Blending digital strategy with traditional radio is a challenge stations face every day. To stay relevant, finding the right Digital Marketing Manager (or whatever job title you have for the person who oversees your station’s digital initiatives) is crucial. If you’re looking to hire a professional who understands both worlds, here’s a concise list of essential questions. This list will help ensure your station hires the right person to keep you competitive in the digital age.
General Digital Marketing:
- Describe your experience with various digital advertising platforms, such as Google Ads, Facebook Ads, and Instagram Ads.
- Describe your experience with email marketing.
- Describe your experience managing social media channels.
- Describe your experience with search engine optimization.
- How do you prioritize and allocate resources among different digital marketing channels?
- How do you measure the success of your digital campaigns? What KPIs do you prioritize?
- How do you demonstrate the ROI on digital campaigns?
- Can you provide an example of a particularly successful digital campaign you’ve managed in the past? What were the results and what made it effective?
- Describe a situation where a campaign didn’t perform as expected. How did you handle it and what did you learn?
Specific to Radio Industry:
- How can digital tactics be used to drive higher ratings for the radio station?
- How would you design a campaign to drive ticket sales to station events?
- How would you create a digital campaign to drive online contest entries?
- How would you create a digital campaign to drive on-air contest entries?
- What role do you think podcasts should play in our radio station’s audio strategy?
- What role do you think video should play in our radio station’s strategy?
- Describe your experience with online contesting.
Audience Engagement:
- Describe how you would build and segment email lists for targeted campaigns.
- Which social media platforms do you think are most important for this radio station? How would you leverage each?
- How do you handle negative feedback or criticism online? Can you give an example?
- How would you foster a community around our brand online?
- What’s your experience with influencer partnerships? How would you leverage them for a radio station?
Skills & Tools:
- What tools and software are you familiar with for content creation, scheduling, and analytics?
- How do you stay updated with the constant changes in digital marketing platforms and their algorithms?
- How do you handle the balance between automation and personalization in digital marketing?
- What professional skills would you like to further develop in this role? What online training, conferences, or other resources would you like to help you with that development?
Strategic Thinking:
- How would you prioritize a limited budget between brand awareness, audience engagement, and direct listener acquisition?
- What are the most significant opportunities and challenges you see for radio stations in the digital age?
Culture & Teamwork:
- Describe a time when you worked in a cross-functional team. How did you collaborate with other departments?
- How do you handle creative disagreements or differing opinions on a campaign’s direction?
- What type of internal training or coaching can you offer to other staff members?
- What attracts you to the radio industry, and why do you think you’re a good fit for our station in particular?
In today’s digital age, radio stations need to adapt while staying true to their roots. Using these interview questions will help you find a skilled Digital Marketing Specialist. With the right person on your team, your station can navigate the challenges and opportunities of the modern landscape effectively.
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These are EXCELLENT questions. While the organization for which I work isn’t a radio station, these are very applicable to the work our digital team does. Thanks for sharing them.
I’m quite familiar with your organization does, Amy! And you guys do AMAZING work. And if you don’t specifically work for a radio company, that doesn’t keep you from supplying quality programming to thousands of radio stations around the world! Well done!