Kelly Thomas
Glenview,IL
Summary
Forward-thinking and results-driven content marketing leader with broad experience in campaign strategy, content creation, copywriting, project management, and cross-functional collaboration. Skilled in developing creative, brand-aligned solutions that drive engagement, profitability, and business growth. Builds strong internal and external partnerships, leads high-performing teams, and helps organizations adapt to change through innovative, customer-focused content strategies.
Overview
16
16
years of professional experience
Work History
Manager, Content Marketing and Communications
Self-Employed Contractor
12.2024 - Current
- Directed the planning and deployment of content initiatives for two Ravago Americas plastics distributors, producing blogs, newsletters, and website content tailored to healthcare, automotive, and industrial sectors using CMS platforms and Salesforce.
- Developed and maintained a cross-brand editorial calendar, launched marketing campaigns and kept them on-track using Asana, and provided content performance reporting to support business development, resale, and distribution teams.
- Created a social media strategy to produce consistent, high-quality marketing campaigns aligned with the brand voice and audience interests.
- Wrote SEO-optimized product titles, selling points, and long-form descriptions as part of Incomar Creative Services for consumer packaged goods, using keyword research to improve visibility, engagement, and search rankings.
- Collaborated with clients and a creative agency to ensure brand-aligned copy that resonated with target audiences, while managing multiple projects under tight deadlines with strong attention-to-detail and organization.
- Increased organic website traffic by 45% through implementation of data-driven content optimization strategies, leveraging Google Analytics, SEMrush, and Ahrefs to guide editorial priorities and measure campaign performance.
Content Manager
Essendant
07.2021 - 08.2024
- Developed and executed of compelling, multi-channel marketing strategy to increase sales and brand awareness for 5K private label CPG products.
- Managed large-scale content enhancement project for in-house brands, leading project timelines, coordinating deliverables, and using project management platforms such as Asana and Smartsheet to track progress and ensure alignment with organizational goals.
- Updated product images and rewrote copy for thousands of private label SKUs, utilizing Adobe Creative Suite and digital photography techniques to increase customer engagement and improve sales by over 30%.
- Developed brand-consistent marketing collateral and ongoing marketing campaigns for internal and external use, and tracked performance using PowerBI.
- Directed redesign of three websites, including improving user experience, overall branding, design, and product copy.
- Led development and delivery of visual content including photography, renderings, videos, and e-tail storefronts.
- Identified search terms and keywords to improve SEO for higher rank of own brand SKUs in multi-platform search results.
Global Marketing Manager
RTC Industries
04.2019 - 07.2021
- Led a team to develop strategic marketing campaigns using Marketo for product launches and promotions within the retail merchandising and display industry.
- Directed photography and videography for use in sales collateral, advertisements, email campaigns, and social media posts.
- Managed website updates and used Google Analytics to analyze traffic, acquisition, behavior, lead generation, and established conversions.
- Facilitated ongoing website enhancements to improve user experience, extend time on site, increase brand awareness, highlight products, and increase sales by 25%.
- Supervised contracted projects for marketing, including bidding, scheduling, project timeline, budget, scope, and billing.
- Cultivated relationships with international distributors and retail partners to expand shelf management product presence in new global markets and secure higher visibility for theft-deterrence merchandising solutions.
Digital Marketing and Communications Manager
Jensen Hughes, Inc.
03.2013 - 10.2018
- Created the marketing copy, content, and digital communications for one of largest international engineering firms.
- Developed and optimized global communications and digital marketing strategy, increasing external web traffic by 200%.
- Planned and developed content for marketing and communications editorial calendar for social, paid, and earned media.
- Designed and executed brand-focused content strategy, increasing social media followers by over 500% in two years.
- Managed and analyzed website content and analytics to track campaign performance, ROI, conversions, and leads.
- Led multi-phase website redesign project, including design, user experience, content organization, and brand positioning.
- Championed the integration of advanced SEO frameworks and marketing automation platforms, significantly elevating Jensen Hughes’ digital presence and driving measurable increases in qualified inbound leads.
Marketing Development Manager
EPG Media & Specialty Retail
01.2010 - 10.2012
- Collaborated with external vendors and internal teams to schedule, format, and launch email campaigns via Mailchimp, increasing reach and maintaining consistency across marketing communications.
- Maintained websites, press release distribution, presentations, production schedules, email marketing, and digital publications.
- Developed cohesive social media campaigns for 15 B2B magazines, expanding reach by over 480% in one year.
- Secured strategic trade show partnerships by negotiating event contracts and managing vendor relationships to achieve event marketing goals.
Marketing Coordinator and Graphic Artist
Sun-Times Media Group
10.2010 - 12.2010
- Designed, edited, and managed community-specific magazines, maps, and calendars with Adobe Creative Suite on tight turnaround, across multiple teams.
- Trained new hires on all aspects of print project management and supervised junior-level staff on print projects.
- Coordinated award-winning niche publication projects, including design, photography, editing, layout, printing, and distribution. Oversaw design of direct mail pieces, print ads, inserts, and promotional products for over 60 publications.
- Led development of flyers, email blasts, advertising, and direct mail pieces for account managers to sell advertising space in special publications.
Education
Bachelor of Arts - Journalism, Minor in Sociology
University of St. Thomas
St. Paul, MNSkills
- Adobe Creative Suite (InDesign, Illustrator, Photoshop, Acrobat), Canva, Microsoft Office (PowerPoint, Word, Excel, Teams, SharePoint), CMS Platforms (WordPress, Drupal), CRM Systems and Customer Journey (Salesforce, Microsoft Dynamics), Project Management Tools (Asana, Basecamp, Go Visually, Smartsheet, Wrike), E-blast software, Hootsuite, HubSpot, Marketo, Power BI, SurveyMonkey, SEMRush, PIM systems (Salsify, Stibo, 1WorldSync), AI Tools (ChatGPT, Grammarly), Google AdWords and Analytics
Websites
Timeline
Manager, Content Marketing and Communications
Self-Employed Contractor
12.2024 - Current
Content Manager
Essendant
07.2021 - 08.2024
Global Marketing Manager
RTC Industries
04.2019 - 07.2021
Digital Marketing and Communications Manager
Jensen Hughes, Inc.
03.2013 - 10.2018
Marketing Coordinator and Graphic Artist
Sun-Times Media Group
10.2010 - 12.2010
Marketing Development Manager
EPG Media & Specialty Retail
01.2010 - 10.2012
Bachelor of Arts - Journalism, Minor in Sociology
University of St. Thomas