We all can do business and either manufacture or trade the goods. We all have the ability to provide services. Yet, not all of us are successful. The primary reason for this failure lies in our marketing efforts. Marketing is undoubtedly the essence of every business organization without which there will never be enough customers that will satisfy your appetite to earn profits. Thus, almost all the enterprises ranging from middle to higher level, hire marketing specialists whose primary responsibilities include managing the marketing department by devising effective and appropriate strategies.
21 Best Interview Questions To Study
1. What Do You Mean By Multi-Brand Marketing Strategy?
This question tests your knowledge and understanding of the core principles of marketing.
Sample Answer
Sir, It is a concept that is applicable to companies that have several product lines, and are highly diversified. In blanket or multi-brand marketing, a company launches all the different products under its own brand name. For example, Sony, an established consumer electronics company launches all its products using its own brand name. This helps in gaining easy recognition and positive traction towards the company’s products.
2. The Company Is Launching A New Product. How Will You Price It?
This question tests your knowledge and understanding of the core principles of marketing.
Sample Answer
Sir, Pricing is an important element of marketing. The price of a product plays a major role in determining the level of its sales. It is an established fact that a company, which has launched a new product must always follow the price penetration policy. In this policy, the price of a newly launched product is kept on the lower side at the beginning, so that more and more customers get attracted towards it, and switch their loyalty. Once the company achieves a wider market share, the price is gradually and strategically increased.
3. How Can A Business Organization Move Cross-Border and Engage In International Trade?
This question tests your knowledge in relation to international trade and commerce.
Sample Answer
Sir, it is common for companies to move and explore the international markets to conduct. There are several ways of doing so, such as:
| Methods to move cross-border | Explanation |
| Franchising | A domestic company can invite applications from the international players, to enter into a franchising agreement. The franchisee company can gain by using an established brand name and the franchisor will get regular royalties and one-time upfront payment. |
| Joint Venture | The domestic company can enter into a joint venture with an established foreign company. |
| Export | This is the safest and least capital intensive method, in which a domestic company explores foreign buyers for its goods. |
| Incorporation | This is the riskiest method, as the company aims to compete directly in the foreign market by incorporating itself as a body corporate. |
4. Explain The Concept Of Late Mover Advantage, In The Context Of Marketing.
This question tests your knowledge and understanding of the core principles of marketing.
Sample Answer
Sir, late mover advantage refers to the act of playing second fiddle in the market. In this technique, a company observes the other established business organizations that are launching a new product. This way, a company is able to save itself from the business risk of failure along with reducing its advertisement budget. However, on the flip side, acting late, and launching a product after some time, would require significant effort from the company to attract customers towards it.
5. An Impressive Physical Distribution Of Goods Supports Effective Marketing. Comment On This Statement.
It is a conceptual question that requires you to align the logistics and marketing departments.
Sample Answer
Sir, I completely agree with this statement. In order to achieve the combined results, it is necessary that all the departments of the company work together in harmony. An impressive physical distribution of goods helps in achieving:
- Time utility: It enables the customers of the company to use a product at the time of their convenience and pleasure.
- Place utility: It helps the customers to purchase a product or avail of any service at their nearby location.
6. How Can You Promote Our Unsuccessful Products and Clear Their Inventory?
This question tests your strategy-making approach and your grip on the various marketing techniques.
Sample Answer
Sir, it is common for business organizations to pile up the stock of a particular product in the warehouse. It not only enhances the inventory holding costs but also affects the working capital requirements. In order to, clear this stock, I would resort to:
- Offering rebates and discounts upon purchase of such products
- Offering reward coupons and free gifts
- Devising cashback schemes wherein a customer can get a monetary reward after some time
7. How Do You Create An Advertisement Campaign For A Product?
This question tests your core principles of advertisements and campaign creation.
Sample Answer
Sir, the best way to do it is by start analyzing the target consumer market. When a marketer has a thorough knowledge of the target group then he or she will be in a better position to devise marketing strategies. For example, a product suited for the younger generation can be popularized using digital mediums, contrary to the products suited for the older generation, which can be popularized using offline traditional mediums such as print media, billboards, posters, placards, etc.
8. Name Some Of The Best Marketing Software Used Widely In Ths Industry.
This question tests how technologically versed you are.
Sample Answer
Sure, sir, these are;
- Hubspot
- Unbounce
- MailerLite
9. Describe About A Time, When You Exceeded The Advertising Budget.
This is a situation-based interview question that requires you to share a true response.
Sample Answer
Sir, the expenditures made on the promotion of a company are recognized as deferred expenditure, because their benefits will not be recognized by the company instantly, rather those will be recognized over a period of time. Thus, advertising budgets must not be exceeded, yet there are a few situations that are simply out of control.
I remember an instance during my previous tenure when the billboard management company suddenly wanted a hike in the rentals. Our negotiations failed, and that company parted ways with us. This led us to again float the tenders and bring onboard a new agency. Our expenses were inflated due to this, and we incurred a negative deviation of 15%.
10. When Can You Start Working With Us?
This is a common interview question using which an interviewer wants you to share date on or after which you will be available to work with the company. This question in no way guarantees your selection and hence you must not lose focus.
