Co-Founder & Managing Partner
Steve Burk
Steve co-founded AB Marketing Group in 2017 with a conviction that marketing should produce revenue, not reports. He leads strategy, operations, and the firm's digital infrastructure — building the systems that turn marketing spend into measurable growth. With nine years of experience across more than 300 businesses, Steve specializes in performance marketing architecture: connecting paid ads, SEO, email, and analytics into integrated systems that compound. He built ABMG's proprietary Growth Score assessment tool and oversees the firm's technology stack including CRM integration, marketing automation, and AI-enhanced campaign management.
Areas of Expertise
Performance Marketing Strategy
Marketing Technology & CRM Architecture
Revenue Attribution & Analytics
AI Search Optimization
Marketing Automation & Systems
Credentials
Co-Founded ABMG (2017)
Managed $1.5M+ in ad spend across Google, Meta, and programmatic
Built marketing systems for more than 300 businesses
Developed proprietary Growth Score assessment methodology
Articles by Steve
The Marketing Audit Every Growing Brand Should Run First
Before you hire another agency or rebuild your funnel, find the one thing actually holding your growth back — then fix it, prove it, and own the result.Strategy · 7 min readWhat a NJ Google Ads Agency Should Actually Do For You
Most Google Ads agencies in NJ optimize for clicks you can see and ignore the leaks you cannot. Here is what good account management actually looks like.Performance Marketing · 6 min readHow to Vet an SEO Agency in NJ
SEO is the easiest marketing service to fake and the hardest to verify. These questions separate a real NJ SEO agency from a monthly report generator.Performance Marketing · 6 min readHow to Set a Marketing Budget That Actually Produces Revenue
Most marketing budgets are set by guessing a percentage and hoping. Here is how to size yours around what a customer is worth, and prove the return.Strategy · 6 min readWhat a NJ Email Marketing Agency Should Do
A practical checklist for choosing an email marketing provider: scope, account ownership, audience quality, approvals, and meaningful reporting. ABMG does not offer this service.Performance Marketing · 3 min readMarketing CRM & Tech in NJ: What a Real Setup Looks Like
A real NJ marketing CRM setup wires capture, attribution, and follow-up into one view you own, so you can finally see which channel made each customer.Performance Marketing · 5 min readWhat a NJ Marketing Automation Agency Should Build For You
A real NJ marketing automation agency builds the follow-up that catches leads when your team is busy, proves the revenue you recover, and hands you the keys.Performance Marketing · 6 min readDo You Actually Own Your Marketing? (Most Operators Don't)
A five-point ownership audit that shows whether your ad accounts, site, data, and leads are really yours, and how good partners hand you the keys.Strategy · 6 min readYour First 90 Days With a Marketing Agency: What Good Looks Like
What the first 90 days with a marketing agency should produce: a named constraint fixed, results in real numbers, and accounts you own.Strategy · 6 min readMarketing Automation for Mid-Market: What's Actually Worth the Investment
Everyone's selling you automation tools. Few of them will generate ROI. Here's which marketing automations deliver 10X returns — and which ones are expensive distractions.Performance Marketing · 8 min readReal Estate Marketing That Generates Listings, Not Just Clicks
You're spending money on Zillow leads that were already yours. Here's how top agents build a local authority brand that generates listings — without paying a portal for the privilege.Industry Insights · 7 min readThe Outsourced CMO Playbook for $5M-$20M Companies
Too big for DIY, too small for a $250K hire. The 5 plays that turn marketing from a cost center into a growth system for $5M-$20M NJ companies.Strategy · 8 min readOutsourced CMO vs. Full-Time: The Real Math
Speed, cost, and ROI compared head-to-head: outsourced CMO vs $200K+ full-time hire. Which path is right for a growing mid-market company? NJ agency view.Strategy · 7 min readOutsourced CMO vs. Fractional CMO vs. Agency
The three models compared on team, scope, cost, and accountability. Which fits a growing mid-market business? Plain-English breakdown from a NJ marketing agency.Strategy · 7 min readOutsourced CMO Cost — $2K-$20K Tier Breakdown
Real outsourced CMO pricing: $2K-$4K entry, $5K-$10K mid-market, $10K-$20K+ full partnership. What you get at each tier — transparent pricing from a NJ agency.Strategy · 6 min readOutsourced CMO for Contractors
Marketing leadership for NJ construction firms: paid ads, SEO, content. A proven 90-day playbook for growing contractors. From referrals to system.Industry Insights · 6 min readRestaurant Marketing Playbook — Fill Your Tables
