this post is about more than just learning how to do advertising, it’s about becoming an ad expert.
So for that, you’re going to want to pay for a training program that’s a little more advanced and willing to share the secrets of the trade.
Now, this step is the hardest, but it’s the most important.
It’s going to take some time, so make sure you budget accordingly in your plans for the time it’s going to take.
Remember that people learn differently, and oftentimes, taking a course one time does not make something stick in your brain forever.
You need to start practicing what you’re learning.
You’ve got to put your new knowledge and skillset to use if you’re going to retain it, which brings us to the next step.
Step 3. Get real-world experience.
Now there are a few ways you can go about doing this, depending on what your end goal is.
If you are a small business owner trying to learn advertising for yourself? Then try out everything you’ve learned for your own business!
If you are trying to make a career out of advertising, you may find yourself in a dilemma.
You may be wondering, “How can I get experience if no one will hire me because I don’t have experience?!”
If that’s the case, then you can try out some freelancing websites like
- Upwork,
- Fiverr, or
- PeoplePerHour
…and just price your hourly wages accordingly based on your entry-level experience.
You can also see if any of your friends or family need some advertising done that you could try your hand at for free for them or at a discount.
This can help JUST so you can start getting a portfolio of experience under your belt.
If you watched our video about how we grew our marketing agency, then you know when LYFE Marketing was first founded…
…we offered our first real client a free 2 week trial of our work so that they could give us a chance, risk-free, to prove our worth in digital marketing.
People just want to feel secure that you’re educated in advertising and know what you’re doing.
They also want to feel secure that you’re not about to blow a lot of their money with nothing to show for it at the end.
Once you’ve got a little experience under your belt, you can move on to the next step.
Step 4: Work for an agency or freelance full-time.
Once you’ve upped your advertising game a little bit from experience and time spent doing it, you can:
- Apply to a digital marketing agency like LYFE Marketing, or
- Increase your pricing on one of those freelancing websites we shared before.
If you’re a small business owner wanting to learn advertising for your own business, you may feel like this step doesn’t apply to you.
But an adjusted version of this step for SMBs could be to consider partnering with a digital marketing agency if you find yourself short on time or burnt out.
We know that small business owners wear many hats and time is precious. So if you just need some help to assist you with your advertising efforts…
…outsourcing to an agency like LYFE is often an efficient way to go that still allows you to learn and grow your skillset.
Step 5: Continue learning and stay up to date.
Digital advertising is not something you can learn one time, master, and be done with it.
Yes, a lot of the high-level approaches and strategies stay the same, but the way you execute them can change as new features roll out all the time.
Vice versa, things you once learned may become outdated or no longer available.
For instance, a couple of years ago, Facebook had to change and omit a lot of the targeting options it once had.
So if you were running a really successful campaign that utilized some of those targeting options…
…you had to go back and make adjustments to keep it running successfully.
You can stay up to date on some of the latest changes in digital marketing by following blogs like Adweek.com.
Or, honestly, you could subscribe to channels like ours, because we keep you updated on all the latest changes as well.
Just make sure you don’t get complacent with what you’ve learned, because being an ad expert requires you to be one of the first in the know at all times.
And on that note, that’s all we have for you today.
Comment below if you have any other questions about how to become an ad expert.
And if you’d like to take advantage of our wide range of digital advertising services, be sure to contact us today.
Thanks for reading, and we’ll see you in the next post!