Jon Cohan
Verified Expert in Marketing
Digital Marketing Expert
Boston, MA, United States
Toptal member since August 20, 2024
Jon is a data-driven marketing leader who thrives at the intersection of sales, technology, and marketing. He excels in marketing consultations, product launches, demand generation, and optimizing marketing and sales infrastructure. What sets Jon apart is his commitment to going beyond project specifications to deliver true value. He takes the time to understand business goals and challenges, ensuring that each project sets the client on a path to success.
Project Highlights
Expertise
- Business Consulting
- Demand Generation
- Digital Marketing Strategy
- Execution
- Growth Marketing
- Marketing Strategy
- Marketing Technology (MarTech)
- Sales & CRM Platforms
Work Experience
GTM Expert
Twin Cities Auctions LLC
- Evaluated marketing options and put together a go-to-market plan to launch an online marketplace to sell used cars.
- Defined customer personas and created content (primarily email) to engage and convert prospects.
- Evaluated search marketing and SEO options to accelerate the acquisition of prospects.
- Evaluated the website against a competitive set and recommended improvements to drive interaction and content engagement.
Marketing Leader
Arkieva
- Oversaw the end-to-end launch of several AI-powered products, including positioning, market sizing, industry trend analysis, persona definition, go-to-market (GTM) strategy, and campaign development and execution.
- Implemented a data-driven programmatic approach to integrated campaigns, improving response metrics such as brand awareness, site visits, response rates, and revenue.
- Executed digital advertising campaigns to increase awareness, site visits, and conversions, resulting in a threefold increase in open and click rates compared to stand-alone campaigns.
- Managed marketing and sales customer relationship management (CRM) systems, generated reports, and collaborated with the sales development representative (SDR) team to ensure the sales pipeline remained up-to-date and actionable.
- Built a demand generation engine to support 20% year-over-year growth for a fast-moving sales team.
- Managed search engine optimization (SEO) and search engine marketing (SEM), paid social media campaigns, demand generation initiatives, and trade shows.
Director of Marketing
ToolsGroup
- Doubled site visits and lead volume year over year for four consecutive years. Grew LinkedIn followers from 400 to 10,000. Increased marketing qualified leads (MQL) by 50%, contributing to a 20% year-over-year revenue growth.
- Defined growth strategy, set the marketing budget, and executed integrated marketing programs, including understanding market conditions, user acquisition strategies, and messaging to meet aggressive sales targets and increase brand awareness.
- Implemented HubSpot, Salesforce, and ABM vendors such as Demandbase and 6Sense to maintain data and execute campaigns. Evaluated and tested emerging technologies.
- Improved web design and content marketing. Developed segment-specific content to drive brand awareness, including emails, infographics, eBooks, videos, and social media.
- Managed 3rd-party vendors, including advertising agencies, business development representative (BDR) firms, and freelancers, to achieve revenue growth objectives.
Fractional CMO | Marketing Consultant
Self-employed
- Led a fintech company’s recovery from the impact of adverse market conditions by leading product positioning, content generation, social media management, competitive assessments, and providing data-driven insights to improve campaign performance.
- Implemented CRM and data analysis tools such as Marketo and Salesforce. Defined event triggers to drive targeted digital marketing that acquired new customers and increased loyalty among high-value targets while decreasing incentive costs.
- Provided marketing strategy to support product marketing, customer acquisition and retention, segmentation, and customer insights for organizations such as Volvo and PetSmart.
- Provided strategic leadership, digital marketing plans, analytics, and marketing operations support for several advertising agencies as needed.
Director
Digitas
- Oversaw program management and execution of marketing, marketing infrastructure, database development, list segmentation, reporting, and provider management for companies such as General Motors, Intercontinental Hotels Group, and FedEx.
- Developed multi-channel campaigns that increased revenue by 15% while keeping marketing investment flat.
- Helped clients to understand rapidly changing customer buying behaviors and to test new approached to maintain leverage them.
- Implemented marketing automation (email/HubSpot) for several clients, including data management, workflow, and governance.
- Collaborated with the creative team to convert concepts into campaigns and maintain branding to drive revenue.
- Maintained strong client relationships that extended working terms and grew the overall business.
- Created reporting dashboards, analyzed campaigns, developed A/B testing theories, and used the results to improve marketing effectiveness.
Project History
Product Launch
https://arkieva.com/small-business-solutions/Brought a new SaaS product to market in six months by setting the strategy, creating the content, and executing campaigns that drove engagement and revenue.
Arkieva+ is a SaaS offering for supply chain companies with revenue under $200 million. I led the end-to-end launch, including positioning, market sizing, industry trends analysis, persona definition, GTM strategy, and campaign development and execution.
I also oversaw web design and content marketing to support the launch. To drive brand awareness, I developed segment-specific content, including emails, infographics, ebooks, videos, and social media.
ToolsGroup Website Redesign
http://www.toolsgroup.comCollaborated with a global team to redesign and rebrand a technology company.
I migrated the website to WordPress, optimizing the user experience and flow to inform and convert visitors. I also updated approximately 200 pages for SEO and new content and links. I supported Spanish and Italian teams with their conversion project and timed rebranding with a user conference and new product announcements. Additionally, we ensured the maintenance and improvement of our SEO post-launch.
Explainer Video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RM-5iRoZzFMCreated an explainer video to promote the value of Arkieva+, effectively highlighting its benefits and features.
