ainsleyy

Marketing Strategy / Positioning / Growth Systems

Ainsley Fagerström

Marketing Strategy, Positioning & Fractional CMO Support

I help startups, nonprofits, consultants, coaches, and founder-led teams sharpen their positioning, build practical marketing systems, and turn scattered ideas into clear growth strategy.

Work with me See services

Selected results

10+

Years in marketing

B2B SaaS, consumer brands, nonprofits, early-stage startups

10x

MRR growth

in 12 months

1M

Users added

across platforms

2,000+

Community members

built in 10 weeks

4x

Paid leads

increase in paid lead volume

50%

Lower CPC

reduction in cost per conversion

Most marketing does not fail because teams lack ideas.

It fails because everything is scattered.

01

The positioning is unclear.

02

The website says too much and not enough at the same time.

03

The content is active, but not strategic.

04

The analytics exist, but nobody trusts them.

05

The founder is juggling ten priorities and calling it a marketing plan.

That is usually where I come in.

I help you find the signal, cut the noise, and build marketing that is easier to understand, easier to run, and easier to improve.

Ainsley setting up a camera in the studio

Senior marketing support without the high agency retainer fee.

I work with founders, lean teams, and mission-driven organizations that need senior marketing thinking without hiring a full-time CMO or managing a traditional agency.

My work sits across strategy, positioning, content, growth, analytics, and execution.

In plain English: I help make your marketing clearer, sharper, and less exhausting.

Services

Choose the kind of marketing support you need

01 / Strategy

Positioning & Messaging

For companies doing interesting work but struggling to explain it clearly.

I help define what you do, who it is for, why it matters, and how to say it in a way your audience can actually understand and care about.

Brand positioning, Messaging architecture, Website copy, Service or product page copy, Offer clarity, Founder narrative, Sales and outreach messaging, Pitch and campaign messaging

Clarify the message

02 / Growth

Growth & Marketing Strategy

For teams that need more visibility, better leads, and a clearer path from awareness to conversion.

I help build practical growth strategies across organic, paid, SEO, partnerships, email, lifecycle, and social. Not every channel deserves your attention. I help you stop feeding the wrong machines.

Growth strategy, Funnel audits, SEO and content strategy, Campaign planning, Paid acquisition review, Lifecycle and email campaigns, Conversion optimization, 90-day marketing plans

Build the strategy

03 / Systems

Marketing Systems & Analytics

For teams that are tired of guessing.

I help set up the basic infrastructure that makes marketing easier to run, measure, and improve. Because vibes are not a reporting framework, tragically.

GA4 and Google Tag Manager setup, Looker Studio dashboards, UTM systems, Lead tracking, CRM cleanup, Campaign reporting, Marketing workflows, Internal documentation

Fix the foundations

04 / Content

Content & Brand Direction

For brands that need a stronger voice, a clearer point of view, and content that does more than decorate LinkedIn.

I help turn ideas, expertise, and messy internal knowledge into content people want to read, share, and act on.

LinkedIn strategy, Thought leadership, Social media direction, Campaign concepts, Editorial planning, Content pillars, Visual direction, Founder-led content

Sharpen the content

05 / Leadership

Fractional Marketing Lead

For teams that need senior marketing leadership, but not another full-time salary.

I step in as a hands-on strategic partner to help you prioritize, plan, execute, and improve your marketing across brand, growth, content, analytics, and campaigns.

Marketing strategy and prioritization, Campaign direction, Content and messaging support, Website and funnel improvements, Analytics and performance review, Team and freelancer coordination, Hands-on execution where needed

Work with me

Selected work

I build from zero. I clean up messes. I make marketing usable.

Brand build / Community

Happily Employed

2,000+ community members in 10 weeks

Built and scaled an ethical employment platform from zero to a live job board and advocacy ecosystem, growing a 2,000+ member community in 10 weeks through organic growth and community-led acquisition.

Designed and launched the CARE Employer Certification, a workplace standard built to verify how companies treat their people beyond employer branding. Owned the brand strategy, growth, community engagement, content, partnerships, systems, and launch execution.

What this shows

I can take an idea from messy concept to live platform, build the story around it, and create enough momentum for people to actually care.

Happily Employed social post
Happily Employed LinkedIn post

Growth / Acquisition

Startup Growth & Marketing Strategy

Partnered with founders and leadership teams across B2B and B2C startups to define positioning, build acquisition systems, and drive growth across paid, organic, lifecycle, social, content, and partnerships.

What this shows

I know how to connect brand, growth, channels, and execution without treating them as separate planets.

01

10x increase in MRR within 12 months

02

User growth from 350K to 1.2M+ globally

03

4x increase in paid leads

04

50% reduction in cost per conversion

05

Organic traffic tripled in 3 months

06

100+ influencer and creator advocates recruited and activated within four months

Events / Partnerships / Systems

Women's Career Network

Led marketing, events, and partnership strategy for one of Sweden's leading networks for women in business and law. Planned and executed flagship events, strengthened sponsor partnerships, improved marketing systems, and increased community engagement through sharper content and programming.

01

8+ flagship events planned and executed annually

02

9/10 attendee satisfaction

03

40% reduction in manual workload through automation

04

20% increase in community engagement in six months

05

Partnerships with SEB, Baker McKenzie, Roschier, Cederquist, and Delphi

What this shows

I can build community, partnerships, campaigns, systems, and events in a way that is organized enough to scale and human enough to matter.

