1. Tell us have you ever increased interest in a product that was floundering? How?
Reveals more about work history.
An interviewer will ask his question in order to assess how you handle a failed plan, as this is quite inevitable. It is important that you are able to recognise the key reasons why a strategy went wrong and what you learnt from the experience.
Campaigns may fail for many different reasons, including: poor research and groundwork, poor planning and follow-through of objectives and goals or ineffective communication. Be open about why the campaign failed, take accountability and focus on what you learnt.
Share information but be careful of maintaining company confidentiality.
☛ Focus on a campaign that relates to the job you are interviewing for
☛ Highlight supporting metrics such as increase in sales, ROI, customer acquisition rate, leads
☛ Focus on the specifics of why the campaign succeeded and quantify your personal contribution
4. Tell us how have you delivered against targets over the last 6 months?
Expect specific marketing interview questions that assess your actual job performance and how goal orientated you are. Have the facts and figures ready.
Provide examples of work-related goals you have set for yourself.
5. Explain me about a recent situation when you had to meet a very tight deadline?
Coping with pressure and deadlines is integral to a marketing position. Highlight your:
☛ planning and organizing skills
☛ your ability to remain focused and calm under stress
☛ your ability to efficiently use available resources
6. Tell me what social media channels are you familiar with?
As a social media marketing manager, interviewers will expect you to be familiar with all major social media channels. If you have experience with more obscure platforms, this is the time to highlight those as well.
7. Explain me how familiar are you with our target market?
This is a question where the research you've done in advance of your interview will really pay off. You should be able to get a good idea of the company's products, services, and target market from looking at their website, social media feeds, and recent news releases.
From my research, I understand that your target market is primarily young females. I can tell from your social media feeds and website that you're really focused on offering them a unique shopping experience and that you have some great influencers on Instagram.
8. Tell me how Would You Respond to a Negative Review of one of our Products on Social Media?
The Internet has given customers a voice but has also given rise to self-entitled griping. With this question, the interviewer is trying to ascertain how you handle bad press. First of all, you need to show that you're comfortable with negative feedback and know how to turn it into positive branding.
For instance, you could say that as a representative of the brand, you would use the feedback as an opportunity to address the customer respectfully. You would also assure them that the brand wants to make the customer happy and discuss how to accomplish that goal best.
The candidate's answer will demonstrate their ability to build the marketing department.
10. Tell me example of how you have effectively used digital marketing tools?
In answering this marketing manager interview question, focus on your skills in mobile and digital marketing including search engine tactics and optimization, click-through advertising, writing for the Web using keywords, designing for customer usability, utilization of social media platforms and tracking the success of the campaign.
11. Can you please explain what are the biggest challenges a marketing manager faces today?
Coming up with new and effective ways to market a product in such a competitive economy is a tough challenge. Keeping up with technological developments and trends is another challenge.
Customers have more power than ever and marketing initiatives have to meet these new customer demands and give the customer what they want.
Tests job knowledge.
13. Can you explain me how effectively do you think you can work within budgetary constraints?
In times of economic strain, this question is most relevant for a marketing professional. As marketing is one of the most important functions within a company, when finances are tight a marketing budget, which may once have been limitless can be squeezed down to close to nothing. This is yet another area which will require a creative answer that also highlights your planning and ambition in terms of working under pressure.
Also, the best way to answer questions about the future is to focus on accomplishments of the past. In other words, when asked about how you would deal with possible future scenarios, refer to your past accomplishments. Your answers should focus on successful campaigns with statement such as, “While I was with my previous company I initiated both low-cost lead generation strategies and several viral marketing campaigns using an almost inexistent budget to boost profits by 200%.”
14. Please explain how would you contribute if you were temporarily assigned to our sales group?
Many companies do this type of cross-assignment as a way to build bonds between their sales and marketing groups. However, even if you're not planning such an assignment, you should still ask this question because it takes the theoretical situation in the first question into the practical realm of the candidate's career.
The worst possible answer is something like, "I'm sure I'd be good at selling, but such an assignment would not be the best use of my talents." A response like this suggests that the candidate, if hired, will have difficulty creating marketing programs and deliverables that are useful to the sales team.
This is a huge problem, according to the book The Profit Maximization Paradox, which quotes surveys showing that salespeople spend a whopping 40 percent of their time preparing "customer-facing deliverables" while using less than 50 percent of marketing-created sales materials.
Identify a successful brand and discuss:
☛ the positioning
☛ target market
☛ the 4Ps (product, price, place and promotion)
What would you retain and what would you change in the brand and why?
16. Tell us which marketing book have you recently read?
This question is asked to measure your real passion and motivation for marketing. Be sure to have recently read a book that you can talk about.
Focus on what you got from the book and its relevance to the challenges evident in the job you are interviewing for.
Shows interest in the company.
18. Tell me what is the difference between marketing and selling?
Both large and small companies experience internal conflicts between the sales group and marketing group stemming from differing opinions about the role of marketing vs. the role of sales. Marketing groups tend to see sales groups as a delivery mechanism at the end of a marketing process. Sales groups tend to see marketing groups as providing a service that helps sales groups to sell more easily.
Both viewpoints depend upon perspective. If you're in marketing, it may be difficult to perceive the complexity and multiple steps involved in selling. Similarly, those in sales are so focused on "making the numbers" that it's difficult to appreciate the way that marketing has laid groundwork.
19. Tell us why are you interested in marketing our product/service?
Your research and knowledge of the company will enable you to answer questions about their products, markets and competitors professionally and with confidence.
Find out about:
☛ the company's role in the industry
☛ target markets
☛ products and services
☛ revenues and annual data
☛ any recent developments
20. Explain me what do you think are the three essential skills for a career in marketing?
First of all, I think great communication skills are essential. A marketer needs to understand the requirements of the client and be able to present ideas and concepts. Being able to stay organized and work in a fast-paced environment is also an essential skill. I think being proactive and trying to anticipate client needs is also very valuable.
21. Explain me what sets you apart from other candidates that we're interviewing for this position?
Something that sets me apart from other candidates is my presentation skills. I was previously a volunteer coordinator for a large non-profit organization and often had to give presentations to groups of more than 100 people. I am very comfortable being in front of any group of people, no matter the size, so you can feel comfortable putting me in front of clients right away.
Tests management skills.
23. Explain me about a marketing campaign that did not work as well as expected? What went wrong?
Your ability to determine why a marketing plan failed and to use the information to learn and improve is key. Be specific about why it went wrong and take accountability for your part.
24. Explain me why do you want to work in marketing?
Relate your answer to both your career and the company you are interviewing for.
Highlight how your strengths and interests are a fit with the key competencies required for a successful marketing career.
Examples include:
☛ meeting challenges head on
☛ working under pressure
☛ creativity and innovation
☛ data analysis and problem-solving
☛ communication skills
☛ teamwork
☛ working to targets and goals
Even though your customers may not be using social media, you should still continue using it because your customers may be there in the future. As well, it's important to maintain a social media presence because it impacts your organic search presence.
