Justin Schmidt

I am a marketing leader who wants to build cool things, tell cool stories about those things, and do it with cool people. 

When I think about my favorite moments in my career, they are all centered around building something new with a group of smart people and we’re all thinking through how we’re going to make the thing in front of us work as best as possible for the given use case. Over the years, I built things that I would use myself (or did use myself);  I loved sharing the excitement over that thing with others. Even better was building things that drove demonstrable value for our clients. There is nothing better than marketing a product that gets me excited about the way it can be used and about the problems it solves. This is why I like startups so much! I really enjoy the creative process from the initial marketing strategy to marketing execution and how I get to go back and forth between the 50’ and the 50,000’ view.
 
For me, building also means building teams. I have been so fortunate to have built amazing teams over the years. I am proud to have built a large network of people and it brings me so much joy to see how their careers have grown since our time together. I am the type of leader that cares more about my teams success than my own. I want to help my teams become better and I believe that if my team members grow, the company’s goals will fall into place.
 
I want to bring a product to market that delivers measurable value. I need to do all of this with smart people who challenge me and push me to be better. Marketing is storytelling with an objective. I love bringing ideas to market and telling a story to someone about how the offering we have is going to not only solve their immediate problem but also help them take advantage of new opportunities in the future. I’ve been doing this my whole career, and it is something I must continue doing.

I am always interested in expanding my professional network. If you would like to connect or have any specific questions about what you see above, please contact me at justin (at) justinschmidt.me.

AREAS OF EXPERTISE 
Revenue Growth
Product Marketing
Marketing Strategy 
Demand Generation
Executive Leadership
Revenue Optimization
Content Development
Business Development
Brand Strategy and Identity
Innovative Solutions Creation
Transformation & Turnarounds 
Product Development and Launches
Business Development and Expansion 
Startup Operations and Market Growth
Team Leadership, Empowerment, & Development

VP of Marketing

Compt helps companies build, streamline, and scale employee perk stipends that delight teams and give companies a more productive and engaged workforce.

Everyone has different needs, and we think that when perks take this into account the value to the employee goes beyond just beer or catered lunches and becomes so much more.

Melih Oztalay

Melih Oztalay Improves Digital Marketing Results | $30M+ generated for clients | Helping businesses increase by 200% their website conversions by optimizing their landing pages & CTAs

Going back to our creation in 1987, we entered the internet space in 1994, when digital marketing was still the Wild West. Today, as Founder of SmartFinds Marketing, I help mid-market B2B companies build revenue-focused marketing infrastructure — not just campaigns.

For more than 35 years, I’ve worked directly with CEOs and CMOs of manufacturers, technology firms, logistics providers, transportation companies, and professional service organizations to strengthen visibility, shorten sales cycles, and generate measurable growth. My focus isn’t traffic for traffic’s sake. It’s building scalable systems that support real revenue and have residual value.

SmartFinds Marketing is powered by a 25-person Detroit-based team that has worked together for over 14 years. We integrate authority positioning, demand generation, and conversion performance into cohesive growth systems that evolve with the market.

Our work has generated $30M+ in measurable client results. We’ve reduced bounce rates from over 80% to under 5%, delivered 800,000+ new visitors to a healthcare startup in three months, and scaled audience growth by 1,100% in just over a year.

Beyond client work, I’m a published industry author contributing to Search Engine Journal, Practical E-Commerce, and Crain’s Detroit, and a frequent guest on business and marketing podcasts. I’m also the creator of SmartPress, a B2B press release marketing program designed to enhance credibility and AI discoverability, and co-host of the Business Lunatics podcast, where we explore leadership, entrepreneurship, and strategic growth.

If you’re building something substantial and want marketing infrastructure that supports it, I’m always open to a thoughtful conversation.

It’s hard to navigate the complexities of today’s digital marketing landscape – especially when everyone who’s taken an online course declares themselves an expert. Smartfinds Marketing is a digital marketing agency with over 25 years of experience partnering with national and global companies.  SmartFinds is about the art of digital communications combined with the interpretation of results to manage a successful web presence for businesses.  The management of this success is achieved through the understanding of the marketing process, its activities, and strategies.

We are able to bridge the gap between technology tasks and the process of marketing practices and activities.  Our solutions include Website Marketability, Content Marketing, Inbound Marketing Ecosystem, Social Media Marketing and Digital Advertising strategies for a complete web presence solution.

Creative strategies. Innovative ideas. Use the full power of the digital marketplace with us!

Here is a LinkedIn share post that positions the Associated Press (AP) coverage as third-party credibility while driving registrations: The 2026 Growth Conversation continues.

Part Two of our CEO Strategy Series with Ken Cheo is now featured on AP News.

The focus this time isn’t effort. It’s infrastructure.

Many manufacturing and distribution leaders have already aligned their marketing and sales strategies for 2026.

The harder question is this: Is your revenue infrastructure built to perform?

When pipeline swings, forecasts feel fragile, and close rates fluctuate, the issue is rarely motivation.

It's structure.
It’s visibility.
It’s alignment.

On Wednesday, March 4 at 12 PM EST, Ken Cheo and I will unpack:
• Sales infrastructure and accountability systems
• AI-enabled visibility and traffic quality
• Conversion optimization and pipeline yield
• Revenue predictability for manufacturing leaders

This is an executive-level strategy discussion — not a tactics webinar.

If you’re responsible for revenue performance in 2026, this conversation will challenge how you evaluate your sales environment.

Register here: https://lnkd.in/eMPuZpfv or visit the LinkedIn Events page at: https://lnkd.in/eVJZKCYs

AP coverage: https://lnkd.in/eXHK5Dq9

#RevenueInfrastructure #ManufacturingLeadership #SalesStrategy #B2BGrowth #PredictableRevenue

Founder | SmartFinds Marketing | Revenue-Focused B2B Growth Systems | $30M+ Generated

You can’t out-market a weak product.

In retail and hospitality, durability and performance don’t just impact operations — they impact marketing results.

Take Turkish cotton towels, for example.

When a towel maintains softness, absorbency, and structure after repeated washes, customers notice. That shows up in reviews, repeat purchases, and lower return rates.

Better reviews improve conversion rates.

Lower returns protect margins.

Higher retention lowers acquisition costs.

This is why sourcing and marketing should never live in separate conversations.
Product performance drives perception.

Perception drives conversion.

Conversion drives growth.

If you’re evaluating premium Turkish cotton sourcing for retail or hospitality programs, it’s a conversation worth having.

#RetailStrategy #PrivateLabel #HospitalityIndustry #BrandTrust #CustomerRetention #TurkishCotton

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Justin Schmidt

Melih Oztalay

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The Battle

Justin Schmidt

Melih Oztalay

Followers

Posts

Engagements

Likes

Performance Score.css-goub6s{font-size:var(--chakra-fontSizes-md);font-weight:500;color:var(--chakra-colors-gray-600);display:block;margin-top:var(--chakra-space-1);}Melih Oztalay's LinkedIn Performance

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Performance ScoreMelih Oztalay's LinkedIn Performance