Digital marketing is more important than ever because businesses depend more and more on online interaction to grow. If you want to move up in your digital marketing career, you’ll need to stand out from the crowd and do great in your interviews. This is true whether your background is in numbers and data analysis, in editorial where you’re good at telling stories and coming up with content strategies, or in public relations or brand representation where you look out for the best interests of your clients.
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But since there are so many jobs available in the field, what traits and digital marketing skills do hiring managers look for in candidates?
Bethany Cantor, a successful digital marketing director who has worked at startups and corporations like Aaptiv and Teachable, where she is now Head of Content and Brand Marketing, says that the best digital marketing employees are actively curious, work well with others, and take constructive feedback with grace and hard work.
Grace Ouma-Cabezas is the Vice President of Marketing at Food52 and has been a marketing executive for 14 years. When she hires digital marketers, she “looks for people who are curious, creative, have grit, and thrive in fast-paced environments.” ” (Full disclosure: Food52 is a partner of The Muse. ).
You should show these traits along with your skills and experience in a digital marketing interview, no matter what level or type of job you’re applying for. And you can do that by getting ready for these digital marketing interview questions, along with the general interview questions that you’ll probably be asked for any job.
Got an interview coming up with BluShark Digital? As one of the fastest growing digital marketing agencies competition is fierce for opportunities there. This comprehensive guide will equip you with insider tips and winning sample answers to their most commonly asked interview questions.
With expertise spanning SEO, PPC, web design, and more, BluShark looks for candidates with a strong analytical aptitude, technical marketing skills, and stellar communication abilities We’ll outline how to prepare for their rigorous recruitment process and tackle questions on everything from digital campaigns to client management
Read on to learn the top strategies needed to land your dream job at BluShark Digital!
Overview of BluShark’s Hiring Process
The typical BluShark Digital interview process looks like:
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Online application – Submit initial application and resume, often through the company site or LinkedIn.
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Screening call – 30 min phone interview assessing general qualifications.
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Technical interview – 1 hour video call focused on specific skills like Google Ads, SQL, etc.
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Manager interviews – 1-2 rounds with department heads evaluating personality and culture fit.
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Case study – Develop and present campaign strategy for a sample client scenario.
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Reference checks – Thorough background checks on shortlisted candidates.
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Final offer – Selected based on cumulative interview performance and skills assessment.
Now let’s get into the 15 most commonly asked interview questions so you can craft winning answers.
1. How would you go about optimizing a client’s underperforming Google Ads campaign?
This assesses analytical skills and PPC proficiency. Show a methodical optimization process focused on diagnostics and data-backed improvements:
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Start by auditing campaign elements like keywords, ad copies, landing pages, and extensions for any red flags.
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Review performance metrics to identify issues – low CTRs or high bounce rates. Conduct clickstream analysis on user behavior.
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Leverage tools like Google’s Keyword Planner for negative keywords and search query analysis to refine targeting.
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A/B test ad copies and placements to determine optimal configurations.
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Monitor daily and iterate based on performance data, not assumptions. The goal is an agile, metrics-driven optimization routine for continuous improvements.
2. How would you handle a client who constantly requests out-of-scope work?
Evaluates professionalism and client management abilities:
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First, have an open conversation on their needs and reasons for the requests. Seek to understand before responding.
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If valid, explain the impact on timelines/budget and get internal stakeholders aligned first before agreeing.
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For unreasonable requests, politely but firmly explain why we cannot deliver based on agreed scope. Offer viable alternatives that address their needs without sacrificing quality or resources.
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Outline scope change process should they wish to proceed – timeline extensions, contract amendments, budget approvals, etc.
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Focus on educating on and setting the right expectations rather than just saying no. The goal is upholding quality while nurturing a long-term partnership.
3. Tell me about a time you successfully generated leads for a client. What strategies did you use?
Demonstrates ability to drive lead gen results:
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For an ecommerce client, I implemented a omni-channel lead nurturing strategy spanning email, social media and paid search.
