Accepting 2 new clients for Q2 2026 — Book your discovery call

Google is changing. AI is answering. Your pipeline depends on what happens next.

Your competitors are already showing up in AI search results — and you don't know why. I build the intelligence system that connects your search data, analytics, sales conversations, and competitive landscape so you see exactly what's happening and what to do about it.

Book a Discovery Call → See How It Works
20+
Years in SEO & Growth
VP+
Ziff Davis · TrustRadius · Newfold · LTV Co
230%
Traffic growth in 6 months
4–6
Clients at any given time
I'm not
An agency with 30 junior account managers who rotate off your project every quarter.
I'm not
A SaaS dashboard you'll forget to log into by month three.
I am
A fractional CMO for companies between marketing leaders — senior enough to own the strategy, operator enough to actually build the system. I've worked agency side, built my own shop, and sat in the VP chair at companies you've heard of. I came back to the client side because I know what both seats need.
// The Problem

Your marketing team has data in 12 tools and insights in zero of them.

Most B2B SaaS companies are running marketing with one hand tied behind their back. Not because the team isn't good — because the systems aren't connected.

✕ What most teams live with

  • SEO agency sends a ranking report. Nobody knows what to do with it.
  • Content calendar runs on vibes. No connection to what prospects actually ask on sales calls.
  • Organic CAC is a mystery. Nobody can prove what content contributed to closed-won revenue.
  • Competitors are showing up in AI search results. You don't even know which ones or why.
  • Leadership gets asked "why is pipeline down?" — nobody has a real answer beyond "we need more content."

✓ What becomes possible

  • A live intelligence system that connects your CRM, analytics, search data, and sales conversations into one picture.
  • Content strategy built from actual sales call transcripts, competitive gaps, and AI visibility data.
  • Real-time competitive war room showing who's gaining and losing ground — in traditional and AI search.
  • CRO hypotheses generated from analytics, behavioral data, sales intelligence, competitive research, technical audits, and market research — scored by impact, not gut instinct.
  • A Monday morning briefing that tells the CEO and marketing leader exactly what's happening, why, and what to do about it.
// Who I Work With

Which one are you?

I work with B2B SaaS companies from seed stage through $100M ARR. Three situations where I tend to fit best.

Persona 01
Founder / CEO without a marketing leader
You're seed to early Series A. You've been running marketing yourself or with a junior generalist. You need to prove channel fit and a credible growth narrative before the next raise — but you can't justify a $300K CMO yet, and you don't trust an agency to own the strategy.
"I don't know what's working, I can't afford a full-time CMO yet, and the next raise depends on me figuring this out."
What you need: A senior operator in the seat for 6–12 months — strategy, system, and execution — until the company can hire a permanent leader.
Persona 02
Founder / CEO with an open marketing seat
Your VP of Marketing or CMO just left, or never existed at scale. Pipeline is at risk during the gap. A search firm is six months minimum, and your board doesn't want to wait. You need someone in the seat now who can also help you scope the permanent hire.
"We can't afford a six-month hiring search with pipeline declining. I need a leader in seat by next week."
What you need: An experienced operator who steps in fast, runs the function, and helps shape the permanent role — so the next hire walks into a working system, not a burning building.
Persona 03
Marketing leader in seat
You're the VP of Marketing or CMO. Organic is underperforming, the CEO keeps asking why, and your SEO agency sends reports nobody acts on. You don't need a replacement — you need a senior peer who's sat in your chair, who can help you build the intelligence system and tell you the truth.
"I don't need another vendor. I need a peer who's been here, who'll tell me what's actually broken — not what's easy to sell me on."
What you need: A strategic advisor who augments your team with senior thinking, intelligence, and outside perspective — not a fractional CMO trying to take your seat.
// Signal Architecture™

Your tools have data. I build the system that finds the signal.

Signal Architecture is my methodology for connecting a company's marketing, sales, and competitive data sources into an AI-orchestrated intelligence layer. Your team probably already uses Semrush, HubSpot, maybe a content optimization tool. What you don't have is anyone connecting them. That's what I build.

signal-architecture — your-company.dashboard
Data Layer — Your Existing Tools
CRM (HubSpot, Salesforce) Analytics (GA4, Amplitude, PostHog) Search Console Sales Calls (Gong, Chorus) SEO Tools (Semrush, Ahrefs, DataForSEO) Behavioral (Hotjar, FullStory) AI Visibility (Profound, Otterly, Peec) Content Tools (AirOps, Clearscope, Surfer)
↓
Intelligence Layer — What I Build
Organic Performance Intelligence AI Visibility Tracking Demand & Topic Intelligence Competitive War Room Messaging & Sales Signal Analysis CRO Hypothesis Engine Distribution & PR Monitoring Growth Command (Executive View)
↓
Action Layer — What Your Team Receives
Prioritized Content Roadmap Weekly Intelligence Briefing CRO Test Queue (Scored) Competitive Alert System Board-Ready Attribution Reports Technical SEO Action Items
01 — Connect

Wire Into Your Stack

I connect to your existing tools using custom integrations and API connections. No new software to buy. No data migration. I work with what you already have and make it talk to each other.

02 — Analyze

Build the Intelligence Layer

AI-orchestrated analysis runs across all data sources simultaneously. Instead of one analyst looking at one dashboard, you get a system that finds patterns across your entire marketing surface area.

03 — Act

Execute With Precision

Every insight comes with a specific action. Not "improve your content strategy" — but "publish this piece targeting this cluster because your competitor lost 40% AI visibility on this topic last month."

