​Mark Zuckerberg is getting serious about business. Educating marketers is next on his list

Facebook’s CEO Mark Zuckerberg is known for his sharp business acumen and keen eye for detail. The 30-year-old young man, who is on a mission of connecting the world, keeps coming up with ideas which make us exclaim with awe. First it was his social media platform which won him accolades from across the globe, then he came up with the Internet.org initiative and brought together technology leaders, nonprofits and local communities to connect the two third of the world that still doesn’t have Internet access. And now, the man has come up with new educational resources for marketers and intends to help them take their business to new heights leveraging the Facebook platform.

Facebook will soon be providing resources and tools to help every marketer, including the two-million businesses advertising on Facebook, to grow their business. They have announced two education programs today: Blueprint, a training program for agencies and brands; and Learn How, an online learning center for small businesses and new marketers.

There is no sign-up required, so people start gaining from these courses right away. While individuals, agency employees have the option to take any of the courses they would like, Facebook is also working with agency leadership to help them determine which courses are best for their employees to take that are specific to their needs.

Why has Facebook launched this educational initiative all of a sudden?

When we contacted Facebook for an answer, this is what their spokesperson told us. “Our number one request from agencies and marketing partners has been training and this is Facebook’s answer for them. We know there is a lot of information to learn about how to run successful marketing campaigns on Facebook, so the Blueprint eLearning is designed to meet the needs of all audiences, whether you want to learn more about one specific ad tool or if you’d like to learn end-to-end solutions for bringing a brand to life on Facebook.”

What ‘Blueprint’ and ‘Learn How’ have on offer?

Blueprint will help agencies, partners and marketers create better campaigns and drive business results. Combining online courses, in-person training and certification, it will train marketers on everything from campaign optimization and how to use video on Facebook to effective ad measurement solutions. The foundation of Blueprint is its eLearning center, which features over 35 online courses and has tracks organised by category, such as direct response marketing, as well as tracks designed for specific roles, such as digital buying. Blueprint eLearning easily integrates with other learning and development programs and offers reporting to track progress and results.

Learn How, on the other hand, is an online learning center that will help SMBs and businesses do more with Facebook Pages and Ads. It will offer marketers answers to frequently asked questions, like how to create a Page or how to create a Custom Audience. This program will be available on desktop and mobile in 14 languages on the Facebook for Business website.

Has Facebook roped in any education partners?

Education can’t be imparted without teachers. So, the question whether Facebook has roped in any education partners for this initiative is obvious. However, when we asked Facebook spokesperson about it, he refused to share any names and said, “Our education partners are all marketers on Facebook. The courses are modularized so that people taking the courses can pick and choose what they’d like to learn about. For agencies and marketing partners, we can build curriculums that are designed around job roles and/or marketing objectives so that training is customized for their needs. For smaller businesses that would like to learn more about a specific tool or feature and who have limited time, they can take courses individually as needed.”

Who have so far benefitted from these courses?

Yes, Facebook has launched this program just today but prior to its launch, Blueprint eLearning ran a global beta test with Agencies and Marketing Partners. Here are some interesting stats that we would like to share:
•900+ people across all 6 holding companies and marketing partners across 11 countries participated in the beta.
o All 6 Hold Companies were involved in the beta
o 54 individual agencies from those 11 countries: (Examples include: US, UK, Dubai, South Africa, Canada, Mexico, Singapore, Hong Kong, Australia, South America). Agency examples include: iProspect, PHD, Starcom, Dentsu, MediaCom, Mindshare, Zenith Optimedia, OMD, Carat, Initiative, UM, Resolution
o Almost 10,000 courses were taken during the beta
o Blueprint eLearning scored 98% on satisfaction
o 94% on whether beta testers felt they gained new skills.
•iProspect, one of the world’s leading digital performance marketing, has been heavily involved in the development of Blueprint eLearning, submitting over 350 feedback surveys globally from the beta test that ran in January. iProspect is currently exploring integration of its internal learning management systems with Facebook Blueprint. “After participating in the beta, we found the content so valuable that we are working to integrate Blueprint into iProspect University, our internal learning and development program,” says Ben Wood, Global president, iProspect
•PHD was one of the most engaged partners of Facebook’s Blueprint eLearning beta test, and included beta test participants from Australia, Singapore, Canada, Dubai, the UK and US.