Women's Career Network SEB event
Women's Career Network LinkedIn post
Ainsley laying out a moodboard in the studio
"I am not here to make your marketing busier. I am here to make it sharper."

Most teams do not need more ideas. They need better decisions. They need someone who can look at the whole picture, identify what actually matters, and turn strategy into work that ships. That is the part I am good at.

I can move from positioning to copy, from campaign planning to analytics, from messy Notion pages to launch-ready assets. I think like a strategist, write like a marketer, and build like someone who knows the invoice depends on the thing actually working.

How the work goes

Four moves, in order.

01

Find the signal

We start by understanding what is working, what is not, what your audience actually needs, and where the business is leaking attention, trust, or revenue.

02

Sharpen the message

Then we clarify the positioning, story, offer, and content direction so people understand why they should care.

03

Build the system

We create the structure behind the work: channels, campaigns, tracking, workflows, reporting, and decision-making rhythms.

04

Ship the work

Then we execute. Because strategy that never leaves the document is just expensive stationery.

This works best when you want clear thinking, not polished nonsense.

I am a good fit if:

You are building something real and need sharper marketing around it

You want strategy and execution in the same person

You are tired of vague advice and pretty decks that do not move anything

You care about substance, not just aesthetics

You want your marketing to become clearer, more measurable, and easier to run

I am probably not the right fit if:

You want someone to blindly "just post" without asking why

You are looking for viral hacks without fixing the fundamentals

You want someone to execute tasks without questioning whether they make sense.

What people say

A rare combination of creativity, precision, and unwavering dedication.

Ainsley brings a rare combination of creativity, precision, and unwavering dedication to everything she does. Her attention to detail and ability to deliver high-quality results under pressure consistently stands out. She is deeply knowledgeable, efficient, organized, and reliable.

Lara Golay
Vice President, Women's Career Network

Proactive, talented, organized, and deeply aligned with values-driven work.

She brought creativity and care to every piece of content she produced and consistently delivered high-quality, resonant posts that made us feel proud to share our message with the world. She adapted quickly, took feedback in stride, and brought structure to the work.

Tara Ryan
CEO, Confidante

I can't recommend her highly enough.

I've had the pleasure of working closely with Ainsley for several months, as she supported the growth of my coaching business. I have honestly been blown away at her support — I can't recommend her highly enough! Whether it's something strategic or something practical, she can think and operate across it all. She's helped me rebuild my website and put better systems and processes in place for my marketing, sales and operations.

Hamish Noah
Speaker · Board Chair · featured by BBC World Service
Ainsley Fagerström

About

I'm Ainsley. I help teams find the signal and build the system.

I'm a Stockholm-based marketing strategist with 10+ years of experience helping startups, scale-ups, consumer brands, nonprofits, and B2B SaaS companies turn messy marketing into clear positioning, stronger messaging, and systems that actually support growth.

Across my work as a fractional CMO, growth strategist, founder, and marketing lead, I've helped companies reposition their brands, scale global user growth, improve acquisition, build content engines, clean up analytics, launch partnerships, and move faster without turning marketing into a circus.

My work has contributed to outcomes including 10x MRR growth, scaling global users from 350K to 1.2M+, tripling organic traffic, and improving paid acquisition performance by increasing leads while reducing cost per conversion.

I'm also the founder of Happily Employed, an ethical employment platform and advocacy organization. I built the brand, community, job board, certification framework, and growth engine from zero, growing a 2,000+ member community in 10 weeks through organic, community-led growth.

In plain English: I help teams figure out what they're really trying to say, build the marketing systems they actually need, and stop wasting time on work that looks busy but doesn't move the business.

10+ years across positioning, growth, content, analytics, and brand strategy

Experience across B2B SaaS, startups, consumer brands, and nonprofits

Founder of Happily Employed

Training across Oxford Saïd, UCLA Extension, Stanford Continuing Studies, and UBC

Education & Professional Training

Executive Leadership Programme

Saïd Business School, University of Oxford

Brand Management

UCLA Extension

Advanced Digital and Social Media Marketing Strategies

UCLA Extension

Search Engine Optimisation

Stanford Continuing Studies

Digital Analytics Award of Achievement

The University of British Columbia

Internet Journalism

London School of Journalism

Translation & Interpretation

City University of Hong Kong

Common questions

What kind of marketing support do you offer?

I offer marketing strategy, positioning, messaging, content strategy, analytics setup, paid acquisition review, and fractional CMO support. The work is always tailored to what your business actually needs rather than a fixed package.

Who do you usually work with?

Startups, nonprofits, consultants, coaches, and founder-led teams who need clear strategy and practical execution without the overhead of a full-time marketing hire or a large agency.

Do you offer fractional CMO support?

Yes. I work with a small number of clients at a time as a fractional CMO or senior marketing advisor, embedded in the team and focused on building systems that last.

Can you help with positioning and messaging?

Yes. Positioning and messaging clarity is often the foundation of everything else. I help teams define what they stand for, who they serve, and how to communicate it consistently.

Contact

Ready to make your marketing less chaotic and more effective?

Tell me what you are building, what feels messy, and what you need marketing to actually do for the business.

I work with a limited number of clients at a time so the work stays thoughtful, focused, and effective.

The more context you share, the better.

Messy is fine. Half-formed is fine. 'I do not know what I need, but something is not working' is also fine. That is usually where the useful work starts.

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