

Robert Franklin
Verified Expert in Marketing
Marketing Expert
Wilmington, DE, United States
Toptal member since October 31, 2022
Robert is a global digital marketing and eCommerce professional who integrates analytical, performance marketing, and creative solutions. He is Six Sigma Green Belt certified with an international MBA. Since running a small eBay eCommerce business at 14 years old, he has focused on digital and brand marketing for 20+ years. Robert has lived and worked in Asia for 10 years, traveled to 35 countries, and is passionate about bridging successful communication and results across cultures.
Project Highlights
Expertise
- Affiliate Marketing
- Email Marketing
- Google Ads
- International Projects
- Marketing
- Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
- Shopify
- Websites
Work Experience
Marketing Consultant | Project Manager
Toptal Clients
- Used eCommerce platforms like Shopify, Amazon, Etsy, Google Suite, digital performance marketing, social media management, and affiliate marketing, including inbound marketing and PR projects for leading small and mid-sized global companies.
- Achieved strong search engine optimization (including Shopify SEO and on-page SEO), ad, affiliate, and conversion success within months of project start, leading to company sales, revenue, and profitable growth, including landing page optimization.
- Collaborated directly with company CEOs and regional leaders and demonstrated strong communication with various team members, partners, and vendors. This includes working with global companies expanding efforts in the North American market.
- Industries worked for include leading companies in fashion, manufacturing, online and in-store retail/CPG, food and beverage, local services businesses, home and gardening products, and other industries.
International Marketing Manager
Giti Tire
- Led digital initiatives, including developing a new eCommerce platform, global company websites, a social media strategy, and on and off-page international SEO.
- Managed marketing activities, including logistics, campaign planning and strategy, demand planning, brand launches in global markets, and corporate social responsibility (CSR).
- Communicated between top management and global offices, agencies, media, and distributors, including public relations and annual reports.
Full-time Paid Market Research MBA Intern
UMI Marketing and Consulting
- Contributed to proposals, strategy, focus groups, and analysis for marketing research activities. Performed competitor analysis and profiling.
- Conducted translations and cultural understanding as the sole native English speaker.
- Liaised with known companies such as Orion Foods, Tencent, and Reckitt Benckiser.
Project Manager
Media Advantage
- Handled the eCommerce platform, SEO, eCommerce and email marketing (AWeber), and signage display projects.
- Grew acquisition and sales relations with vendors, customers, and prospects.
- Improved channel communication internally and externally with vendors, partners, and others.
Marketing Specialist
The Pep Boys
- Facilitated direct mail and email campaigns through brand strategy, print, proofing, coupons, and personalization.
- Conducted research, analysis, and vendor negotiations for savings on 6-figure campaigns.
- Met with vendors, including on-site printing review and quality control management.
Retail Strategy Analyst
Sunoco
- Maintained and improved B2C marketing, merchandising, franchise distribution, and secret shopper programs.
- Helped improve competitive pricing and sales efficiency for over 800 locations through the programs.
- Traveled for business events and meetings with stores.
Project History
Major Brand B2B and B2C Websites Development and Implementation
http://www.giti.com/Led teams and vendors through the global B2C website's entire development process for a $3+ billion revenue company and managed the strategy and implementation of a B2B platform for dealers to order products or download brand items.
The website projects required extensive strategy, planning, and understanding of analytics, SEO, and content. I also employed strong communication to collaborate with internal teams—including marketing, sales, IT, and logistics—and external vendors to manage a large-scale budget, schedule and implement, and gain user acceptance.
SEO Top Rankings for a Fashion Tech eCommerce Brand
Managed keywords and brand search engine factors to grow a fashion tech ecommerce company into having many high-traffic top 1-3 ranked keywords.
I built on-site content and optimizations, created valuable backlinks, and managed the keyword strategy to target specific short and long-term keywords. The company experienced significant growth after six months, with many high-search keywords appearing on Google’s first page and a number of them ranking top 1-3. This also helped improve brand recognition, tone of voice, site traffic, and organic sales.
Digital Marketing Ads | SEO and CRO Optimization for Cosmetics Brand
Helped grow targeted organic keywords from a new site to be among the top one to five on Google. Optimized the site with CRO, ads, and content to grow visits and orders YOY strongly.
Worked with a popular new cosmetics/nails-related brand for 2.5+ years, especially targeting the US market. This work includes a wide range of digital marketing tactics and objectives to improve current customer conversions and reach new ones.
eCommerce Marketing Emails and Newsletter Optimization
Managed email marketing platform sending, targeting, and flows to build and engage with the customer base, leading to hundreds of thousands of dollars in sales.
I used email list acquisition, content, special offers, segmenting, flow building, and other tactics to help grow and nurture customer email lists in multiple languages. This also included ecommerce trigger flows to target customers in various segments, such as lapsed, cross-sell, up-sell, and VIP.
