Online advertising is in the midst of meteoric growth — with annual revenue more than tripling, $9.6 billion to $42.8 billion, between 2004 and 2013 alone. Technology, innovation and an expanding ecosystem of ad platforms, units and formats are driving those numbers. There’s never been a greater call — or a more promising moment — when it comes to bringing ads into the digital space.
Along with the promise of rising returns, however, comes the challenge of increasing complexity. Sellers now need a sales team that can evolve along with digital-advertising systems, navigating the changing course of technology and best practices, choosing the best combinations of digital-ad solutions for every client.
“You really have to have somebody who can pick things up very, very quickly,” says Vinnie Dunleavy, an account executive at NBCUniversal Digital Entertainment. “I think you need to have an intellectual curiosity. You have to want to learn this stuff, want to embrace this change.”
You also need to be able to communicate that kind of desire, and that kind of expertise. Dunleavy has achieved that by earning his Digital Media Sales Certification from the Interactive Advertising Bureau.
Beyond assuring a buyer that a sales team knows its company’s product, IAB Digital Media Sales Certification confirms that the team’s expertise extends to all of the standards, guidelines and best practices of the online space, including the latest trends.
The credential, awarded only to sales professionals with a minimum level of expertise who has passed a rigorous third-party examination, also helps business leaders identify and hire the most qualified candidates.
Certification: Better Hires, Best Results
James Moore, chief revenue officer at Simpli.fi and a recipient of IAB’s Digital Media Sales Certification himself, says he searches for salespeople who are flexible and knowledgeable about the intricacies of the industry.
In his mind, he says, those who have earned the IAB Certification arrive knowing a common language — they know the terminology and methodology.
“Furthermore,” Moore says, “they have picked up insights and data about video, mobile and desktop, and they’ve gotten access to accurate industry benchmarks.”
Moore is not alone in his opinion. Recent research further illustrates the very positive results that IAB certifications generate for sales teams.
- In a 2014 IAB survey of Digital Media Sales Certification holders, 81% say that Certification has a positive impact on their confidence about digital advertising.
- 74% say Certification has made a positive impact on their company’s sales team.
- 36% say IAB Digital Media Sales Certification has a positive impact on their company’s revenue.
In many ways, this sense of confidence stems from the very process at the core of the Digital Media Sales Certification program — the certification examination.
That is, by studying for the exam, salespeople re-familiarize themselves and become experts (again) with the concepts, standards and guidelines that make the industry so complex.
Also, says Ami Sirlin, national account director at Goodway Group, IAB Certification sends a strong message to her company’s clients: her sales team is certified and ready “to go into the market confident that we are going about business in the most ethical ways.”
Expertise that is verified and a powerful message in which buyers can place their trust are both distinctions that leaders such as Dunleavy say lend critical legitimacy to teams competing in a crowded milieu.
“A lot of people in digital-media sales can hide behind their resumes simply because they’ve held down jobs in digital-media sales … there are a million people out there who have VP-of-digital-sales job titles,” Dunleavy says. Digital Media Sales Certification, he suggests, can lessen uncertainty for the buyer: “It legitimizes you in this industry.”
Learn more at iab.com/topics/certification/
