Chad D. Lerch Email & Phone Number

Holland, Mi

• Drafted, developed and implemented strategic 3-year digital marketing plan for the hospital that covers pay-per-click advertising, SEO, social media, blogging, email marketing, video promotion and ongoing website enhancements. • Manage Google Ads campaigns to promote the hospital, primary care, and specialty medical services. Responsible for managing budgets, leading keyword research, overseeing development of ads for Search, Display, and Video, tracking KPIs and optimizing campaigns accordingly. Also hands-on with perfecting landing pages for conversion optimization. • Co-leader, redesign and redevelopment of the hospital’s website. Responsibilities included redesigning the user experience, establishing search engine optimization strategies, drafting persona for targeted messaging, planning and executing conversion optimization efforts, and managing the flow of content creation and implementation. Publication date: June 27, 2017. Organic traffic is up 22% and overall traffic is up 25% since launch. The website has won several awards in the medical marketing community.

Grand Haven, Mi

• Hired and managed web developers, designers and photographers to deliver digital marketing assets for clients ranging from doctors, dentists, international nonprofits, e-commerce and manufacturing suppliers.• Directed projects that included new website development, pay-per-click advertising, video production, podcasts, social media management, content marketing/blogging and SEO.• Transformed dull and passive website content for medical practices and increased referral form submissions, on average, 38% over six-month period. Conducted market research and wrote compelling ad copy that increased traffic to medical websites 60%; maintained 45% profit margin for Google Pay-Per-Click campaigns.

Grand Haven, Mi

* Managed multiple email marketing campaigns monthly that reached more than 130,000 parents in the United States and Canada; served as lead writer, researcher, programmer and occasional designer* Created 240% sales growth in email marketing channel in two-year span with School Zone* Maximized Google Adwords and Bing Pay-Per-Click Advertising opportunities by writing clear, crisp, and catchy ad copy that motivated customers to buy School Zone's products; organized ad groups with appropriate landing pages; and managed keyword bid strategy.* Oversaw Google Analytics to identify e-commerce opportunities and overcome shortfalls; worked with general director and technical director to analyze web traffic statistics and implemented marketing strategies accordingly* Increased brand recognition and customer loyalty through social media marketing; managed Facebook engagement and social reach; organically grew social audience; helped School Zone gain 10,000+ Facebook followers by creating content customers cared about, like cross promotions, product giveaways, and more* Investigated competitors' inbound and outbound marketing campaigns, new products, pricing and other important information to keep School Zone ahead of the curve

Muskegon, Mi

• Created compelling marketing content for the organization’s website, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and other social media• Wrote, designed and edited print and electronic promotional campaigns for Chamber events; these promotions were critical to reaching target audiences, capturing interest and increasing attendance • Produced monthly electronic newsletter and market report; responsible for finding stories, interviewing newsmakers, writing stories and managing staff to ensure the publications go out on time• Managed public relations campaigns; built relationships with media, produced press packets and followed up with the goal of getting positive news published about the Chamber and its members

• Broke story about dysfunctions between city administration and elected officials and documented how those broken relationships negatively affected the delivery of public services. As a result of the report, wayward elected officials were voted out of office, relationships within the city government improved, and services to the public improved.• Documented teenage wasteland in downtown Grand Haven where outdoor drinking, sex acts, and lewd behavior threatened to ruin the summer tourism season for business owners. After publication, public safety officials cracked down on troubled parking lots and courtyards and made the area safer. Business owners applauded the story for driving the improvements.• Broke story about the city of Grand Haven’s deer cull that happened on public property, just yards from residential neighborhoods, without public discussion/notification. Freedom of Information Act request led to documentation that proved the city covered up the cull and that they failed to notify residents about the presence of sharpshooters.• Proven trustworthy by working mostly unsupervised in a satellite bureau for eight years.• Ninety-nine percent satisfaction in reader surveys for accuracy, integrity and professionalism.

• Led team-reporting project on an arson fire that killed a mother and several young children; follow-up stories helped family, community heal from tragedy• Broke through misleading propaganda aimed at giving city administrators hefty raises at taxpayer expense; stories created a stir in community and the proposal, which was higher than similar-sized cities, was dropped• Contributed to several team reporting projects that won statewide awards for journalistic excellence; awards included “community service” reporting on multimillion dollar building project for Lima Public Schools and “breaking news” for coverage of arson fire

• Won competitive reporting internship in The Akron Beacon Journal’s Statehouse news bureau• Successfully competed with best journalists in Ohio covering state legislature, governor and supreme court; learned to write crisply, clearly and quickly• Broke story about attempts in state Senate to change proposed legislation aimed at stiffer penalties for those who harm viable fetuses; the legislation eventually passed