Jacob Smith · Better Brew Digital
I'm Jacob Smith. Marketing generalist. I blend brand storytelling, ecommerce strategy, and hands-on digital systems into work that actually moves numbers. Hiring for a role or hiring out a project? Same blend either way.
The Blend
Food & Beverage / Dining Services
District-scale marketing for university dining programs: content systems, PR, and stakeholder strategy at a $40M+ level.
Ecommerce Marketing
Merchandising, SEO, and campaign execution for a 5,000+ SKU national retailer.
Digital Ads & Marketing Systems
Agency-side paid media, web builds, and A/B-tested landing pages for small business and ecommerce clients.
My Story
My career started where most marketing careers don't. Behind a Shopify admin, cleaning up product data and building landing pages for a scrappy performance agency. That agency-side, ecommerce-first foundation (Fresh Fuel Marketing, then Ryan's Pet Supplies) is where I learned marketing is only as good as the system behind it. Campaigns don't run on ideas alone. They run on clean data, clear reporting, and pages that actually convert.
That systems mindset is the throughline. At Ryan's Pet Supplies, I applied it to merchandising and SEO across thousands of product pages. Back at Fresh Fuel as Digital Projects Manager, I applied it to web builds and paid campaigns for clients in ecommerce, education, and tech. And at Sodexo, I've applied the exact same instinct (build the calendar, standardize the reporting, make the system repeatable) to something much bigger: marketing strategy and PR across seven university dining programs generating $40M+ a year.
Alongside all of it, I've run Better Brew Digital since 2019: freelance web development and digital marketing for small business clients who need the same thing larger companies do. A clear plan. Clean execution. Someone who treats their brand like it matters. Food & beverage, ecommerce, digital ads. Different menus, same kitchen. I bring structure to marketing that's currently running on instinct, and I like being the person who builds the system, not just the campaign.
Featured Work
Three campaigns, three lanes, one approach: build the system, then run it well.
Standardized marketing calendars, survey reporting, and newsletter systems across seven university dining accounts totaling $40M+ in annual revenue. That included a Microsoft Sway newsletter model recognized nationally as a best practice.
400%
YoY social follower growth
300%
YoY engagement growth
7
university accounts, $40M+ revenue
Built and executed a full-funnel Cyber Month campaign (landing pages, email, product page merchandising) across a 5,000+ SKU catalog for a national B2B/B2C pet supply retailer, while identifying SEO internal-linking opportunities with the agency team.
20%
YoY revenue growth
5,000+
product & landing pages managed
As Digital Projects Manager, I led a four-person team on conversion rate optimization, landing page design, and full Shopify replatforms. That work generated an estimated $250K+ (est.) in trackable client sales, and I coordinated with the paid ads team on campaign builds.
4-person
leadership team
10+
clients across ecommerce, education & tech
Tasting Notes
$40M+
in dining program revenue supported across 7 university accounts
400%
YoY social follower growth driven at Sodexo
20%
YoY revenue growth from a single ecommerce campaign
5,000+
product & landing pages merchandised
Stay in Touch
Follow along for updates on my work across food & beverage, ecommerce, and digital ads, or send a connection request directly.
Connect on LinkedInFor Clients
What Better Brew Digital offers when you bring on a freelance partner instead of a full agency retainer.
Shopify builds and redesigns, WordPress sites, and landing pages built to convert, not just look good.
Product page optimization, promotions calendars, category structure, and SEO internal linking for online retailers.
Facebook/Google Ads, email marketing, and A/B-tested landing pages, built and measured with real reporting.
Standardized calendars, reporting templates, and newsletter systems that make marketing repeatable across a team or a district.
Experience
Sept 2023-Present
Sioux Falls, SD / St. Louis, MO
Food & Beverage
Sodexo USA · Promoted January 2025
Sept 2023-Dec 2024
St. Louis, MO
Food & Beverage
Sodexo USA
July 2022-Sept 2023
Remote
Digital Ads & Systems
Fresh Fuel Marketing
May 2021-June 2022
Phoenix, AZ
Ecommerce
Ryan's Pet Supplies
Aug 2019-Feb 2021
Remote
Digital Ads & Systems
Fresh Fuel Marketing · First hire in this role
Dec 2019-Present
Remote
Digital Ads & Systems
Better Brew Digital · Ongoing, self-directed
May 2019-Aug 2019
St. Louis, MO
Digital Ads & Systems
Ad Club St. Louis
2016-2019
Cedar Falls, IA
Education
B.A., Marketing: Advertising & Digital Media, Entrepreneurship Minor
Skills & Tools
HubSpot Digital Marketing Certified
exp. Apr 2027
ServSafe Food Protection Manager
exp. Nov 2029
Contact
Hiring for a marketing role, or looking for a freelance partner to run a project? Start here. I'll follow up within a day or two.
Reach out about a full-time or contract marketing position. I'll send my resume and set up time to talk.
Email About a RoleTell me about your business and what you need: a new site, a campaign, or ongoing marketing support.
Start a Project