10 Digital Marketing Interview Questions You Should Know Answers to

It is an intoxicating idea, to reach millions, if not billions, of people and make yourself (or your brand) visible in an instant, to impact minds, create interest, and draw consumers. And to do so where boundaries and geographies matter little. That is what the digital landscape offers to brands and companies endeavoring to build their reputations, increase their sales and shore up their profits. LEGO, the toy company built a massive audience of over 11 million views with their ‘Rebuild the World’ marketing campaign, especially harnessing the wide reach of Twitter. To be able to do so with a degree of success is what digital marketing is all about. And if you are planning to break into the limitless world, you need to brush up on some digital marketing interview questions. 

But, before that, let’s take a look at the scope of this field as a career.

The (Virtual) World is Your Oyster

That the avenue of digital marketing is one that no brand in the business of increasing their consumers can ignore is news to no one. But it isn’t as easy as it may seem. And the people who are behind some of the most memorable digital marketing campaigns are skilled, trained, determined and highly inspired. This space is a universe unto itself, one that is expanding with dizzying rapidity. It is, in fact, a term that encompasses everything from videos to emailers to Instagram to its battery of influencers—literally everything virtual. And for aspiring digital marketers, whether you are aiming to be a generalist or a specialist, the (digital) world offers innumerable opportunities to succeed. 

Let’s dive in: What are the some common digital marketing interview questions?

To do that, it’s always a good idea to anticipate what brands are looking for in their potential recruits. While every company will have its own set of questions depending on the need and the goals, here’s a quick study of 10 common digital marketing interview questions that anyone seeking out a job in digital marketing may face.

#1: What does digital marketing mean to you?

Digital marketing is an approach employed by brands and companies to use available online platforms to reach out to existing or build new, consumers. It is an overarching term used to encompass all electronic means of communication that use the internet. The idea behind this is similar to traditional advertising goals, such as expanding the consumer base, increasing the visibility of the brand or product, and increasing sales and profit.

#2: What are the different categories under digital marketing?

There are two main classifications for digital marketing—inbound and outbound marketing. Inbound marketing is all about drawing in consumers through videos, social media platforms, websites etc. If a campaign interests consumers, this could then lead to them buying products. Outbound marketing is where the brand markets directly to the consumer proactively.

#3: What are the different formats that can be utilized by digital marketers?

This spans the spectrum of electronic devices that are connected to the internet, such as websites, social media platforms such as Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, YouTube, etc, online videos, blog posts, and e-books, among several others.

#4: What has led to this surge in online digital marketing as opposed to the more traditional marketing avenues?

Digital marketing has grown exponentially over the years due to several reasons. The most important is the reach that a product has to a potentially vast consumer base globally. With the number of people across the world now using the internet, the possibilities for brands to access consumers have grown manifold. It is also extremely convenient. The feedback, too, is quicker, and if there is any change to the campaign that needs to be done, it can be done speedily. 

#5: What does SEO mean and how is it related to keywords?

SEO stands for ‘Search Engine Optimization’. It is a means to increase traffic to a brand’s website from natural search results. Keywords facilitate this SEO process. They refer to those words or phrases commonly used to search the internet for something. So, the higher the frequency of keyword usage by a brand online, the greater the traffic to the site and hence greater visibility. This happens because optimum usage of keywords ensures the brand website ranks higher in the search engine results pages or the SERPs.

#6: What are on-page and off-page optimization?

On-page refers to the portions of the website that the brand has control over for SEO optimization. Off-page is any activity extraneous to the brand website that bumps up the search ranking. Earning backlinks from other websites is the most common off-page SEO optimization. Examples of this are social media marketing, guest blogging, etc. Both are important to improve the ranking and the brand’s website standing.

#7: Explain the difference between SEO and SEM?

SEO is search engine optimization which is all about ensuring the brand’s website is high up in the search rankings. SEM or ‘Search Engine Marketing’ is specific to paid advertising. It is focused on increasing traffic through paid ads. SEO is a more natural and organic process based on user search patterns.

#8: What is the full form of PPC?

PPC means Pay Per Click. It is a form of digital advertising, where brands/businesses pay a website host or owner when the ad is clicked. Google Adwords is the most popular PPC system as of now. Facebook Adwords is also a PPC form of advertising.

#9: How would you differentiate between branding and direct marketing?

Branding is an activity undertaken to build awareness of the brand or the product. It is a more general exercise to increase the visibility and presence of the brand through avenues with a large audience reach.  When marketers are use direct marketing, they are focus on a specific target audience and use online mediums like emailers, etc.

#10: How do you keep yourself updated with trends in an ever-evolving industry such as digital marketing?

Harnessing the medium itself is the best way to stay updated. Tracking different brand activities on diverse social media platforms, following influencers, and blog posts related to the industry. Another way to do so is by setting up Google Alerts for keywords relevant to the industry one works in and as far as possible, attending seminars/webinars on the topic.  

Subscribing to Moz, Neil Patel, and SEM Post is also a good idea.

Tips and Tricks to Ace the Interview

Apart from the industry-related digital marketing interview questions, also expect questions of a more personal nature, in terms of your own goals, strengths, and weaknesses, as well as the specific role you are applying for. There are things you can do to stay prepared as well:

• First and foremost, you should have a digital presence and preferably be an active social media user
• Study up on the brand and the company you are interviewing for, especially their brand and digital marketing strategy
• Think about suggestions you can offer for improving their strategy
• Think about the value that you can bring to the company and share them with the interviewers confidently
• However, don’t bandy about your knowledge too much when it comes to catchphrases and keywords and terms
• Do make sure you’re familiar with the technical terms if asked though (PPC, Ad Words, SEO, and the like)
• Read up on a host of good books too to absorb as much as you can; the New York Times best-selling author and social media expert Gary Vaynerchuk’s Jab, Jab, Jab, Right Hook: How To Tell Your Story In A Noisy Social World is a fine place to start

And speaking of studying, educating yourself and seeking the help of professionals can go a long way to make sure you are as prepared as you can be for a job in one of the fastest-growing industries in the world. Emeritus offers you a list of courses in digital marketing from renowned universities that are just what will help you prepare.

By Gauri Kelkar

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