August 2, 2021
Inspired by SmartBug's Long-Running Quarterly Event, HubSpot's Second Annual Event Will Be a World Certification Week, Encouraging Businesses to Provide Ongoing Education Opportunities for Employees
IRVINE, Calif., Aug. 2, 2021 -- SmartBug Media®— a leading Intelligent Inbound® marketing agency that assists businesses in generating leads, increasing awareness and building brand loyalty through inbound marketing, digital strategy, design, marketing automation, revenue operations and public relations — today announced it will join forces with HubSpot, Inc., a leading growth platform, in hosting the second annual World Certification event. SmartBug's® World Certification Day will take place on August 4, 2021, during HubSpot's World Certification Week, which was inspired by SmartBug's quarterly Certification Days and runs August 2-6, 2021.
During the week, businesses around the world are encouraged to provide ongoing education opportunities to employees during regular working hours—a concept that was conceived four years ago by SmartBug CEO Ryan Malone. Part of SmartBug's culture is investing in its employees' professional development. In order to achieve this, the company shuts down operations for one day each quarter for what it coined as "Certification Day." On this designated day, each of SmartBug's employees can spend their time taking online classes and tutorials, learning new skills to enhance the work they produce and further their careers. SmartBug has been providing Certification Days quarterly since Dec. 15, 2017 and plans on dedicating nearly 1000 hours to training this quarter.
"People are our most important asset. We invest in them and their career development in order to continually meet and exceed client expectations and stay ahead of the curve," said Ryan Malone, founder and CEO of SmartBug Media. "The training provided during Certification Day ensures better outcomes for our clients, as our teams continuously expand their skills. This combination reinforces our position in the market as a leading inbound agency and as the destination of choice for top talent."
When HubSpot recognized the success that this practice drives for SmartBug on a quarterly basis, it decided to create a version of its own in 2020, which it coined World Certification Day. It was so successful that it has grown into World Certification Week this year. Leveraging its official learning resource, HubSpot Academy, the company is making the event available to anyone who would like to work on their professional development and encouraging businesses around the world to take part in the event.
SmartBug is not only one of HubSpot's longest-standing partners, but the company also remains HubSpot's highest-rated partner and one of a small number of Elite tier partners in the world. The company was also recently recognized by Comparably as the No. 12 "Best Company Career Growth" in the U.S. in the small to midsize business category.
This year, HubSpot will make a $5 donation to Teach For All, a non-profit organization committed to bringing quality, equitable education to all, for each certification a learner achieves in HubSpot Academy during the week of August 2-6, 2021. SmartBug will match the $5 donation to Teach For All for its employees who earn HubSpot certification(s) on Wednesday, August 4th. For more information about World Certification Week, visit https://academy.hubspot.com/certification-week.
ABOUT SMARTBUG MEDIA®
SmartBug Media® is a globally recognized Intelligent Inbound® marketing agency assisting businesses in growing revenue by generating leads, increasing brand awareness and building customer loyalty through content marketing, sales enablement, revenue operations, web development, marketing automation and public relations.
As HubSpot's 2018 Global Partner of the Year, SmartBug® is the highest-rated HubSpot partner in the world today. The company has not only been named to the Inc. 5000 list of fastest-growing companies four years in a row, but it has also been named to the Adweek 100: Fastest Growing list twice and won a number of Great Place to Work® and Comparably awards. With hundreds of awards for client work — and a team holding a combined 650 marketing certifications — SmartBug is fully dedicated to delivering client success and an unparalleled agency experience. For more information about SmartBug Media, visit smartbugmedia.com.
For Media Inquiries, Contact:
Jennifer Tolkachev
SmartBug Media
949-236-6448 x865
jtolkachev@smartbugmedia.com