Marketing Cloud, what to do after MKT101
I bet that once you finish a course like MKT101, more than one among you will ask yourself the following question: “So now what?”
Consolidate our theoretical and practical knowledge
To answer your question, I’m going to give you some advice on what, in my humble opinion, should be the next steps to take on this journey we have begun to build at Salesforce and, more specifically, at Salesforce Marketing Cloud. My first piece of advice, though it may seem obvious, would be to carefully go over all the course documentation. It is hugely important to consolidate the core concepts that will push us on our way to becoming true experts in this hub of Marketing Automation solutions that is the Salesforce Marketing Cloud. Meanwhile, and assuming it is still possible to rely on the Business Unit we dealt with during the course, I would advise you to redo all the exercises you completed during your training. This is a great way of consolidating your knowledge, both theoretical and hands-on.
Complete our vision with some recommended Trailmixes
With this first step out of the way, the next step should be to complete all the Trailhead modules listed at the end of each section contained in the learner’s guide we used during the course. Thanks to the training portal that Salesforce offers us at no cost (don’t forget that!), we will be able to expand our knowledge of what we have seen and learnt during the course, so that we can achieve an end-to-end vision of the Salesforce Cloud. During this second step, let’s not forget that Trailhead also offers us the “Prepare for your Marketing Cloud Email Specialist Credential” Trailmix, which has been curated by the Trailhead team to get you exam ready. Note that most if not all of the modules listed in the learner’s guide for the MKT101 course are part of this Trailmix.
Once we have finished this second step, the next thing to do is review all the links to the various resources listed throughout the learner’s guide for the course. Following this review process, I dare say we might even be ready to sit the Marketing Cloud Email Specialist exam, obviously after having carefully read the exam guide that can be found at Trailhead and having completed the Trailmix I just mentioned.
Our Marketing Cloud journey has just begun
If we manage to pass the exam, it would be a mistake to think that our journey is over, because in fact it has only just begun and there is still much in store. The next thing for us to do is to embrace the huge challenge of earning the following Salesforce Marketing Cloud credentials: Administrator, Consultant and Developer. Remember that to qualify as a Consultant, you must first have the Administrator credential, and to qualify as a Developer you must first have earned the Email Specialist credential. More information on these requirements can be found under the section on Trailhead Certifications.
These three certifications are not mutually exclusive, meaning we can pursue all three if we so wish. My biggest recommendation here would be to be know exactly what our profile will be and what role we want or are going to fulfil when working with Salesforce Marketing Cloud. In other words, we need to differentiate between more functional profiles and more tech-heavy profiles, though we have also been seeing an increasing number of hybrid profiles —hence the option of being able to earn all four current certifications.
If our profile leans more toward the functional side, we should set our sights on the Administrator certification. To get us ready, ISDI’s range of courses includes the hands-on “Marketing Cloud Administrator” course and the Trailhead “Study for the Marketing Cloud Administrator Exam” module, which together will give us enough documentation and information to ensure that we are able to pass the exam. If we succeed, our next challenge will be to earn the Consultant certification. As with the Marketing Cloud Administrator qualification, ISDI offers us support in the form of the CRT550 “Get ready for the Marketing Cloud Consultant” course, which, together with the information and documentation available on Trailhead, will get us exam ready. If we are successful, we will have achieved, in my humble opinion, one of the most sought-after Salesforce certifications that currently exists within the ecosystem and above all, in the professional realm, and not only in Spain but also across Europe.
If our profile is more technical or development-oriented and we already have the Email Specialist certification, let’s set our sights on the Developer certification (without forgetting what I mentioned above). To get us ready, again we should rely on the training modules available at Trailhead.
In essence, we are all free to pursue our own Journey within Salesforce Marketing Cloud, but it is important to remember that this Journey should be built step by step, or as I like to say on the courses I give: “an elephant can’t be eaten in one sitting”.
Best of luck on your journey!
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