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13 real-life performance marketing manager interview questions

A Performance Marketing Manager plays a pivotal role in steering a company's digital marketing campaigns, ensuring they align with business goals and deliver measurable results. Their expertise spans across various digital channels, tools, and strategies. Here are fourteen insightful interview questions tailored for this role.

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These performance marketing manager interview questions are directly sourced from real hiring managers and they are ready to use.

marketing manager interview questions

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13 good performance marketing manager interview questions

  1. What do you incorporate into your SEO strategy?
  2. What digital marketing tools do you have experience with?
  3. What are the necessary components of an effective email marketing strategy?
  4. How do you measure ad spend and cost per acquisition?
  5. What has been your experience running a paid social campaign?
  6. What experience do you have managing and optimizing campaigns with lower-funnel metrics, such as sales/orders/revenue?
  7. What channels are you most experienced in? Have you actively managed paid advertising campaigns on various platforms? Or do you work with an agency/third-party?
  8. What is your level of experience with Google Ads—Search, Shopping, YouTube? Do you have experience working with influencers, partners, or affiliate websites to drive directly attributable sales?
  9. Please describe your affiliate marketing experience.
  10. Please describe your experience with paid advertising campaigns.
  11. How do you measure campaign success? What are your goals, and what KPIs do you optimize towards?
  12. What are the most important components of a creative brief?
  13. What creative or channel best practices have you learned in the past year?

Here are 13 essential interview questions and sample answers to help identify the best candidates for this role.

1. What do you incorporate into your SEO strategy?

SEO is foundational for digital visibility.

Sample answer:

“My SEO strategy is comprehensive, starting with a thorough website audit to identify areas of improvement. I focus on on-page optimization, including meta tags, content quality, and keyword optimization. Off-page strategies involve quality backlink building from reputable sources. Additionally, I prioritize mobile optimization, site speed, and user experience. Regularly monitoring analytics and making data-driven adjustments is also crucial.”

2. What digital marketing tools do you have experience with?

Tools streamline and enhance marketing efforts.

Sample answer:

“Throughout my career, I’ve utilized a variety of digital marketing tools. Google Analytics and SEMrush assist in tracking and optimization. HubSpot serves as a CRM and marketing automation tool. For email campaigns, I’ve used Mailchimp, and for social media advertising, platforms like Facebook Ad Manager have been instrumental. These tools, combined with regular training, ensure I stay at the forefront of digital marketing.”

3. What are the necessary components of an effective email marketing strategy?

Email marketing remains a powerful channel.

Sample answer:

“An effective email marketing strategy starts with list segmentation to deliver personalized content. Crafting compelling subject lines, ensuring mobile-friendly designs, and integrating clear CTAs are essential. I also emphasize A/B testing to refine our approach continually. Monitoring metrics like open rates, click-through rates, and conversion rates provides insights into the strategy’s effectiveness and areas for improvement.”

4. How do you measure ad spend and cost per acquisition?

Understanding ROI is crucial for ad campaigns.

Sample answer:

“To measure ad spend effectively, I use advanced analytics tools that provide real-time data on our spending across different platforms. Cost per acquisition (CPA) is calculated by dividing the total ad spend by the number of conversions. This metric is vital as it gives a clear picture of the profitability of our campaigns and helps in making informed budgetary decisions.”

5. What has been your experience running a paid social campaign?

Paid social can drive significant traffic and conversions.
Sample answer: “I’ve spearheaded several paid social campaigns, especially on Facebook and Instagram. My approach involves audience segmentation, A/B testing of ad creatives, and continuous optimization for conversions. In one notable campaign, by refining our target audience and tweaking the ad copy, we achieved a 40% increase in leads with a 20% reduction in CPA.”

6. What experience do you have managing and optimizing campaigns with lower-funnel metrics, such as sales/orders/revenue?

Lower-funnel metrics directly impact revenue.

