Hire the Best Integrated Marketing Strategists in Ohio

🚀 Marketing & Brand Strategy Expert | Fractional CMO | Top 1% Upwork Freelancer 🌟 Top 1% Expert-Vetted Freelancer | PhD in Marketing, Analytics & Strategy | 100% Success Rate🌟 Specialist in healthcare, B2B & premium DTC 💡 About Me:Fractional CMO and senior marketing strategist with 25+ years of experience and a PhD in Marketing, specializing in analytics, statistics, consumer behavior, brand strategy, go-to-market planning, and Marketing Mix Modeling (MMM). I help companies make smarter marketing decisions through Marketing Mix Modeling (MMM), rigorous analytics, and senior-level fractional CMO leadership — combining executive strategy with the kind of data discipline most marketing consultants cannot offer. My work combines executive-level strategy with rigorous analysis. I do not just recommend tactics. I help clients determine what is working, what is not, where the next dollar should go, and how to build a more scalable and accountable marketing system. 📊 My strengths include marketing strategy, brand positioning, market research, customer insight, conversion analysis, go-to-market planning, and Marketing Mix Modeling (MMM). I am especially strong when a company has meaningful potential but needs clearer direction, stronger prioritization, tighter execution, or more analytical decision-making. Over the course of 25+ years, I have worked across healthcare, B2B, premium DTC, and complex growth environments where messaging, performance, customer insight, and budget allocation all need to work together. Clients bring me in when they need senior-level strategic thinking backed by real data, not guesswork. What I Help Clients Do 🚀 Fractional CMO Leadership Strategic direction, growth planning, team oversight, channel prioritization, and executive-level decision support 📈 Marketing Strategy & Go-to-Market Planning Growth strategy, launch planning, audience targeting, competitive positioning, and full-funnel planning 🧠 Brand Positioning & Messaging Clearer differentiation, stronger messaging, sharper offers, and more effective brand architecture 📊 Analytics, MMM & Marketing Efficiency Marketing Mix Modeling, media mix attribution, KPI development, budget allocation, forecasting, performance analysis, and decision support 🔍 Market Research & Customer Insight Segmentation, customer interviews, competitive analysis, survey design, and insight development 💰 Paid Media Oversight & Funnel Improvement Channel strategy, conversion analysis, ad performance review, and identifying where spend is being wasted Selected Accomplishments 🏆 Analytics & Performance Built MMM frameworks that reduced ad spend by 35% while maintaining or improving revenue performance Improved ROI by 96%+ through tighter funnel analysis, better conversion tracking, and stronger message-market fit Lowered cost-per-sale by 10x and reduced spend-per-unit by 300% through performance-based campaign restructuring Managed high-7-figure ad budgets across Google, Meta, Amazon, and LinkedIn with measurable efficiency gains Built MMM and predictive forecasting models to optimize budget allocation and eliminate wasted spend across multi-channel programs 🏆 Strategy & Positioning Developed brand positioning and messaging strategies that improved conversion, clarity, and differentiation Led go-to-market planning and rebranding for businesses at inflection points, resulting in measurable gains in engagement and acquisition efficiency Built audience segmentation models that reduced CPA and improved targeting precision across paid channels Designed competitive positioning frameworks that sharpened market entry and accelerated growth 🏆 Executive-Level Marketing Leadership Served as a strategic marketing leader for healthcare, B2B, & premium consumer brands Helped founders and leadership teams prioritize the right channels, investments, and growth opportunities Brought analytical rigor to decisions that were previously based on assumptions or fragmented reporting Why Clients Hire Me 🔥 25+ years of marketing experience across strategy, analytics, positioning, and growth 🔥 PhD-level expertise in marketing, statistics, and consumer behavior 🔥 Senior-level fractional CMO leadership, not just tactical execution 🔥 Deep specialization in MMM, media mix attribution, and data-driven budget optimization 🔥 Strong ability to connect brand, performance, analytics, and customer insight into one clear growth plan Tools & Platforms: GA4 · Google Ads · Meta Ads · LinkedIn Ads · Amazon Seller Central · Tableau · Looker · SPSS · HubSpot · Salesforce · Mailchimp · MMM Good Fit: Healthcare, B2B, premium DTC, funded startups, and established companies that want senior-level strategic marketing leadership with real analytical depth. Not a Fit: Paid survey projects, unfunded startups, or speculative industries. 📩 Need a fractional CMO with 25+ years of experience, a PhD in Marketing, and deep strength in MMM, attribution, analytics, & positioning? Let's talk.

