
Bill Kiefaber is President and owner of Marketing Works, the B2B marketing agency he has led since 2014. He works with companies that have complicated, technical things to sell, in workers' compensation, manufacturing, health care, engineering and business services. Most of his time goes to strategy: finding new markets for clients, choosing the channels that will actually move prospects to act, and keeping marketing and sales pointed at the same revenue goal.
Before Marketing Works, Bill founded Highbar Agency, which helped central Ohio organizations put marketing automation platforms such as Eloqua, Pardot and Marketo to work generating sales leads and donations. He led account management and business development at Questline, was a Senior Vice President at Fahlgren Mortine, and served as Chief Operating Officer of GRIP Technology, which grew more than 300 percent during his time there. Earlier he spent seven years as a Vice President at Paul Werth Associates leading its technology and corporate practices, managed client relationships at Resource Interactive, and ran marketing for Deloitte's central Ohio practice. He started his career as a retail consultant at Retail Planning Associates, where he wrote Financial Retailing: New Frontiers for the American Bankers Association and completed feasibility studies in China, Puerto Rico and Mexico.
His work spans B2B strategic planning, inbound marketing, marketing automation, brand positioning, market research, and internal and external communications. He describes the purpose of Marketing Works as being "a conduit to success for everyone we touch," and he applies that to clients, partners and the community alike.
Outside the agency, Bill served as Executive Board President of the Simon Kenton Council of Scouting America for nearly 14 years and now directs the council's marketing and communications, for a council serving more than 10,000 youth across 19 counties. He has served on the boards of the Jazz Arts Group and Leadership Columbus, co-founded CONVENE Columbus, chairs the pet contest for the Kiwanis Club of Columbus, and was an Expert Advisor at Rev1 Ventures. He holds a BSBA in marketing, magna cum laude, from The Ohio State University.
Insights by Bill
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Nearly Four Decades In: What Marketing Works’ Longevity Means for Clients
Agencies open and close constantly. A firm gets acquired, a few key people leave, a client’s contact of five years is suddenly gone, and the institutional knowledge about that account…
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No Cookie-Cutter Strategies: Why ‘We Get It’ Is More Than a Slogan
Ask most agencies what makes them different, and you will hear some version of the same three or four claims. Strategic. Data-driven. Client-focused. The words are easy to say and…
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What Makes a Good Client-Agency Relationship
Every agency will tell you they build strong client relationships. Fewer can explain what that actually means in practice. It is easy to say “we treat clients like partners.” It…
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What an Account Manager Actually Does (It’s More Than Scheduling Meetings)
Ask most people what an account manager does, and you will probably hear something like “they set up meetings” or “they send the invoices.” It is an easy assumption to…
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A Process Built to Move the Needle: Inside the MW-360 IDEA Approach
Ask 10 agencies how they build a marketing plan, and you will likely get 10 different answers, most of which boil down to a list of channels they happen to…
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Almost Four Decades In, and Still Picky About Who We Work With
Longevity in the agency world is rarer than it should be. Agencies open with a bold logo and an even bolder pitch, land a handful of clients, and disappear within…
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AI Can Write Your Content, But Can It Be You
AI & Marketing Insights AI Can Write Your Content, But Can It Be You? The internet is drowning in AI-generated content, and consumers are tuning out. The businesses winning right…
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Your Next Customer Might Be an AI Agent. Is Your Brand Ready?
AI & Marketing Insights Your Next Customer Might Be an AI Agent. Is Your Brand Ready? Agentic AI is moving from concept to reality. AI systems are now researching, recommending,…
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Your Website Traffic Is Disappearing: Google’s AI Is the Reason
AI & Marketing Insights Your Website Traffic Is Disappearing — And Google’s AI Is the Reason Zero-click search and AI Overviews are fundamentally changing how customers find businesses. Here’s what…
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How to Communicate with Customers about Tariffs without Losing their Trust
Tariffs are no longer just a trade policy buzzword—they’re a reality shaping the bottom line for businesses across industries. Whether you’re in manufacturing, retail, or distribution, chances are you’ve felt…
Can we buy you a coffee and hear your story?
We’d love to sit down over a cup of coffee and hear your story. Our treat. Ask Bill Kiefaber about a complimentary strategic planning session.