// Background

I've operated at the scale your company aspires to.

Years running my own agency. A decade in VP roles at scale. I've sat on both sides of the table — I know what it's like to serve clients and to be one.

Agency Owner
Agency Side → In-House
Built and ran a search marketing agency — managing client P&Ls, building teams, and delivering growth across dozens of companies before going in-house at the VP level.
Senior Director, SEO & Merchandising
Ziff Davis (Public · PCMag, Mashable, Offers.com, AskMen, BlackFriday.com, ExtremeTech)
Directed SEO and commerce strategy across a publicly traded portfolio of global tech and media brands. Partnered with corporate M&A teams to evaluate and integrate four acquisitions. Multi-million dollar revenue impact across commerce, advertising, and licensing.
VP of Audience & Content Acquisition · Executive Leadership Team
TrustRadius (acquired 2025)
Reported directly to the CEO as a member of the executive leadership team. Drove 230% organic traffic growth and triple-digit gains in high-intent ICP traffic, competing head-to-head against G2 and Capterra.
VP of SEO Channel Management — Global Brands · Senior Leadership
Newfold Digital (Bluehost, Web.com, Domain.com)
Partnered directly with the GM, Sales, and Finance leadership on strategy. Built a team of 50+ from 3 — creatives and developers in South America, writers and developers in India, strategists in the Philippines. Tied organic growth to pipeline and revenue across a PE-owned portfolio.
Founding Chairman
State of Search Conference
Founded one of the premier search marketing conferences in the U.S., drawing top speakers and practitioners to Dallas annually.
// Results

The receipts.

I measure success in revenue impact and competitive advantage — not vanity metrics.

230%
Organic traffic growth in 6 months
Built and executed a full-stack SEO and content strategy for a B2B SaaS review platform. Topical authority, technical optimization, and content velocity combined to drive massive growth.
B2B SaaS · Series B
3×
Pipeline-attributed content ROI
Connected content performance to sales pipeline through attribution modeling. Proved content's contribution to closed-won revenue — giving the CMO a board-ready narrative.
B2B SaaS · Privacy Tech
40%
Reduction in organic CAC
Connected content performance to CRM pipeline data. Killed underperforming programs, doubled down on what converted, and gave the CFO an attribution model they actually trusted.
B2B SaaS · PE-Backed
Mark manages to combine technical skills, business savvy, customer-facing prowess, and people leadership all in one. He's got domain expertise in spades, crushes goals, builds great teams, and is an all around stand-up human.
— Megan Headley · Product Marketing Leader · Formerly at Gartner & TrustRadius
The deliverable is not the report. The deliverable is the unfair advantage — knowing exactly what your competitors don't, and acting on it before they figure it out.
— Mark Barrera
// Services

Three ways to work together.

Every engagement starts with a discovery call to understand your stack, your gaps, and whether we're a fit. I keep my client roster at 4–6 so every company gets senior-level attention, not a junior account manager.

Tier 01
Strategic Advisor
$5–7.5K / month
Senior strategic partner without the headcount. For marketing leaders who need a peer who's been in the seat — or seed-stage founders proving marketing fit before the next raise. I bring intelligence, frameworks, and outside perspective; your team executes.
→ Replaces an agency relationship and gives your leader (or you) a senior thought partner you can actually call on when something breaks.
  • Signal Architecture audit & buildout
  • Monthly intelligence briefing with prioritized actions
  • AI visibility & competitive monitoring
  • Content strategy tied to sales call intelligence
  • Bi-weekly strategy sessions
  • Async Slack/email access (48hr response)
  • Quarterly business review with leadership
Book Discovery Call
Tier 02
Fractional CMO
$10K+ / month
I take the marketing leadership seat. For companies between marketing leaders, or earlier-stage teams that need a leader before they can hire one. I own the strategy, build the system, and run the function — strategy, hands, and accountability under one roof.
→ Typically replaces $250–350K of fully-loaded VP/CMO cost during the gap. Most clients see measurable pipeline impact within 90 days.
  • Everything in Strategic Advisor
  • Marketing leadership seat — team, agency, and vendor management
  • Custom dashboard & reporting suite
  • CRO hypothesis engine (scored & prioritized)
  • Content briefs, roadmap & editorial calendar
  • Technical SEO audits & implementation
  • Weekly leadership team participation
  • Real-time competitive war room access
  • Board-ready attribution reporting
  • Help shape the permanent VP/CMO hire when you're ready
Book Discovery Call
Tier 03
90-Day Sprint
$25–35K fixed
A scoped, fixed-fee engagement to answer one critical question — ICP definition, GTM motion, pre-raise marketing narrative, or a competitive AI search audit. For founders not ready for a retainer, or teams that need a defined outcome with a clear end date.
→ Defined scope, defined timeline, defined deliverable. Converts to a retainer only if it makes sense for both of us.
  • Defined scope (ICP, GTM, pre-raise narrative, or AI search audit)
  • Weekly working sessions with leadership
  • Final deliverable + 12-month execution roadmap
  • Signal Architecture install for the chosen domain
  • 30-day post-sprint email support
  • Optional conversion to Strategic Advisor or Fractional CMO retainer
Book Discovery Call
// Let's Talk

Ready to stop flying blind?

A 30-minute discovery call to understand your stack, your goals, and whether we're the right fit. No pitch deck. No pressure. Just a conversation between two people who take marketing seriously.

Email mark@markbarrera.com
Phone 214-908-0954
Location Austin, Texas
Book a Discovery Call →