Oh, hi
I'm Melissa Zehner
I’m a marketing leader and strategist living near the Columbia River in Vancouver, Washington.
I help B2B startups 3x-5x qualified leads and revenue through organic lead gen. And I’m pretty good at it: I’ve generated more than $300 million for the brands I’ve worked with throughout my 14-year career.
I’ve helped 40+ B2B and tech startups.
I specialize in organic marketing
Like, really specialize…
I’ve been focusing on organic content for 14+ years, 11+ of which have been spent primarily on strategy and leadership.
Throughout my career, I’ve sat in just about every content marketing role (copywriter, managing editor, strategist, senior director, head of organic), which has given me unique insight into the inner workings of a content team and enabled me to successfully scale production from annual budgets of $0 to $1 million.
And I’ve done pretty much everything organic — go-to-market, organic lead gen, content marketing and SEO strategies, email nurture, omnichannel campaigns, online course content, rebranding projects, product launches, messaging frameworks, and more.
Some highlights:
In 2020, my powerhouse team generated $254+ million in organic revenue, exceeding all paid and partnership channels.
In 2021, my onsite optimization strategy increased website clicks 3x in 4 months and 4x in 6 months.
My email nurture campaign for a healthtech client performed 48% better than their norm, driving thousands of extra site visits and leads.
I often take unique approaches to solving content challenges, such as applying agile and scrum methodologies to content production. I also have several years’ experience collaborating with other departments including UX, design, paid marketing, public relations, product, software engineering, customer success, and sales teams.
In addition to working with heavy hitters in fintech, healthtech, and online education, my handiwork can be found on Forbes, Business.com, Comcast.com, BestCompany, Medium, and more.
Hey, guess what?
Core beliefs that drive my approach
I’ve been doing this long enough to have opinions. Here are some of the big ones:
- Access to information and ideas can change lives for the better. This is the online content experience at its best.
- Creating content doesn’t entitle you to attention — you have to earn it.
- Most brands focus on blending in rather than standing out, which is why fortune favors the bold when it comes to organic marketing.
- Organic lead gen performs best when it’s integrated with other marketing channels and product initiatives (this is commonly referred to as an omnichannel approach).
- You don’t have to choose between organic and paid marketing. You can (and probably should) do both.
- We chase excellence, not trends. Following a strong strategy means we don’t need to pander or follow the crowd.
- There are no content emergencies. Take a breath. Touch grass. Take your finger off that ad hoc social post. I promise it’ll be okay.
- In startups, everybody likes to think they’re a marketer. Most aren’t. Sorry if that stung a little.
P.S. I'm also a multi-faceted human...
Which means I’m not just a marketer.
I firmly believe in enjoying life to the fullest, which means I pursue plenty of interests and adventures outside of work — usually with my dog Spencer by my side.
- I’ve taken my nature-loving dog hiking in 7 states (Utah, Idaho, Montana, California, Oregon, Washington, and Arizona) and even Banff National Park in Alberta, Canada.
- I’ve got two wine certifications (WSET 1 and 2-Merit) and I’m planning to get at least one more. Yes, this means I love wine tasting!
- I’ve been trying my hand at gardening and it’s going pretty well — my mint, basil, rosemary, lavender, tomatoes, and arugula are thriving.…
- I can’t get enough of museums, art galleries, plays, and symphonies. If it’s artistic, I probably love it.
- I spent a year volunteering for a dog rescue and helped 65 dogs find homes.
- Before I got into marketing, I did classical ballet for 28 years.
Melissa’s value was immeasurable. Not only did she help with the tactics of getting my brand, company, and content launched but she was an invaluable thought partner. We wouldn’t have been able to launch without her and do so with the credibility and success that we did. She has laid the foundation for our company in terms of our ideal customer, unique value, and how we communicate that effectively to the right people. I absolutely loved working with her, full stop.
Melissa has supported my company through multiple projects and in each one she has been thoughtful, communicative, and has hit the mark by producing strategy and content that resonates with my client profile. I’m so grateful to have met her, because I know there’s someone I can trust with important digital content, which frees up my time to run other aspects of the business. And, yes, the ROI makes her totally worth it.
Melissa is not only an expert in her craft, but also thinks like a business owner. Which means she delivers results that truly matter and drive a business forward.
It takes strategy and thoughtfulness to elevate content above its rather common-sounding name. Melissa brings both of these in spades. She’s easily one of the smartest people I know. And she combines that intelligence with an authentic kindness which immediately connects with others. Is it any wonder that her writing resonates so well with audiences?
Melissa is easily the best content marketing leader I’ve worked with in my career. Her level of organization, attention to detail, and follow-through are phenomenal. Her work product is unmatched.
If Content is King, as Bill Gates once said, that would make Melissa the Queen of Content. She possesses an outstanding ability to shape a brand’s tone and voice, develop personas, lead content marketing teams, and most importantly develop various content marketing tactics (blogs, emails, whitepapers, case studies, website content, videos, etc.) to fuel an inbound marketing strategy, generate leads, and drive revenue for brands.
Melissa has been a tremendous asset to our team and led our content strategy. From the outset, she quickly understood our brand and seamlessly integrated with our team. Her ability to create content that perfectly aligns with our objectives has had a noticeable impact on our business. Melissa consistently brought fresh ideas and a professional approach. I highly recommend Melissa to any organization looking to enhance their content strategy.
I seem pretty cool, right?
Let’s get together so you can see if I live up to the hype. (Spoiler: I totally do.)