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Persona targeting on Facebook helped qualify high intent users. Retargeting brought abandoners back to complete purchases.
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Lead magnets like coupon codes and gated tools increased opt-ins. Email drips nurtured prospects with valuable, relevant content.
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Calls-to-action were strategically placed across funnels. Clear, benefit-focused copy improved conversions site-wide.
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Result: lead volume increased by 20% MoM while cost per lead decreased by 15%. The multi-touch, optimized strategy effectively expanded their pipeline.
4. How would you approach link building for a B2B startup site trying to build domain authority?
Validates SEO skills and strategic thinking:
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Start by identifying relevant industry websites, publications and blogs as potential link sources based on the client’s field and offerings.
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Develop relationships with authors, offering unique data, insights or expert sources for articles in exchange for backlinks and mentions.
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Create and pitch high-quality, relevant guest posts with visuals for inclusion on external sites, securing contextual backlinks.
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Participate in relevant forums and communities, providing helpful advice and signaling expertise to garner interest.
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Promote owned content assets like ebooks, research reports, and infographics to build market presence and awareness.
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Leverage PR and partnerships for co-marketing opportunities and earned media placements, accelerating trust and authority gains.
5. How would you handle a situation where you felt your manager made an incorrect strategic decision on a client account?
Evaluates communication skills and professionalism in high-pressure situations:
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First, request a meeting with my manager in private to understand their rationale. Use open-ended questions and listen fully. There may be considerations I am unaware of.
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If unconvinced after a constructive discussion, I would politely share my perspective and data-based concerns about potential risks or negative downstream impact.
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Make suggestions for alternative approaches or considerations, focusing on sound reasoning rather than emotions.
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If we still disagree, accept their decision graciously as the final call. Offer my support in mitigating any risks and make the plan succeed despite reservations.
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Follow up proactively as things progress to showcase I had the client’s interest in mind. This builds trust for healthy future discussions.
6. How do you stay updated on the latest trends and best practices in digital marketing?
Evaluates self-driven learning and continuous skills development:
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I subscribe to industry publications, newsletters, blogs and communities like SearchEngineLand, Moz and Reddit to get daily insights.
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Google and Bing’s training programs and certifications help me sharpen search marketing skills.
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I follow thought leaders across channels and attend key conferences and webinars like Pubcon and SES.
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Local networking events let me exchange ideas and strategies with fellow professionals.
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I experiment with emerging tactics and channels through side projects and monitor results.
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Periodically reviewing my knowledge gaps and strengths guides my learning agenda. The goal is to never fall behind the innovation curve.
7. Why do you want to work at BluShark Digital specifically?
Uncovers motivations and cultural fit:
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BluShark’s industry-leading client roster and rapid growth trajectory is hard to ignore. It speaks volumes about their skills and work culture.
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The range of specializations here provides unparalleled exposure and learning opportunities across facets of digital marketing.
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Values like embracing innovation and contributing ideas align with my personal ethos. I resonate with BluShark’s transparent, collaborative approach.
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The chance to partner with experts like [names of leadership] is rare. I’m excited by the mentorship potential to accelerate my career growth.
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Quite simply, BluShark represents the top echelon of digital marketing talent and I’m determined to reach that level of expertise. This is the perfect springboard.
8. Tell me about a time when you successfully converted a challenging customer.
Highlights perseverance, creativity and communication skills:
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A financial services client was skeptical of investing more in SEO efforts despite our consistent results each month. Through patience and persistence, I figured out his main concern – projected ROI validation.
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I prepared a customized analysis quantifying SEO impact on lead generation and calculating the revenue upside based on conversion rates.
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Walked him through scenario models demonstrating how our optimizations could increase rankings, traffic, and revenues over a 6-month period.
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My proactive, tailored approach resonated with the data-driven client. He signed off on our largest contract to date, worth over $250k annually.