How restaurants and food brands build marketing systems beyond happy hour. Content, social, and the channel mix that drives bookings. NJ marketing agency playbook.Industry Insights · 7 min readIndustrial B2B Marketing — Building a Real Pipeline
How growing industrial manufacturers build marketing beyond trade shows. Channel mix, attribution, and a system that produces leads. NJ playbook from ABMG.Industry Insights · 6 min readMarketing for Professional Services Firms in the DC Metro
DC is packed with agencies. Most of them specialize in government contracts or charge K Street overhead. Here's what professional services firms actually need.Industry Insights · 5 min readHow Maryland Businesses Compete with DC Agencies — Without DC Prices
You're paying DC rates for a junior account manager who juggles 20 clients. There's a better way to get enterprise marketing at mid-market prices.Strategy · 5 min readWhy Your Logo Isn't Your Brand (And What Actually Costs You Clients)
You spent $2K on a logo redesign and nothing changed. Because your logo was never the problem. Your brand system was.Brand & Creative · 5 min readMarketing Automation in 2026: What's Worth It for a $5M Company
Everyone's selling 'AI-powered automation.' Most of it is overpriced nonsense. Here's what actually moves the needle for mid-market businesses.Strategy · 6 min readMarketing Agency in DC vs NJ: Why Geography Matters Less Than You Think
Your agency doesn't need a DC zip code to deliver DC-level results. Here's why the best marketing partnerships are built on systems, not proximity.Strategy · 5 min readSmall Business Marketing in New Jersey: The 2026 Playbook
AI search is changing the game. Ad costs are up 40%. Cookie deprecation is real. Here's what NJ small businesses need to know — and do — right now.Industry Insights · 6 min readOutsourced CMO for $5M Companies
What an outsourced CMO actually looks like at $5M revenue. The day-to-day, the team behind the strategist, and when the model breaks. NJ agency view.Strategy · 5 min readFrom Zero to Domination Package: How a Golf App Found Its Marketing System
A tech startup with 200 subscribers, $100K wasted on a bad agency, and zero content. Here's how discovery, diagnosis, and the right package changed everything.Strategy · 7 min read5 Websites We Built in 2 Days Each (And Why Speed Matters)
We built 5 client websites in a single week — complete with SEO, calculators, and lead capture. Here's why the 3-month website timeline is dead.Industry Insights · 6 min readDigital Marketing for Law Firms: Why 227 Reviews and a #9 Ranking Don't Add Up
You have more Google reviews than anyone in your market. You're still on page 2. Here's why reviews alone don't win the ranking game — and what does.Industry Insights · 6 min readWhat Your Website Is Costing You Every Month (And You Don't Even Know It)
Your website loads in 5 seconds on mobile. Your forms don't track conversions. Every ad click lands on your homepage. Here's how much that's actually costing you.Performance Marketing · 6 min readHow to Choose a Marketing Agency in New Jersey (Without Getting Burned Again)
You've been through agencies that overpromised and underdelivered. Here's the evaluation framework that separates the ones who actually perform from the ones who just pitch well.Strategy · 8 min readYour Marketing Budget Is Earning Less Than a Savings Account
You're spending $5K, $10K, maybe $20K a month on marketing. Can you point to the revenue it produced? If not, a savings account would literally perform better.Performance Marketing · 6 min readThe Channel That Built Your Business Will Eventually Betray It
Cold email worked until spam filtering killed it. PPC worked until the costs doubled. Referrals work until they don't. Here's why single-channel dependency is the most dangerous risk in your business.Strategy · 6 min readSix Agencies Later: What They All Got Wrong
You've been through the cycle. The pitch is impressive, the execution is junior, the reports say nothing about revenue. Here's the structural reason it keeps happening.Strategy · 7 min readWhy Premium Contractors Lose to Cheaper Competitors Online
You do better work. You have better reviews. But when someone Googles your trade in your city, you're invisible. Here's why — and how to fix it.Industry Insights · 6 min read5 Signs You've Outgrown DIY Marketing
DIY marketing works — until it doesn't. Here are five signals that your business has outgrown doing it yourself, and what to do about it.Industry Insights · 4 min readThe Hidden Revenue in Your Contact List
Your contact list isn't a list — it's hidden revenue sitting in plain sight. Here's how businesses are turning dormant databases into their highest-ROI marketing channel.Performance Marketing · 5 min readWhy Your Marketing Agency Isn't Working
You've hired agencies before. They promised results, delivered reports, and eventually you moved on. Here's why the model keeps failing — and what actually works.Strategy · 6 min read
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