This video was created using clips from Shutterstock. I took the lead in writing the script, ensuring it effectively conveyed the intended message and value of the product. I directed the overall development of the video, coordinating various aspects of production to maintain a cohesive vision. Additionally, I collaborated closely with a designer to create engaging and visually appealing content, ensuring the final video was informative and captivating.
Content Driven Marketing
Increased inbound lead flow by 15% through reimagining the way that marketing communicates with customers.
Arkieva and ToolsGroup initially limited campaigns to specific timeframes, like events or webinars. I transformed this approach by prioritizing the customer experience and fostering ongoing engagement through relevant content and dialogue.
OLD APPROACH
Sent three emails to a list before a webinar, followed by a single follow-up for attendees and non-attendees.
NEW APPROACH
Developed personalized messaging based on individual interests, including tailored invites via email and LinkedIn, which might lead to a webinar. Post-webinar, we implemented drip marketing on related topics.
We centered our content around three key themes that addressed the challenges faced by our prospects. Any published material had to align with these themes to ensure relevance and resonance.
This resulted in a 12% increase in response rates.
Director of Marketing - Plymouth Rock Assurance
https://www.plymouthrock.com/Created an eCommerce marketing strategy. Led the strategy and execution for direct and digital marketing activities, corporate communications, social networking, and public relations. Redesigned the website to allow for online quote requests.
Plymouth Rock Assurance is a Property and Casualty Insurer Serving the Northeast. I was the marketing director there during a time of deregulation and prepared the company for the arrival of direct-to-consumer providers such as Geico and Progressive.
ACCOMPLISHMENTS
• Led the strategy and execution for direct and digital marketing activities, corporate communications, social networking, and public relations.
• Redesigned the website to allow for online quote requests.
• Prepared agents for the management of internet-generated leads and created materials to help them adapt to a digital environment.
• Built the marketing infrastructure to manage leads and email.
Education
Bachelor's Degree in Communications
Northeastern University - Boston, MA, USA
Skills
Core
Marketing Strategy, Marketing Analytics, Blogging, Marketing Campaigns, Marketing Operations, Marketing Technology (MarTech), Digital Marketing Strategy, Digital Marketing, Email Marketing, Omnichannel Marketing, Marketing Leadership, Marketing Research & Analysis, LinkedIn Ads, Email Automation, Email Campaigns, Marketing Automation, Marketing, Go-to-market (GTM) Strategy, Market Research & Analysis, Email Marketing Automation, Social Media Strategy, A/B Testing, Audience Targeting, Account-based Marketing (ABM), Advertising Campaigns, Cold Emailing, Strategic Marketing, Google Ads, SEO Content, Inbound Marketing, Content Creation, SEO Tools, Social Media, Content, Organic Social Media, Social Media Content, Copywriting, Paid Advertising, Search Engine Marketing (SEM), Search Engine Optimization (SEO), Product Marketing, Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO), Content Marketing Strategy, Branding, Content Strategy, Content Marketing, Account Planning, SEO Keyword Research, LinkedIn Marketing, Social Media Marketing (SMM), Performance Marketing, Lead Generation, SEO Marketing, Keyword Research, Landing Pages, Brand Marketing, X (formerly Twitter) Ads, Pay-per-Click (PPC), Public Relations (PR), WordPress SEO, B2C Marketing, Automotive, Facebook Ads, Brand Consulting
Platforms & Tools
HubSpot, Google Analytics, CRM Systems, HubSpot Marketing Hub, Content Management Systems (CMS)
Business Models
SaaS Product Marketing, Integrated Marketing Communications Planning, B2B, SaaS, Software as a Service (SaaS)
Other
Semrush, Zoom, Critical Thinking, Content Writing, Demand Generation, SEO Reporting, Campaign Execution, Email, Sales Alignment, Execution, Business Consulting, Growth Marketing, Sales & CRM Platforms, Project Management, Go-to-market Plans, B2B Marketing, Market Assessment, Market Research, Customer Acquisition, Customer Retention, B2B Lead Generation, Direct Marketing, Process Optimization, Process Development, Campaigns, Marketing Consulting, Market Segmentation, Market Sizing, Strategy, Growth, Email Content, Social Media Research, Audience Segmentation, Marketing Channel Strategy, Email Delivery, User Research, Competitive Analysis, Go-to-market Optimization, 6sense, Research, Event Planning, Web Content, Global Digital Marketing Strategy, Events, Distributed Team Management, Sales Enablement, Social Selling, Cross-functional Team Leadership, Analyst Relations, WordPress, Fintech, Consulting, Supply Chain Management (SCM), Paid Media, Paid Search, Growth Strategy, Startup Marketing, Lifecycle Marketing, Value Proposition, Brand Awareness, Marketing Writing, Social Media Content Writing, eCommerce, Qualitative Research, Launch Strategy, Travel & Leisure, Banking & Finance, Advertising Copy, Keyword Mapping, Content Management, X (formerly Twitter), Brand Building, Customer Journey, Keyword Analysis, Product Launch, Team Leadership, Team Management, Salesforce, Organizational Behavior (OB), Organizational Strategy, Reporting, Email Design, Web Design, Video Scripts, Corporate Videos, Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG), High-tech Startups, Management Consulting, Facebook, Instagram, Marketing Plans, Startups, Artificial Intelligence (AI), Lead Management, Drip Email, Digital Ad Design
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