Eric Helsel
Senior Marketing Executive
“Hi, I'm Eric. Ask Me Anything About AI For Businesses In 2026”
Eric Helsel
Senior Marketing Executive
“Hi, I'm Eric. Ask Me Anything About AI For Businesses In 2026”
The Senior Marketing Executive Who Actually Builds
$130M+ in pipeline. 26 years of revenue marketing. AI now lets senior leaders like me fast-track execution, cut costs dramatically, and deliver results in weeks instead of quarters.
Two scenarios. One engagement.
Whether your marketing is broken or ready to scale, I bring the same thing: senior strategy, AI-native execution, and systems that outlast the engagement.
Turnaround
Marketing is broken. We reset it.
The CRM is a mess. Sales has lost faith in marketing. Agencies are wasting spend. Prior marketing leaders have failed. We reset strategy, rebuild operations from the ground up, and restore accountability. CEOs bring us in because they need marketing to become something leadership can finally trust to drive revenue.
Scale
Systems work. Time to accelerate.
The foundation is there but the company needs to move faster. I orchestrate GTM launches, build acquisition engines, and direct cross-functional teams to capture new markets. I've helped companies scale from working systems to $80M+ in gross revenue by introducing innovative monetization strategies and scaling working acquisition channels.
What I do
Senior marketing leadership, AI-accelerated execution, and systems that outlast the engagement.
Revenue Marketing
Over $130 million in revenue influenced across 26 years - not through brand awareness campaigns or vanity metrics, but through conversion-focused systems tied directly to pipeline. If it doesn't move revenue, we don't build it.
RevOps & Infrastructure
Full marketing-to-revenue stack architecture. CRM infrastructure, pipeline design, lead scoring, expansion revenue workflows, attribution tracking. Whether we optimize what you have or replace it with something custom-built, the goal is the same: turn marketing from a cost center into a revenue engine.
AI-Native Execution
AI has changed the game for marketing execution. My engagements deploy AI-personalized outbound, automated CRM workflows, custom internal tools, and bespoke applications - fast-tracking projects that used to take months into weeks, at a fraction of the traditional cost.
ABM & Outbound
Account-based outbound at scale - prospect research, battle cards, buyer-journey sequencing, personalized email cadences. Our engagements deploy AI-powered BDR Co-Pilot systems integrated with custom CRM and data enrichment pipelines.
Restaurant SaaS
Pipeline value
$2.4M
Health-Tech
Pipeline value
$1.8M
SEO & Content Strategy
Not keyword stuffing - revenue-focused content architecture. SEO strategies grounded in buyer intent, segmented by persona and buying stage. For one client, we delivered a 50-keyword strategy across 5 operator segments targeting 13 distinct personas.
Go-to-Market Strategy
Full GTM for SaaS and tech companies - ICP definition, competitive positioning, channel strategy, and the execution systems to back it up. Across 8 verticals, we've launched products, entered new markets, and stood up pipeline engines from scratch.
How we build marketing systems
A systems-based methodology powered by AI that produces work indistinguishable from a senior team's output.
Research & Deep Context
Before I write a single word or build anything, I do deep market research. Competitive landscape, customer pain points, positioning gaps, pricing models, what the market is actually saying. 30-60 minutes of research produces exceptional output for everything that follows. Most marketers skip this. That's why their output sounds generic.
Foundation: Voice + Positioning
Define who you are and how you're different. Brand voice extraction, 3-5 positioning angles, anti-positioning (what you're NOT). This isn't a branding exercise. It's the operating system behind every piece of copy, every landing page, every email sequence. Everything downstream builds on this.
Structure: Keywords + Content Architecture
Map the territory. Keyword opportunities competitors miss. Content pillars organized by buyer intent. Quick wins for the first 60-90 days. SEO strategies grounded in real buyer language, segmented by persona and buying stage.
Assets: Landing Pages, Emails, Content
Build the actual marketing materials using the research, voice, and positioning as inputs. Landing page copy using direct response frameworks. Email sequences (welcome, nurture, conversion). Lead magnets that bridge to paid. Every asset is methodology-driven, not template-driven.
Iterate Until Right
First drafts are starting points. I run rejection cycles, voice enforcement, and quality gates. Would I actually send this? Would I click this? Most people skip this step. It's the difference between 'fine' and 'converts.' Then I validate using multiple AI expert perspectives to find the blind spots.
Research & Deep Context
Before I write a single word or build anything, I do deep market research. Competitive landscape, customer pain points, positioning gaps, pricing models, what the market is actually saying. 30-60 minutes of research produces exceptional output for everything that follows. Most marketers skip this. That's why their output sounds generic.