9. Describe a time when you had to analyze a large amount of data. What tools did you use? What insights did you gain?
Assesses analytical skills and ability to synthesize data into insights:
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To inform a client’s omnichannel campaign, I used Google Analytics to extract complex behavioral data on their site traffic – channel sources, on-site behaviors, conversion funnels and so on across devices.
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Leveraging Excel and Tableau, I segmented users into distinct personas based on attributes like demographics, engagement levels, traffic sources and sales outcomes.
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This revealed key insights like our highest-value persona coming from organic search on mobile. Lower-funnel dropoff issues plagued desktop users.
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These insights directly shaped our omni-channel content and ad strategy. We reallocated budget to mobile, implemented exit intent popups on desktop, and personalized messaging by persona. Results were a 21% increase in conversions quarter-over-quarter.
10. How would you explain a complex digital marketing concept like attribution modeling to a client unfamiliar with it?
Evaluates ability to communicate complex information simply and clearly:
- I would use a relatable analogy based on their business – such as attributing sales to influencing factors across a buyer’s journey
Describe a Process or Method You Use to Define KPIs.
This is straightforward—your interviewer wants to get an up-close look at your tactical knowledge. Speak to your experience. In the past, you may not have used the term “key performance indicators” to describe your goals. However, you should talk about how you collected and analyzed data to help you make decisions and show that your campaigns were successful.
The ability to pull and present data is critical in digital marketing. In answering this question, Cantor says she looks for five key takeaways:
- Before, did you have goals? If not, would having specific goals be new to you?
- Are you good at sharing your findings? Can you explain why traffic changes from month to month?
- How well do you know the software the business uses? What other tools have you worked with?
- How did you pull metrics or work with a team that did it? Did you help with analysis? Can you understand and make sense of the data?
- Do you understand how the data affects day-to-day operations?
If you can speak to these points, you should be good to go.
A sample answer might sound like:
“In my previous role, my team held weekly check-ins to review traffic and conversions. Our company heard about our weekly and monthly goals on a conference call every week. The goals were based on trends we saw. I prepared the presentation for my team once a month using Salesforce. There would be sales numbers, an analysis of the trends we saw in traffic and conversion rates, and predictions for the coming months. This way, other teams could use our findings to make decisions. ”.
How Do You Communicate Progress to Your Team, Clients, and Stakeholders?
As a marketer, you need to be able to communicate clearly no matter what position you hold on your team. This means you need to be able to confidently and clearly present information and back up your claims with data, all while keeping a good relationship with your team.
Winikka has worked her way up in digital marketing, so she knows how important this skill is at every level and that it is the key to success in the field. “Marketing is basically just people sharing their thoughts and ideas with each other.” Someone can be a great marketer if they are good at getting other people to agree with them, says Winikka.
When Ouma-Cabezas asks this kind of question, she says she “would be listening for how much (or little) positive intent the candidate uses in their communication” and “how they take accountability, especially when communicating challenges and progress.” Id also be listening for real-world examples of this. If not answered using an anecdote, I would ask for examples. ”.
You could say:
“When my team got its biggest client, a well-known bottled water company, I worked directly with them to make a plan for how we would keep our promise to feature them at every event in a thought leader speaker series my company put on.”
“Every morning at 9 a.m., my team would get together for 15 minutes to talk about the campaign’s progress and data.” We met on the phone every Friday afternoon to talk about the week that was and our plans for the coming week. We saw a drop in traffic and sales from events during one particular time period over the summer. This made our client very worried that they were not getting the reach we promised. To make up for the slow period, we were able to change our plan for the future and host an exclusive event with a well-known thought leader, giving free tickets to our most active social media followers. ”.
All of these things helped our client get people to like their brand, and during the fall, sales went through the roof. We beat our annual goal before the new year, and our client renewed their contract for another year with twice as much money. ”.
HIREVUE INTERVIEW QUESTIONS & ANSWERS for 2023! (How to PREPARE for a HIREVUE Job Interview!)
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