Marissa Merchant

Launched and manage a fine art business, handling all aspects of marketing, sales, advertising, content creation, and customer engagement. Built and maintained social media channels, increasing audience growth by 200% and engagement per post by 36% YOY through original art content, behind-the-scenes process videos, and event promotion. Plan and execute logistics for comic conventions and art shows, including marketing strategy, booth design, and customer experience. Designed ecommerce storefronts and optimized listings for platforms like Shopify and Wix.

Developed and implemented external marketing strategies, including communications plans for major events and new distribution center launches. Served as a thought partner and campaign manager to seven teams throughout the business, including Automotive, Food Contact, Sustainability and Recruitment. Integrated a new line of business, during and post acquisition, from a marketing perspective, creating campaigns, sales pitches, marketing collateral as well as content for web, social and more. Increased North America LinkedIn followers by 500 and doubled average engagements per post on LinkedIn and Twitter between Q2 and Q3 2022. Initiated an ongoing employee spotlight campaign to position team members as industry subject matter experts.

Create and implement marketing campaign strategies to promote and enhance business for Smithers' market reports and strategic consulting. Successfully increased the quality and quantity of outbound leads, established detailed tracking and benchmarking of metrics, and created and implemented strong content marketing strategy to improve inbound leads.

Wrote a 3-part series on emotional intelligence in the workplace and refined it for Roundtable's first whitepaper. Wrote copy for re-branded website that focuses on eLearning and AR/VR. Contributed copy for marketing slicks, weekly blogs. Curated social media posts in line with industry trends. Curate social media posts in line with industry trends.

Freelance editing content for grammar and clarity. Offer feedback to writers to help them improve writing.

Oversee the entire staff, working directly with all departments and staff members to create the next issue. Rebranded during the summer session, launched new website, created a readership survey to find out who reads The Burr and looks at the website. Worked with other Student Media publications to collaborate. Contributed article "More than Meats the Eye" to theburr.com and "Your Body is a Weapon" to the spring 2016 issue.

Oversaw entire staff and worked directly with editor-in-chief and art director. Edited all stories and worked with staffers to create quality content. Contributed story "Becoming Kyle" to spring issue.

Oversaw a department of four copy editors, proofread all content and reported to the editor-in-chief.

Edited all text for grammar, AP Style and accuracy.

Editing for clarity and fact checking all articles written for The Chautauquan Daily.

Led a class of Kent State students through a leadership workshop that develops leadership skills and prepares them to help incoming first-year students.

Mentored magazine and multimedia news journalism students living in the CCI Commons, organized study events and helped with organizing and clean up of weekly programs.

Covered all stories pertaining to President Beverly Warren, administration and major policy changes.