Sample answer:

“I’ve managed numerous campaigns where sales were the primary KPI. Strategies like retargeting cart abandoners, optimizing landing pages, and crafting urgency-driven ad copies have been employed. In a recent campaign, by focusing on these strategies and closely monitoring the customer journey, we achieved a 35% uplift in sales over a quarter.”

7. What channels are you most experienced in? Have you actively managed paid advertising campaigns on various platforms? Or do you work with an agency/third-party?

Diversified channel expertise is beneficial.

Sample answer:

“My expertise spans across channels like Facebook, LinkedIn, Google Ads, and more. While I’ve managed most campaigns in-house, for specialized campaigns or platforms where we lack in-house expertise, I’ve collaborated with agencies. This hybrid approach ensures we get the best of both worlds.”

8. What is your level of experience with Google Ads—Search, Shopping, YouTube? Do you have experience working with influencers, partners, or affiliate websites to drive directly attributable sales?

Google Ads and influencer partnerships can be game-changers.

Sample answer:

“I’ve extensively managed campaigns on Google Search, Shopping, and YouTube, ensuring they align with our business goals. Additionally, influencer collaborations and affiliate partnerships have been part of our strategy. In a recent campaign, partnering with key influencers in our industry led to a 25% increase in attributable sales.”

9. Please describe your affiliate marketing experience.

Affiliate marketing can be a significant revenue driver.

Sample answer:

“I’ve set up and overseen our affiliate program, ensuring it aligns with our broader marketing strategy. By providing affiliates with the right tools, resources, and incentives, we’ve built strong partnerships that drive consistent traffic and sales. Regular check-ins and providing performance feedback to our affiliates have been key to this program’s success.”

10. Please describe your experience with paid advertising campaigns.

Paid campaigns require precision and monitoring.

Sample answer:

“Paid advertising has been a core component of our marketing mix. I’ve managed campaigns with varying budgets, ensuring they deliver the desired ROI. By continuously monitoring performance metrics, adjusting bids, refining target audiences, and A/B testing ad creatives, we’ve been able to achieve consistently high ROIs. In one memorable campaign, we shifted our focus to retargeting and saw a 50% increase in conversions while reducing our CPA by 20%.”

11. How do you measure campaign success? What are your goals, and what KPIs do you optimize towards?

Measurement is key to optimization.

Sample answer:

“Campaign success is determined by aligning with predefined business goals. For instance, for a brand awareness campaign, reach, impressions, and engagement might be the primary KPIs. For a sales-driven campaign, I’d focus on conversion rate, CPA, and overall ROI. Regularly reviewing these metrics and adjusting strategies accordingly ensures we meet or exceed our objectives.”

12. What are the most important components of a creative brief?

A creative brief sets the direction for campaigns.

Sample answer:

“A robust creative brief should clearly outline the campaign’s objective, define the target audience, highlight key messaging points, and specify the desired action or outcome. It should also incorporate brand guidelines to ensure consistency and list any constraints or challenges. Essentially, it serves as a comprehensive roadmap for the creative team, ensuring alignment from the outset.”

13. What creative or channel best practices have you learned in the past year?

Staying updated is crucial in digital marketing.

Sample answer:

“Over the past year, I’ve observed the rising importance of video content, especially on platforms like TikTok and Instagram Reels. Interactive ad formats and user-generated content have also shown higher engagement rates. On the channel front, diversifying ad spend across platforms and leveraging AI-driven optimization tools have proven effective in enhancing campaign performance.”

What does a good Performance Marketing Manager candidate look like?

An ideal candidate should possess a blend of analytical acumen, creativity, and strategic thinking. They should be adept at leveraging various digital channels, be updated with the latest marketing trends, and have a proven track record of driving measurable results.

Red flags

Candidates who don’t emphasize the importance of data-driven decision-making, those who lack hands-on experience with essential tools, or avoid discussing challenges and learnings from past campaigns should be approached with caution. Additionally, not being updated with the latest digital marketing trends can be a potential red flag.

Frequently asked questions

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