Chief marketing officers are in high demand, but not all companies can afford the cost of hiring a full-time CMO. A fractional chief marketing officer (CMO) is an affordable way to access the high-level strategy your business needs without breaking the bank. A fractional CMO will take on only part of your company’s marketing and focus on areas that are a top priority for you right now. This gives you full access to their expertise without having them work exclusively for one organization.
What is a Fractional CMO?
A fractional CMO is a part-time, on-demand resource who works with your in-house marketing team or brings on a marketing team as needed. The fractional CMO is not a full-time employee of your company (they may or may not work at your office). Their role is to help execute projects that you need help with on an ongoing basis but don’t have the capacity to do yourself. They aren’t expected to attend every meeting and provide input on everything that happens in the company; instead, they are there when you need them most: during key project planning sessions; during periods of high demand from internal clients; or when you want another set of eyes looking at something that has been on your mind for some time.
Why Hire a Fractional Chief Marketing Officer?
If you’re looking to hire a fractional Chief Marketing Officer, know that they can help your business in many ways, But it’s important to discuss your situation with them to see if they are a good fit for your organization. Also know, a fractional CMO is not a Marketing Agency. Yes, some Agencies will have fractional CMOs as a service, but an Agency will provide marketing tactics that are directed to them. Google Ads, Website Design, Graphic Design, etc., are examples of what a marketing agency will bring to the table, whereas a CMO will create strategies to use the tactics effectively and then set up tracking mechanisms to show if the tactics work and which are falling short. A CMO knows the right questions to ask the agency, so you are not fooled into overspending on a project and thinking something is working when it’s clearly not.
A fractional CMO won’t have all of the responsibilities of being a full-time employee; rather than having them work 40+ hours per week, they will only be responsible for certain aspects of the job. This allows the fractional CMO to spend less time working at one location as they are able to manage multiple clients at once. This allows companies like yours who don’t need or want full-time employees but still want someone who’s already an expert in their field!
If you’re not sure where to start with your marketing, or if you have questions about how a fractional CMO could help your organization, schedule a consultation today. We’d love to chat with you about how we can help.