11. The Role Of Marketing Needs You To Constantly Upgrade and Educate Yourself. How Do You Keep Up With The Latest Trends?
Constant up-gradation of one’s skill sets and keeping oneself abreast of all the latest developments in one’s field are the common requirements and expectations of an employer. As an ideal response, just tell that you are interested in educating yourself and share the ways using which you do so. It is recommended that you use persuasive language.
12. What Do You Look In A Team?
This question requires you to share the various qualities and attributes that you would like your team members to possess. Mention only the corporate-friendly qualities that can be inferred after a comprehensive reading of the job description issued by the employer. Some common qualities are, hardworking, supporting, encouraging, dedicated, intelligent, committed, etc.
13. Being A Challenging Profession, You Can Not Always Succeed. How Do You Manage Your Project Failures?
It is common the marketing specialists to fail in their advertising campaigns. Not every effort can bore fruit, and a manager will certainly stare at failure one day or the other. This failure has a negative impact upon the human mind, which not only crushes their confidence level but also reduces their efficiency at the workplace. Through this question, an interviewer wants to know what are the various techniques or strategies using which you can manage your failure levels.
14. What Are Your Salary Expectations?
This is a non-technical interview question, yet it has the ability to break your career. Any salary figure that is either too high or too low from the mean salary, will create a negative impression in your regard and would deem you as an underprepared candidate. Thus, always analyze the industry to which you belong and note down the recent salary trends. Identify the mean salary, and quote a salary figure similar to it.
15. What Motivates You To Work?
We all are motivated to work hard by a few factors, that push and prompt us to achieve our goals and objectives in a time-bound manner. These factors are influenced by the financial conditions, personal situations, and circumstances of an individual. An interviewer is always interested in knowing these factors so as to conduct a deep and thorough assessment of your personality and approach. Be genuine, and share an original reply.
16. As A Marketing Specialist, You Will Be Required To Perform Several Tasks In A Day. How Do You Prioritize?
This question requires you to share your prioritization technique on the basis of which you can prioritize the business tasks that are allocated to you. You might prefer to arrange your tasks on the basis of their difficulty levels or simply on the basis of time consumption. Just share your own strategy, and explain it using a real work example.
17. What Can You Offer Us That Someone Else Cannot?
This question is an advanced version of “What are your strengths?” Through this question, an interviewer wants you to share your unique propositions and attributes that make you unique and draw you an edge over the other candidates. To frame a perfect reply, just analyze the job description issued by the employer and list out all the qualities required.
18. Managing A Big Team of Sales Representatives and Devising Effective Strategies Is Hectic and Challenging. How Do You Manage Your Stress Levels?
Stress management is a common business expectation. It has been observed in recent times, that employees that are not able to manage their stress levels are not able to deliver expected performance and are even not able to complete their tasks in a time-bound manner. Thus, an interviewer is always interested in knowing the various strategies and techniques that you possess to manage your stress levels. Deep breathing exercises, meditation, yoga, counseling sessions, and positive pep talk are some common ways to alleviate stress.
19. What Are Your Weakneses?
It is common for the interviewers to enquire about your weaknesses. Never be diplomatic, and always share a few of your weaknesses with your interviewer. To remain on the safe side, just give a thorough reading of the job description and prepare your answer accordingly. It is recommended not to share any weakness that directly affects the requirements of the job.
20. Why You Chose To Work With Us?
Through this question, an interviewer checks your seriousness, commitment, and dedication towards the business organization. The official website of the company is always the best source to prepare an answer for this question. Just note down all the relevant facts, historical data, and achievements of the company. Add your personal interests in your notes and try framing a well-structured answer.
21. Do You Have Any Questions For Us?
This is the last interview question and an interview session gets concluded through this. Through this question, an interviewer wants to know about all your doubts and apprehensions that you might be having in regards to the company, its working culture, its ethics, the work timings, etc. Like all the others, this question also holds its relevance and must be attempted seriously. Ask a few relevant counter questions on the lines of model questions mentioned below:
Model Questions
- What are the various additional target-based incentives and allowances that the company offers to its employees?
- Please share a list of all the anti-harassment policies that are in place.
- Is it the policy of the company to offer paid leaves to its employees?
Download the list of questions in .PDF format, to practice with them later, or to use them on your interview template (for Marketing Specialist interviews):
References
- https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=gtRJEAAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PP1&dq=Top+21+Marketing+Specialist+Interview+Questions+in+2021+%5Bwith+Answers%5D&ots=EeaZgMVliP&sig=GEZp3tQlrjy1iPv-aIB2mjUG3Kc
- https://search.informit.org/doi/abs/10.3316/informit.747666622867324
I’ve put so much effort writing this blog post to provide value to you. It’ll be very helpful for me, if you consider sharing it on social media or with your friends/family. SHARING IS ♥️
Sandeep Bhandari is the founder of PrepMyCareer.com website.
I am a full-time professional blogger, a digital marketer, and a trainer. I love anything related to the Web, and I try to learn new technologies every day.
All the team management, content creation, and monetization tasks are handled by me. Together with the team at PrepMyCareer, the aim is to provide useful and engaging content to our readers.