Selected work · Salesforce & Blackboard
Proof, not promises.
Before Bracken Studio, I led paid media strategy at Salesforce and ran social and inbound at Blackboard. Here is what that work looked like, and what it moved.
Book a growth conversation+22%
LinkedIn lead efficiency at Salesforce
24%
lower cost per MQL from one creative test
+52%
year-over-year blog growth at Blackboard
Growth strategyPaid socialLinkedInMetaProgrammaticFunnel strategyChannel mixMeasurementGrowth strategyPaid socialLinkedInMetaProgrammaticFunnel strategyChannel mixMeasurement
Six projects. One question behind each: what will actually move the number?
Every project started with the business goal, not the channel. Here is the thinking, the work, and the result.
01 Salesforce · Paid social
24%
lower cost per MQL from a single creative test
Testing what drives qualified leads, not just clicks
- The challenge
- For a new product launch, mobile-optimized animated creative was the default. The question was whether human-focused imagery could bring down the cost of a qualified lead without losing top-of-funnel volume.
- The approach
- A controlled A/B test with targeting, geo, flight dates, and budget held constant, so creative was the only thing that changed.
- The result
- Animated creative won on engagement with a 40% higher CTR. Human-focused creative won on efficiency at $237 per MQL versus $312. I recommended scaling each by objective, then designing a deeper creative, audience, and format test.
02 Salesforce · LinkedIn
+22%
improvement in LinkedIn lead efficiency
Making every LinkedIn lead work harder
- The challenge
- LinkedIn carried a major share of B2B lead generation across multi-million dollar budgets for Marketing Cloud and Commerce Cloud. Small gains in efficiency added up fast.
- The approach
- Iterative A/B testing across audience targeting, messaging, and creative, using performance data to decide what to scale and what to cut.
- The result
- Lead efficiency improved 22% through steady, iterative testing.
03 Salesforce · Localization
+15%
higher CTR, and a framework for future localization decisions
Settling a regional debate with data
- The challenge
- Two regional teams disagreed on whether creative for French-speaking markets should be bilingual or French-only. Each team had a strong point of view.
- The approach
- I designed a controlled test and got both teams to agree on the success criteria before it launched.
- The result
- French-only creative delivered a 15% higher CTR. Both teams accepted the outcome, and it became the framework for future localization decisions.
04 Blackboard · Inbound
+52%
year-over-year growth in corporate blog views
Turning a corporate blog into a growth channel
- The challenge
- The corporate blog needed to reach more of the right readers and earn its place as a real source of demand.
- The approach
- I used SEO insight to learn what educators were searching for, then shaped the editorial plan and inbound practices around those questions.
- The result
- Blog views grew 52% year over year, giving the brand a steady source of qualified traffic it didn't have to pay for.
05 Blackboard · LinkedIn
+13K
new LinkedIn followers in twelve months, a 23% lift
Building an audience on the channel that mattered most
- The challenge
- LinkedIn was where Blackboard's buyers spent their time, so growing a relevant audience there was a priority.
- The approach
- A consistent organic content plan built around what the audience cared about, amplified with targeted paid social to reach the right people beyond existing followers.
- The result
- From November 2019 to November 2020, the following grew 23%, adding more than 13,000 followers.
06 Blackboard · Campaign
4
channels carrying one message: blog, social, sales, and paid
A back-to-school campaign built for a year nobody planned for
- The challenge
- In 2020, educators were heading back to virtual, hybrid, and in-person classrooms all at once. They needed practical help quickly.
- The approach
- I ran an integrated campaign: best-practice content on the blog, an infographic with the design team, ready-to-share resources for employees and sales, and paid social to amplify it all.
- The result
- One clear message carried across every channel, giving sales a reason to start conversations and educators something genuinely useful.
Let's talk about your next stage of growth.
Tell me where you are and where you want to be. If I can help, we'll figure out the right next step together.