Facebook has not only revolutionized the way we communicate but also the way we do marketing and advertising online. As an aspiring Facebook ads expert, you must’ve spent a considerable amount of time stumbling around the Facebook Ads Manager trying to understand how to make it work for you.
110,192 Quiz Leads From Facebook?
If only there was some kind of a blueprint for Facebook advertising you could use. Of course, there is. And that’s exactly what it’s called – Facebook Blueprint. It’s all the help you need to replicate those effective ads you see on your feed (like the one for Slack down below).
One might ask (but probably won’t because it’s too obvious) – why advertise on Facebook?
According to Statista, as of the second quarter of 2018, Facebook has reached 2.23 billion monthly active users. This continually increasing number of users can be tracked for the period from 2008 to 2018 on the graph below.
So, how can Facebook Blueprint help with your Facebook ads?
What is Facebook Blueprint?
As its very name suggests, Facebook Blueprint is the most comprehensive guide to Facebook advertising, offered by Facebook itself. At the same time, it is Facebook’s official global examination and certification program. Blueprint teaches you how to use Facebook marketing tools.
With 100 courses available (at the moment of writing this article), covering everything from “Creating a Facebook Page” to “Building Your Mobile Presence With Instagram Business Tools”, Facebook Blueprint is your number one go-to resource for everything related to Facebook advertising.
Courses are further divided into a variety of categories depending on your end goal. Whether your aim is to build brand awareness, generate more leads, or monetize your content, Facebook Blueprint has got you covered.
There are 17 available course categories that include: Get started with Facebook, Get started with advertising, Learn advanced buying options, Target the right audience, Build awareness, Drive consideration, Generate leads, Promote my app, Increase online sales, Increase in-store sales, Choose ad formats, Get creative inspiration, Manage ads, Measure ad performance, Learn about Messenger, Learn about Instagram, and Distribute and monetize content.
Each of the categories consists of multiple courses. For example, the “Increase online sales” category contains courses like “Closing the Deal with Conversions”, “Offers: Attract, Convert, and Reward Customers”, “Enhance Your Direct Response Campaigns with Audience Network”, and so on.
In order to streamline the entire learning process, Facebook also offers customized Learning Paths that consist of courses grouped by job title (Brand Marketer, Digital Planner, Gaming Publisher, etc.).
How Do I Get Certified?
Blueprint currently offers two Facebook advertising certifications – one for buying and another one for planning. Each of the Facebook Blueprint certifications consists of two exams. Both certifications are valid for 12 months, after which period you have the option to get re-certified.
1. Facebook Certified Planning Professional
To get a Facebook Blueprint certification in the Planning expertise, you have to pass the following two exams with a score of 700 or higher:
- EXAM 310-101: Facebook Advertising Core Competencies
- EXAM 322-101: Facebook Certified Planning Professional
2. Facebook Certified Buying Professional
To get a Facebook Blueprint certification in the Buying expertise, you have to pass the following two exams with a score of 700 or higher:
- EXAM 310-101: Facebook Advertising Core Competencies
As you can see, both certifications require you to pass the Facebook Advertising Core Competencies, while the second exam differs.
Is Facebook Blueprint Certification Free?
No. This is what the Blueprint FAQ states about the price of the certification:
“The Facebook Blueprint Certification exams will cost up to the equivalent of $150 US dollars per exam. The actual exam fee may differ based on your country and will be displayed during the checkout process. In order to become certified, you will need to take the Facebook Advertising Core Competencies exam in addition to either of the media professional exams – the Facebook Certified Planning Professional or the Facebook Certified Buying Professional – to receive your certification and digital badge.”
So, one certification badge would cost you around $300 (2 exams, $150 each). Plus, keep in mind that the certification is valid for a year. After that period, you either lose your badge or need to retake the exam and get re-certified.
According to Facebook, exam re-certification costs are the same as the initial exam, which means you would have to pay another $300 after 12 months (and pass the exams again, of course) to get to keep your certificate.
Why Get Certified?
1. It’s the only certification officially recognized by Facebook
Facebook Blueprint Certification is the only certification officially recognized by Facebook. It’s the most advanced level in our Blueprint program, designed to test your Facebook marketing expertise through rigorous, proctored exams.
2. It allows you to brag on social media
Facebook Blueprint Certification badges are easily shared on Facebook and other social media. Additionally, they can be embedded on your own website or even included in your resume or email signature.
Such an ease of share gives the badge an outstanding bragging potential!
3. It proves your knowledge
More importantly, your Blueprint badge is not just a social media show-off material. In other words, it’s not just some flashy image that looks good next to your name (which it does), it’s a valid proof of your proficiency in Facebook advertising.
Your badge contains information about how and when you earned your Facebook Blueprint certification and, most importantly, it can be reliably (and easily) verified online (by a potential employer who wants to do a background check on you, for example).
4. It helps distinguish yourself from other marketing professionals
Earning the Facebook Blueprint Certification means that you possess advanced-level proficiency when it comes to Facebook’s products and services. Such credentials will help distinguish yourself in the digital marketing world as a Facebook certified professional.
3 Tips for Passing the Facebook Blueprint Exam
1. Study harder than you think you need to
Keep in mind this is not one of those “okay, I paid for the course, now they’re going to let me pass easily” kind of exams.
On the links below, you will find study guides for each of the exams:
Core Competencies Exam
Facebook Buying Exam
Facebook Planning Exam
2. Watch out for “trick questions”
When taking the exam, it’s vital to take your time carefully reading the questions, as the questions are such that often there might be a hidden tidbit that can determine the right answer.
3. Get acquainted with the Pearson testing experience
There are two ways of taking the Facebook Blueprint Certification exams – online or in-person. In both cases, the tests are done through Pearson VUE.
If you prefer to do it in-person, you need to find a Pearson VUE professional testing center near you and schedule the exam.
In case there are no Pearson VUE centers near your location (or you prefer to take the exam from your home), you’ll need to schedule an online exam and follow all the instructions in order to complete the test successfully.
Here are the detailed, step-by-step instructions for scheduling and taking your Facebook Blueprint exam.
Facebook Blueprint Certification – Worth It or Worthless?
If you’re a marketing agency, you should definitely consider having your marketing specialists go for full certification. Many renowned clients and brands are advised not to work with agencies who don’t have Facebook certified experts.
In fact, here at Yazamo, we used Facebook Blueprint to train our Ads Managers and Account Managers. It helped us turn around our agency and built it to $720,000 a year.
If you’re an average marketer or just starting out in the field, you need to weigh against all the pros and cons – the major ‘con’ being the price ($300 for a one-year certificate), Provided that money is not an issue, obtaining the Facebook Blueprint certification could definitely help you stand out from the crown and distinguish yourself in the world of marketing professionals.
Even if you don’t want to pay for certification, you can still use the Blueprint courses (which are free) to train your employees or to learn more about Facebook advertising yourself.
They Won’t Teach You This in the Blueprint Courses
When it comes to advertising on Facebook, there’s one thing you can’t find in the Blueprint courses we think is worth sharing here as it’s closely related to using Facebook for generating leads and sales (which is what Facebook advertising ultimately comes down to anyway).
You may not have known it, but those quizzes on Facebook, Twitter, and other social media are more than just fun. They are a powerful tool for generating leads and go along extremely well with Facebook. As Buzzsumo states, 84% of all social media shares of quizzes are on Facebook.
Combined with Facebook ads, quizzes are an extremely effective way of promoting your products and services on Facebook. In fact, LeadQuizzes users have generated 4,224,340 leads so far. Learn how to create a quiz right now.
110,192 Quiz Leads From Facebook?
