Marketing Associate Interview Questions

Responsibilities

Marketing associate responsibilities may include:

• Providing design inputs to product development teams to potentially increase sales
• Defining product vision
• Identifying key demographics of consumers
• Identifying key performance indicators of a campaign
• Analyzing products and optimizing as needed

Skills

There are so many products out there right now that consumers are often overwhelmed about which one they should choose. In order to make their products stand out, a skilled marketing associate will:

• Stay up to date on industry trends
• Think critically in order to analyze and optimize marketing efforts
• Communicate effectively across all departments
• Think creatively in order to capture consumer attention
• Provide leadership to product development and marketing teams

Qualifications

To gain an entry-level position, candidates will need a bachelor’s degree in marketing, statistics, or a related field. Any prior experience in a marketing position will help greatly. For those seeking a management position, an MBA is often required.

If you’re getting ready to interview for a position as a marketing associate, you can prepare by researching the company as much as possible. Learn about the 9 things you should research before an interview.

Salary

Salaries for marketing associates range between $50K and $88K with the median being $69K. 

Factors impacting the salary you receive as a marketing associate include:

• Degrees (associate's or equivalent certificate, bachelor's, master's)
• Years of Experience
• Location
• Reporting Structure (seniority of the executive you report to, number of direct reports such as junior associates or interns)
• Level of Performance - Exceeding Expectations

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Marketing Associate Interview Questions

Question: What steps would you take to create a social media campaign for a new product?

Explanation: This is an example of an operational question. Interviewers ask operational questions to determine your knowledge of the position for which you are interviewing and what steps you would take to accomplish a task required by the job. Operational questions are best answered directly and concisely with little embellishment.

Example: “Each social media campaign I create is specific to the product and business objectives I’m trying to accomplish. First, I identify the target audience and determine the social media platforms they most frequently use. I then research the keywords related to the product I will be promoting and determine their SEO ranking. Next, I put together a campaign utilizing the keywords and appropriate social media platforms. Once the campaign is launched, I measure the results and make any adjustments that are required.”

Question: Tell me about the most challenging advertising project you've been a part of?

Explanation: By asking this question, the interviewer is trying to determine the depth of your experience and how you overcome challenging issues. Your answer should be about a real experience you had with an issue you faced and the steps you took to overcome it.  Keep your answer short and anticipate follow-up questions.

Example: “The most challenging advertising project I have worked on to date involved introducing a CBD-based product targeting older customers. The challenge was to convince a conservative audience that products based on a substance formally considered illegal are both appropriate and effective. My approach was to use a spokesperson who was well respected by the target audience and highlight the product’s benefits while ignoring its controversial nature. The campaign was released on print and broadcast media typically viewed by senior citizens. The campaign was extremely successful and resulted in significant increases in the sale of the CBD product.”

Question: Which of the most recent major product campaigns currently running would you like to have been associated with, and why?

Explanation: When an interviewer asks this type of question, they are trying to get an idea of your preferences and what you consider to be excellent advertising and marketing practices. They want to see if your vision of marketing aligns with theirs and if you are a good fit for their organization. By the time you’ve gotten to the interview, they have already determined that you’re qualified for the job. Now they want to see if you’ll be a good fit and somebody they can work with.

Example: “I have always admired Apple’s marketing campaigns. They establish a brand based on the color of the products, their design, and the market they address. Their use of music and visual images integrates the product features and benefits the product’s functionality.  They also include some entertainment value and contemporary music that their audiences are familiar with. Even with the sound off and without seeing any logos, you can tell the product is from Apple.”

Question: How do you believe people discover and develop a preference for new brands?

Explanation: By asking this question, the interviewer is determining if you understand branding and utilizing marketing techniques to create an influential brand people are attracted to. Knowing how people find brands and develop preferences for them enables you to create an effective branding strategy. Providing an example of how you’ve done this in the past will demonstrate your ability to do it going forward.

Example: “Most people discover brands in two ways. The first is accidental through exposure on social media, traditional advertising, and other promotional platforms. This requires creative advertising which uses compelling images, sound, and content. The other way people discover a brand is through active searches. This is typically done when they are looking for something that will solve a problem or if they already have a product in mind but are not familiar with the various brands available in the market. Branding strategies for this approach involve product positioning and differentiation, creating a brand image, and using SEO techniques so the product shows up first during active searches on the web.”

Question: Can you describe your experience managing paid advertising methods like pay-per-click (PPC) or sponsored content campaigns?

Explanation: This is a straightforward question in which the interviewer is seeking to understand your experience with a specific marketing technique. Assuming you have this experience, you should be able to respond to the question briefly, describing your experience and then providing an example.

