Working at the booth on the exhibit floor, so many people would come up to me and say "I'm a BCE (or ACE) and it's the best thing I've ever done for my business development" (or something like that). But what I found was that so few people actually had put their ACE or BCE moniker on their badges for the PestWorld show.
Earning your Certification is a tremendous professional achievement and I would encourage you to shout this from the highest mountaintops. ESA can help you promote your certification by sending you copies of logos, helping you to draft a press release to announce your certification, and more, but you have to do some of this yourself. Follow these simple tips to get the most professional marketing mileage out of your BCE or ACE:
- Whenever you are interviewed by the media, whether the trade press or not, be sure to let the reporter know that you are a Board or Associate Certified Entomologist
- Any conference you register for, be sure to put your certification beside your name (e.g., "Mrs. Jane Doe, ACE")
- Put the BCE or ACE logo on your work vehicle, your store window, your uniforms, your business card, your advertisements, your website .... and so on. Anywhere that you are promoting your business is an appropriate place to tell people that you are certified.
- Ask ESA for help if you need it. My email is cstelzig [at] entocert [dot] org.
Certification is a bit like an umbrella. An umbrella is something you can carry with you daily and (at least if you have one of the small collapsible ones) it can provide a sense of security and nobody even knows that you have it. But an umbrella, much like your certification, only works if you use it.
Take some time and review your materials. See if you're using your certification to its fullest advantage. And if not, email me and I'll help you out.