Researcher and strategist with 13 years of experience conducting in-depth quantitative and qualitative research and translating research into actionable insights, brand strategies, messaging, and marketing plans. Passionate about making research actionable and working with creative and connections/media teams to bring those findings to life in a meaningful way. Identifying and articulating critical goals and objectives for clients is a top priority. But the work doesn’t stop there - finding strategies to reach those goals and measuring the success of efforts is just as important. Easy to work with. Ability to think about the challenge creatively. Always putting the client first.

Some clients need a marketing architect who can build the strategy from the ground up. Others need a senior partner who rolls up their sleeves and gets into the work. Most need both, and that is exactly how I operate. With more than 30 years of experience across B2B, nonprofit, legal, and political campaign environments, I bring executive-level marketing thinking to clients who need results, not just recommendations. My work spans strategic planning, email marketing and automation, WordPress development and management, LinkedIn strategy, content, and client acquisition. I have helped entrepreneurs, solopreneurs, and small businesses build marketing systems that generate consistent client flow, without needing a full marketing department to do it. I do not hand you a document and disappear. I build it, implement it, and stay accountable to what it produces. If you need someone who thinks at the strategic level and executes at the operational level, that is the work I do every day.

I'm the #1 lifetime-ranked Fractional CMO on Upwork (#3 in the world), Expert-Vetted, with 10+ years running marketing operations and $500M+ in marketing spend behind me. Here's what makes me different from every other fractional CMO you'll talk to: I don't hand you a strategy deck and disappear. I install an operating system. My proprietary RIOT Method™ puts your entire marketing operation under one roof and runs it across 7 dimensions: Strategy — People — Process — Communication — Technology — Friction — Data Analysis Strategy, team, vendors, budget, tech stack, CRO, and revenue attribution — all in one centralized system, now AI-powered, so your operation is watched, optimized, and reported on continuously instead of once a quarter. I work like a team member, not a consultant. I stay ahead of every meaningful shift — Google Ads policy, LSA pricing, AI search (SEO → AEO), attribution methodology, martech releases — and translate it into action for clients. WHO I WORK WITH Small and mid-sized businesses ready to scale marketing operations. I also have worked with many DTC clients and startups. Specialties: law firms, home services, e-commerce, healthcare, SaaS, multi-location brands, franchise, and professional services. EVERYONE STARTS WITH THE RIOT MARKETING ROADMAP A marketing operational diagnostic that scores your business across all 7 dimensions and hands you a complete roadmap to scale. WHAT YOU GET • 90-minute strategy session + deep-dive operational questionnaire • Full audit of every vendor, agency, and marketing activity you pay for • A score across all 7 dimensions • Detailed competitor analysis • Your complete RIOT Marketing Roadmap — yours to keep • Annual marketing budget with monthly breakdowns by channel • Vendor analysis: keep, fix, or fire — for every vendor on your stack • Your entire marketing operation documented in one centralized system YOUR OPTIONS AFTER THE ROADMAP RIOT Membership — You implement with my guidance. Private community, monthly webinars, playbooks, vetted vendor network, AI + martech guidance. (DIY with guidance.) Fractional CMO, Ad Hoc — Live strategy sessions, vendor calls, hiring interviews, campaign audits, negotiations. Book as needed. Fractional CMO — I lead your marketing operation: agency meetings, vendor accountability, budget, everyone aimed at revenue. Fractional CMO + Team — Marketing fully off your plate. Full team build including my network. You approve the big calls; we handle the rest. Full Build — The entire operation built and run from scratch: diagnostic, strategy, vendor consolidation, tech-stack rebuild, attribution