Other Experience
Education
Master of Business Administration (MBA) in Marketing and International Business
Darla Moore School of Business – University of South Carolina - Columbia, South Carolina, US and Beijing, China
Bachelor's Degree in Marketing and International Business
Drexel University - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
Certifications
Lean-Six-Sigma Green Belt Certification
Sonoco
Skills
Core
Marketing, Google Ads, SEO Tools, B2C Marketing, Email Marketing, Search Engine Optimization (SEO), Search Engine Marketing (SEM), Digital Marketing, Organic SEO, Digital Marketing Strategy, Marketing Strategy, Content Marketing, Brand Strategy, Branding, Copywriting, Content Strategy, Content Creation, Social Media Marketing (SMM), Web Marketing, Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO), Paid Advertising, Google SEO, Digital Marketing Best Practices, SEO Keyword Research, Keyword Research, SEO Audits, Go-to-market (GTM) Strategies, Brand Marketing, Google Paid Ads, Campaign Strategy, Social Media Analytics, Marketing Research & Analysis, Affiliate Marketing, Social Media, Public Relations (PR), Email Campaigns, Social Media Management, Social Media Strategy, Market Research & Analysis, Audience Targeting, SEO Marketing, A/B Testing, Landing Pages, On-page SEO, Product Marketing, Link Building, SEO Content, Off-page SEO, Performance Marketing, Marketing Analytics, Inbound Marketing, Local SEO, Marketing Leadership, Lead Generation, Pay-per-Click (PPC), Facebook Ads, Influencer Marketing, TikTok Ads, Blogging, Omnichannel Marketing, Ad Campaigns, Return on Ad Spend (ROAS), Advertising Campaigns, Display Advertising, Marketing Automation, Marketing Campaigns, Google Tag Manager, Marketplace Platforms, Growth Hacking, Chief Marketing Officer (CMO), TikTok Marketing, AI Marketing, Funnel Optimization, SEO Backlinking, AWeber, Shopper Marketing, eBay Listings, Enterprise Sales, Brand Consulting, Competitive Intelligence, Research Proposals, Reddit Ads
Platforms & Tools
Google Analytics, Klaviyo, Google Analytics 4 (GA4), Ahrefs, Amazon Marketing Services (AMS), Amazon SEO, Google My Business, Bing Ads, Yelp, Marketing Platforms, Google Ad Manager, Instagram Ads, Adobe Experience Manager (AEM), HubSpot, TikTok, Amazon Advertising, Amazon FBA
Technical
Google Search Console
Business Models
B2B, Business to Business (B2B), B2C, Business to Consumer (B2C), SaaS Product Marketing
Other
International Projects, Shopify, Microsoft Office, Growth Marketing, eCommerce, Semrush, Marketplaces, Technical SEO, B2B Marketing, Google, Digital Marketing, Digital Marketing, Vendor Management, Partnerships, Symprosys, eCommerce Consulting, Operations Management, Microsoft Teams, Amazon, Websites, Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), Consulting, Website Traffic, Website Optimization, Google Optimize, Revenue Strategy, Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), Content Writing, Culture Management, Landing Page Optimization, WordPress, Strategy, Keyword Analysis, B2B Lead Generation, Startups, Competitor Analysis & Profiling, Google Shopping Ads, Paid Search, Etsy, Customer Acquisition, Growth Strategy, Digital Agencies, Channel Management, Direct Marketing, Market Entry, Amazon Seller Central, Marketing Plans, Copy Editing, Direct to Consumer (D2C), Blogs, Google Keyword Planner, Cross-channel Marketing, Luxury Industry, Brand Awareness, SEO Reporting, Website Audits, Meta Ads, Google Display Network, Event Marketing, Marketing Programs, Project Management, Beauty Products, Go-to-market Optimization, Go-to-market Plans, Marketing Channel Strategy, Audits, Artificial Intelligence (AI), Large Language Models (LLMs), Asana, Operations Management, Business Operations, Performance Improvement, Project Management, WooCommerce, Business Development, YouTube, Customer Relationship Management (CRM), Lifecycle Marketing, SEO with AI, Search Engines, AI-based Content SEO, AI Tools, eCommerce Strategy, TikTok Shop, Paid Media, Google Merchant Center, Shopify Apps & Integrations, Data Analytics (Marketing), eCommerce Growth, eCommerce Platforms & Operations, Startup Marketing, Early-stage Startups, Ad Optimization, Shopify SEO, eCommerce SEO, Guest Posting, eCommerce Marketing, Tone of Voice, International SEO, Campaign Planning, Online Reputation Management, Focus Groups, Voice Search Optimization, Remarketing, Competitive Pricing, Demand Planning, Logistics, Resellers, D2C Branding Strategy, Shopify Marketing, Direct Response, Native Ads, Multicultural Marketing, eBay Marketing, Fashion Journalism, Forum Posting, Podcast Marketing, Bulk Marketing, Taglines, Community Marketing, Product Listings, Generative Engine Optimization (GEO)
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