Blake Culig

About Blake Culig

I’m a Paid Media Manager specializing in Paid Search, Paid Social, and CRO, helping large organizations scale profitable acquisition programs. Over the past 5 years, I\'ve led paid media strategy for a Fortune 200 bank, driving measurable growth across consumer, small business, and commercial lines of business.What I do: Lead large-scale paid media campaigns across Search, Social, and multi-channel acquisition Design and optimize high-converting landing pages using CRO + UX best practices Own measurement (GTM), analytics (GA4), and reporting to guide senior leadership decisions Partner cross-functionally with Brand, Product, Legal, and agencies to deliver integrated campaigns Scale profitable acquisition programs to help business units hit their revenue targets2025 Results: SMB lead gen: 2,717 leads; 345 onboarded clients (21% lift YoY); 755 product openings; 373% 2-Year ROMI Mortgage lead gen: 878 leads; 118 closed loans (146% YoY);$23.1MM LTV from $152k spend (15,097% ROI); became #1 lead source for this LOBPast Results: Improved ROI for B2C retail acquisition in 6 of 7 quarters (459% in Q2’22 → 978% in Q1’24), generating $18.9MM profit (633% ROI) Launched B2B lead gen campaign that generated $769k profit in 18 months (587% ROI) Launched SMB lead gen campaign that generated $1.01MM profit in 10 months (522% ROI) Achieved a 113% lift in lead volume through a full landing page redesign (CRO + UX) Drove $2.7MM in revenue (LTV) within 4 months of launching Mortgage lead gen campaign (11 funded loans from $21k spend)🧠 Continuous LearningI’m committed to continuously improving my skills & knowledge, regularly investing in courses and books to elevate my paid media expertise, team leadership abilities, and overall business acumen. I\'m also a power user of AI, leveraging tools to accelerate task execution faster than traditional workflows. Outside of WorkI enjoy staying active by lifting weights, tackling Spartan races with my older brother, and playing golf. I’m a lifelong soccer player (former collegiate athlete) and a loyal Chicago Bears fan (painful, but character-building).I also love traveling and experiencing new cultures (favorites so far include Costa Rica, South Africa, Mexico, and Italy). But most of all, I treasure watching Netflix series nightly with my wife, Felicia, and our dog, Harvey (who fully runs the house).🤝 Let’s ConnectAlways open to discussing paid media strategy, CRO, and leadership opportunities in digital marketing.

Experience

1. Senior Digital Strategist (Paid Media Manager)

   First Citizens Bank

   Dec 2025 — Present · Raleigh, NC, US

   Lead Paid Media for a Fortune 200 bank, owning Paid Search, Paid Social and CRO to drive profitable growth across consumer, small business, and commercial lines of business.What I do: Execute channel strategy for 8 business units (7-figure annual budget;~$250k/month) Design and optimize high-converting landing pages (CRO + UX) to improve CVR and lower CPL/CAC Own measurement (GTM), analytics, and reporting to guide senior leadership decisions Partner with Brand, Product, Legal, and agencies on integrated campaigns (including ABM, display, and programmatic)2025 Results: SMB lead gen: 2,717 leads; 345 onboarded clients (21% lift YoY); 755 product openings; 373% 2-Year ROMI Mortgage lead gen: 878 leads; 118 closed loans (146% YoY);$23.1MM LTV from $152k spend (15,097% ROI); became #1 lead source for this LOBPast Results: Improved ROI for B2C retail acquisition in 6 of 7 quarters (459% in Q2’22 → 978% in Q1’24), generating $18.9MM profit (633% ROI) Launched B2B lead gen campaign that generated $769k profit in 18 months (587% ROI) Launched SMB lead gen campaign that generated $1.01MM profit in 10 months (522% ROI) Achieved a 113% lift in lead volume through a full landing page redesign (CRO + UX) Drove $2.7MM in revenue (LTV) within 4 months of launching Mortgage lead gen campaign (11 funded loans from $21k spend)Key initiatives: Brought tag management & campaign tracking in-house, leading the platform transition (Adobe → GTM) to improve data quality, site speed (12%), and cost savings Brought landing page development in-house with CRO/UX-informed design to improve conversion rate, CPL, and speed-to-launch Oversaw campaign, team, and agency integrations during two mergers and helped develop new enterprise Paid Media strategyPeople leadership: Leads interviewing, hiring, onboarding, and training for new team members Fosters a collaborative and high-performing culture to represent team well to stakeholders

Education

• North Carolina State University

  Bachelor of Science - BS, Business Administration with Marketing Concentration

• Chowan University

  Business Administration - Marketing