Foundation: Voice + Positioning
Define who you are and how you're different. Brand voice extraction, 3-5 positioning angles, anti-positioning (what you're NOT). This isn't a branding exercise. It's the operating system behind every piece of copy, every landing page, every email sequence. Everything downstream builds on this.
Structure: Keywords + Content Architecture
Map the territory. Keyword opportunities competitors miss. Content pillars organized by buyer intent. Quick wins for the first 60-90 days. SEO strategies grounded in real buyer language, segmented by persona and buying stage.
Assets: Landing Pages, Emails, Content
Build the actual marketing materials using the research, voice, and positioning as inputs. Landing page copy using direct response frameworks. Email sequences (welcome, nurture, conversion). Lead magnets that bridge to paid. Every asset is methodology-driven, not template-driven.
Iterate Until Right
First drafts are starting points. I run rejection cycles, voice enforcement, and quality gates. Would I actually send this? Would I click this? Most people skip this step. It's the difference between 'fine' and 'converts.' Then I validate using multiple AI expert perspectives to find the blind spots.
Strategy and execution. No gap between them.
Most fractional CMOs hand you a strategy deck and wish you luck. I deliver working systems. For a restaurant financial services client, we stood up their entire marketing infrastructure from zero in one quarter - SEO strategy, segmented landing pages, custom RevOps architecture, AI-personalized ABM outbound pipeline, a BDR Co-Pilot, and operator persona libraries across 13 named restaurant segments. AI lets my team compress what used to take 6 months into weeks. That's the difference.
Results, not theory
Every engagement follows the same framework: identify the pain, build the system, deliver proof. Here's what that looks like.
The Problem
A national, multi-location full-service brokerage with thousands of agents. Fragmented systems, multiple CRMs with data hygiene issues, no RevOps reporting, no optimization, and a team doing busy work with no way to measure what was actually working.
What I Did
Consolidated and aligned systems to the right platforms. Built a functional pipeline with proper RevOps infrastructure. Established sales enablement, lead generation, and operational processes at industry standard. Deployed AI-native solutions to keep headcount low while increasing output.
The Result
A properly functioning pipeline with data-driven decision-making replacing guesswork. Lower headcount, higher productivity.
The Problem
A restaurant tech company that had cycled through marketing managers with no senior leadership to connect the strategy. The business model itself was wrong for their market.
What I Did
Switched them to an ABM model with air-cover advertising. Replaced legacy SaaS with AI-native solutions, cutting software costs by 90%. Built complete marketing infrastructure — SEO, landing pages, RevOps, AI-personalized outbound, and a proprietary BDR system. Enabled 100% marketing execution with 35% of the traditional headcount.
The Result
Marketing transformed from a cost center into a functioning revenue operation with measurable RevOps tools for the C-suite.
The Problem
A healthcare staffing company with fragmented systems, underutilized platforms, and years of chaos from inexperienced marketing managers. Tens of thousands spent on the wrong channels with nothing to show for it.
What I Did
Built strategy and growth plan from the ground up. Taught the team how to engage their market across the buyer journey. Introduced AI-native capabilities that eliminated wasteful spend and focused campaigns only where performance exists.
The Result
An operating manual for marketing success. Tens of thousands saved in unnecessary software. Campaigns focused only where performance exists.
The Problem
An entertainment-vertical crypto project preparing an initial coin offering with no marketing framework, funnel, or acquisition system in place.
What I Did
Architected the entire marketing plan end-to-end. Funnel infrastructure, offer development, customer journey mapping. Executed channel marketing at scale across crypto-native platforms and managed the full hype cycle.
The Result
$25 million raised. Complete marketing architecture delivered from zero.
The Problem
A well-funded, long-running affiliate network needing senior marketing leadership across media buying, performance marketing, product channels, and traffic optimization.
What I Did
Took ownership of all marketing and advertising at the executive level. Directed the affiliate program and all traffic channels. Responsible for all performance optimization and driving company margin on paid performance.
The Result
A consulting relationship spanning over a decade. Sustained growth and profitability across the network.
The Problem
A performance marketing company with strong products but lacking strategic direction and operational structure to scale. Web apps, mobile apps, subscription products — all needing a plan.
What I Did
Led all product strategies. Managed a 25+ person cross-functional team across development, product, marketing, and IT. Directed all affiliate and performance marketing revenue drivers. Full P&L accountability.
The Result
A refined machine — products with purpose, a plan to scale, and a team executing with discipline. Revenue exceeding $80M.
Common questions
Ready to talk?
I'm currently available for 1-2 new fractional engagements. 30 minutes, no pitch deck, no proposal. Just a real conversation about your marketing and whether I can help.