Example: “I’ve done a lot of work in the area of pay-per-click and sponsored content campaigns. Most recently, I worked on a new product introduction which we launched over social media employing a pay-per-click strategy. Because the product was new, this made a lot of sense and allowed us not to overcommit to an expensive advertising budget before we confirmed the audience’s interest in the product and their willingness to learn about it online.”

Question: How do you go about conducting an analysis of your competitors?

Explanation: Competitive analysis is a critical skill all marketers must possess. This is a straightforward question asking how you go about performing this task. This question can be classified as an operational question. Operational questions are best answered directly and succinctly. The interviewer will ask follow-up questions if they need more information or want to explore the topic in more depth.

Example: “Competitor analysis is important for two reasons. One, it helps you ensure that the campaign you’re designing has not already been used. Secondly, it enables you to position your product against the competition, highlighting its unique features and benefits. Depending on the nature of the product, my competitive analysis could include viewing all of their marketing materials, determining the audience they are targeting, and understanding their pricing strategies. Sometimes, I actually purchase the product to ensure the marketing claims are accurate and to understand any flaws I can exploit with my marketing strategy.”

Question: How do you use SEO to increase traffic for online content?

Explanation: This is another operational question in which the interviewer is asking about your process for using a common marketing strategy. Again, the answer should be based on your real-world experience and knowledge of the technique. If possible, provide an example of how you were successful in doing this in a previous role.

Example: “Search engine optimization, or SEO, is the easiest way to generate traffic for online content. The key to SEO is understanding the keywords and phrases search engines seek out when users are looking for a specific product. You can determine the effectiveness of these by researching the SEO rankings for specific keywords and terms as well as performing searches using the terms you plan to include in your content.”

Question: Do you have experience working with Google Adwords? If so, can you explain the benefits and how Google Adwords can help reach new prospects?

Explanation: This is another operational question meant to determine your experience using Google Adwords. Since this is a common technique utilized in online marketing, you should be very familiar with this topic. Simply describe your understanding of Google Adwords and the benefits it provides for online marketing.

Example: “Google Adwords, now called Google Ads, is simply a paid platform Google provides to advertisers. The ads display in both the results provided by search engines as well as non-search sites, mobile apps, and videos. Advertisers bid on specific words they would like to include within their content. The bids occur within an online auction. Pricing for Google Ads is based on pay-per-click and cost-for-acquisition models.”

Question: What steps would you take to analyze and reverse a decline in website traffic?

Explanation: This is another operational question, but you’ll note that it is more specific and complex. As the interview progresses, the questions will become harder and more detailed. This means the interviewer is gaining confidence in your ability and is willing to explore more complicated topics. Continue to respond to these questions just as you did the earlier versions of operational questions.

Example: “A decline in website traffic can be the result of many issues. The key is quickly identifying why the decline is occurring and then implementing strategies to reverse it. A decline may occur because your content has grown stale and is not attracting new views, your keywords are no longer ranking high with search engines, or your competitors have updated their marketing strategy and are using better keywords resulting in a higher SEO. You can reverse declining website views by updating your keywords, purchasing Google Ads, updating the website content in general, or utilizing other marketing platforms to direct traffic to the website.”

Question: How do you measure and report the results from the advertising channels an organization uses over time?

Explanation: Measuring and reporting the results of your marketing and advertising efforts is essential. Organizations use the results to determine marketing strategies and budgets. The marketing department uses the results to ensure the strategies are effective and make any adjustments required. Describing how you do this will help convince the employer that you understand the importance of measuring results and will be able to provide them with accurate information they can use to manage their business.

Example: “Measuring the results of advertising strategies is a critical step in the process. This helps ensure your strategies are effective and you are obtaining a good return on investment of your marketing budget. Virtually every advertising platform provides the ability to measure the results you are achieving. These can be in the form of clicks, click-throughs, views, the readership of the publications, or viewership of broadcast media. You can also insert key terms or identifiers in each ad that customers can then include in their purchase information to identify where they learned about the product. Once you have the results, they can be reported in a spreadsheet or using graphics to illustrate the performance of each ad or type of medium you’re employing in your marketing strategy.”

Additional Marketing Associate Interview Questions

• What is the most comprehensive marketing strategy you have had to develop?

• Can you describe why Facebook is a great marketing tool?

• What would you do if a product was set to launch but there was a problem with the manufacturing company and the date had to be pushed back?

• What is your method of developing a new product?

• What marketing channels do you prefer to use, and why?