Jessica H. Carlson
 

If marketing and growth feel busy but not effective, the problem usually isn’t effort. It’s focus.

Most of my clients aren’t starting from scratch. They already have people, platforms, and processes in place. I step in to help teams cut through the noise, get aligned, and make smart, defensible decisions about marketing, growth, positioning, and messaging.

Sometimes that looks like interim leadership. Sometimes it’s focused strategy work. Always, it’s grounded in the reality of how the business actually operates.

No overhauls for the sake of it. No chasing trends. Just clear thinking, applied where it actually matters.

 
 
 

Fractional CMO & interim marketing leadership

Senior marketing leadership, without rushing the wrong hire.

When teams grow faster than their strategy — or when leadership knows something isn’t working but can’t quite pinpoint why — I step in as fractional or interim marketing leadership.

My role isn’t to run channels or execute tasks. It’s to bring clarity at the decision level: what to prioritize, what to pause, and what actually moves the business forward. This often includes:

  • Setting marketing and growth priorities across teams or brands

  • Aligning marketing efforts with revenue and lifecycle reality

  • Clarifying ownership, expectations, and decision-making

  • Pressure-testing ideas before teams invest time and money

  • Leaving behind a clear roadmap for what comes next

When useful, I’ll also bring in trusted specialists (CRO, lifecycle, UX, analytics, etc.) to inform decisions while remaining your single point of accountability. The purpose of this hub-and-spoke approach is strategic work, not staff augmentation.

 
 

Brand strategy & positioning

Because unclear positioning creates problems that compound.

Brand issues tend to show up as marketing issues: weak conversion, confusing messaging, inconsistent execution. In most cases, the root problem is lack of clarity. I help companies define and refine their positioning so it’s clear, credible, and usable — not just aspirational. This work may include:

  • Brand and positioning audits

  • Competitive and category analysis

  • Differentiation and value propositions

  • Brand architecture for multi-brand organizations

  • Practical frameworks teams can actually apply

The goal is confidence — internally and externally — so decisions get easier instead of harder.

 
 

Marketing strategy

Turning scattered activity into intentional direction.

If marketing feels like a constant scramble, it’s often because there’s no shared agreement on what actually matters. I work with leadership teams to step back, prioritize, and build marketing strategies that reflect real constraints, real goals, and how the business actually operates. This can include:

  • Marketing strategy and roadmap development

  • Channel prioritization and sequencing

  • Audience and journey clarity

  • Campaign and initiative planning with guidance on execution

  • Defining success metrics and decision cadence

Less thrash. Fewer “urgent” pivots. More forward motion.

 
 

Content strategy & copywriting

Content that supports the business — not just the calendar.

When content feels exhausting to maintain, something upstream is usually off. I help teams develop content strategies that support credibility, growth, and long-term relevance—without chasing every trend or algorithm change. And when the words matter — on a website, landing page, campaign, or leadership narrative — I’ll write or refine copy that’s precise, human, and aligned with strategy.

This work often includes:

  • Content audits and gap analysis

  • Editorial strategy and content pillars

  • Messaging architecture across formats

  • Voice, tone, and style guidance

  • Content systems that make work easier to scale and reuse

  • Website and landing page copy

  • Brand and product messaging

  • Thought leadership and ghostwriting

  • Campaign and narrative development

The goal is copy and content that earns attention and compounds over time.

 
 

Positioning, messaging, & narrative defense

Because misunderstanding can be just as costly as obscurity.

For companies in complex, regulated, or high-scrutiny spaces, messaging isn’t just about persuasion — it’s about risk. I help teams define narratives that are:

  • Clear enough to scale

  • Grounded enough to defend

  • Consistent enough to hold up under pressure

This work often supports leadership communications, sensitive transitions, and moments where getting the story wrong would be costly.