layer, and 90 days of operating it. All retainers month-to-month. No contracts. No setup fees. Cancel anytime. TRACK RECORD • Law firm scaled from 1 → 7 locations • Worked alongside the Amazon GTM team • 860% organic traffic growth (multi-location service business) • Home Service brand franchised to 27 states • 52K+ MAU for a SaaS startup in 3 months • Healthcare practice scaled to 16 locations • $300M+ in marketing spend managed • 4 DTC brands (coffee, cosmetics, jewelry, apparel) scaled from 4-6 figures to 7-9 figures while lowering COGS and helping raise AOV over time. THE RIOT FRAMEWORK REFLECT — what's working, what's wasting money, what's disconnected IMPLEMENT — Cleanup → Setup → Build → Scale modules for every marketing activity OPTIMIZE — score across all 7 dimensions; fix what's broken TRACK — KPIs tied to revenue, not vanity metrics INDUSTRIES — Law Firms (PI, Criminal Defense, DUI/DWI, Family, Immigration, Employment, Mass Tort, Civil Litigation, Estate Planning, Business, Real Estate) · Home Services · E-Commerce · Healthcare · SaaS · Professional Services · Multi-Location · Franchise CAPABILITIES — Fractional CMO · Marketing Strategy · Marketing Operations · Vendor Management · Marketing Audit · GTM Lead · SEO · AEO · Google Ads · Local Services Ads · Meta Ads · CRO · MarTech · AI Marketing · Budget Optimization · KPI Development · Revenue Attribution · CRM (Salesforce, HubSpot) · Call Tracking · Claude Code Expert · Gohighlevel · AI Agent builds · Growth Marketing · Brand Marketing · Product Marketing · Leadership · NEEAT growth · Marketing Automation · Team Build — Zachary Ellison, Expert-Vetted Fractional CMO · Fractional CMOZ "Zachary works in systems and continuous optimization. The way he took over our marketing operation has been a huge boost on revenue, but has also saved us time from chasing and managing team and vendors. He feels like a team member, less of a consultant." "Zach has been awesome to work with over the last year of our relationship. He brings fresh ideas and excellent strategy to the table at every conversation and has played a key role in taking our business to the next level." "Zach has done a fantastic job leading my company's digital marketing efforts. He is very easy to work with, organized, communicative, and has excellent recommendations for revenue-generating strategies."

Are you looking for a digital marketing specialist who can drive real results across paid search and social media? With over five years of experience, I’ve built and managed high-performing campaigns for brands in automotive, footwear, home appliances, and tech startups — helping them grow visibility, generate leads, and increase revenue. Whether you need a Google Ads campaign built from the ground up, a Meta Ads strategy that actually converts, or a social media presence that builds lasting brand awareness, I bring a data-driven, personalized approach to every client engagement. What I can do for you: Paid Search Management • Google & Microsoft Ads campaign strategy, setup, and optimization • Keyword research, match type strategy, and negative keyword management • Ad copywriting and A/B testing to maximize click-through and conversion rates • Bid management, budget pacing, and ROI tracking • Conversion tracking setup via Google Tag Manager and Google Analytics Social Media Management • Profile creation and optimization across Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and YouTube • Audience research and detailed buyer persona development • Content planning, scheduling, and community engagement • Short-form video editing and branded visual content creation • Reputation monitoring and community management Why clients choose me: My clients have described working with me as working with an “amazing marketing genius” who delivers “huge strides” toward their goals. I back that up with certifications from the Digital Marketing Institute and Acadium, and a track record of building strategies tailored to each brand’s unique voice and objectives. I don’t believe in one-size-fits-all solutions. Before recommending anything, I take the time to understand your business, your audience, and what success looks like for you. Ready to grow? Send me a message and let’s schedule a free 30-minute strategy call to talk through your goals