What is a fractional CMO, and when do you need one?
Somewhere between doing it all yourself and hiring a head of marketing, there's a middle option. Here's how to tell whether it's the right one for you.
You've grown past the point where marketing can live in the gaps of your week. A full-time head of marketing still feels like a big hire for where you are. That's usually when someone mentions a fractional CMO.
The term sounds like jargon, and it often gets explained in jargon too. Here's the plain version, how it compares with the other options, and how to tell whether it's the right move for your business right now.
What is a fractional CMO?
A fractional CMO is a senior marketer who runs your marketing part-time. They do the job of a head of marketing (setting the plan, deciding where the budget goes, directing the people who do the work and reporting on results) for a monthly fee instead of a full-time salary.
"Fractional" simply means you get a fraction of their time. CMO stands for chief marketing officer. Most small businesses don't need the full title, which is why you'll also see it called a fractional marketing director, a part-time head of marketing or, here at Cortado, a Fractional Marketing Lead.
What a fractional CMO does
The easiest way to think about it: they decide what should happen, and make sure it does.
- Set the plan: who you're talking to, what you're saying, and which channels are worth your time
- Decide where the budget and the hours go, and what to stop
- Brief and review the work of your team, freelancers or agency
- Report on what's working, on a page you can read in five minutes
What they usually don't do is produce everything themselves. A good fractional CMO will write when it matters, but most of their hours go on direction and decisions. The writing, design and ad management stay with whoever does that work today.
Short on hands? Don't worry. Many start-ups and small businesses don't have a team, a freelancer or an agency to hand the work to, and that's completely normal. A good fractional CMO will roll up their sleeves and help with some of the doing too, or find the right freelancer for the rest. What matters is agreeing up front who does what, so the plan keeps moving with the people and time you have.
Fractional CMO, full-time hire or agency?
| Fractional CMO | Full-time head of marketing | Marketing agency | |
|---|---|---|---|
| What you get | Senior strategy and direction, part-time | Senior strategy and direction, every day | Production: campaigns, content and ads |
| Time | As much as your plan needs | Every working day | Depends on the retainer |
| How you pay | A monthly fee | A salary and benefits | A monthly retainer or per project |
| Who owns the plan | You and your fractional CMO | Your head of marketing | Often the agency |
| Best when | You need direction more than extra hands | You need someone in-house every day | You know what you need and want it made |
You don't have to pick just one. Plenty of businesses use a fractional CMO to direct an agency, and it's often the arrangement that makes the agency worth its fee.
Direction first. Then production.
Signs you're ready for one
- You're spending money on marketing and can't say what it's bringing in
- Marketing happens when someone has time, which is rarely
- You have people doing the work, and nobody deciding what the work should be
- Your agency sends reports full of numbers, and you're not sure what to do with them
- You're thinking about hiring a head of marketing and aren't sure what that person should own
If two or more of those sound familiar, a fractional CMO is worth a conversation.
When to start smaller
If you don't yet know where your customers come from, a one-off marketing audit will show you where to focus first, and you can decide about ongoing help once you have the facts.
And if you need someone in the office every day to run a large marketing team, a full-time hire is the better route.
What the first 90 days look like
The first three months usually follow a simple rhythm.
- Month one: find out what's really working. Where customers come from, what each channel costs in time and money, and what can stop.
- Month two: write the plan. One page that everyone works to, from your team to your agency.
- Month three: run it and measure it. A one-page report shows what moved, and the plan adjusts.
By the end of the quarter, marketing has an owner, and it shows in the numbers.
Five questions to ask before you hire one
- How much of your time will I get, and what happens if we need more?
- Will you work with my existing team or agency?
- What will I see each month to know it's working?
- How long before we should expect results?
- How much notice do either of us need to give?
Good answers are specific. If someone can't tell you what you'll see each month, keep looking.
How this works at Cortado
My Fractional Marketing Lead service is a fractional CMO for founders and small businesses. You get a monthly planning session, oversight of your team, freelancers or agency, a one-page monthly report and a quarterly strategy review.