A fractional CMO is an experienced executive who can provide your business with the marketing strategies and results needed to achieve long-term growth. Also known as an outsourced CMO, a fractional CMO is a marketing leader who works part-time as an executive addition to your company. This means that the time they spend with your company is shared between several other companies they serve. A fractional CMO typically works with companies for a fixed period of time in a given month, often just a few hours. In other words, they receive a fraction of the salary that a normal CMO would receive for the same amount of work.
A fractional CMO is an outside marketing executive who can take a hands-on approach with existing marketing resources to focus on business growth, audience growth, and implementing account-based management strategies. Becoming a fractional CMO means that a marketing leader has reached the pinnacle of their profession: an experienced executive who is able to create and execute a company's marketing strategy. This is because a fractional CMO typically works with several companies as part of their executive management team. A fractional CMO can be the best solution to strengthen your brand, inculcate a sense of leadership in marketing, and keep your marketing strategies and efforts underway. If you're in a new industry, look for a fractional CMO who has proven time and time again that they follow a rigorous and predictable process. A fractional CMO reports directly to the CEO and focuses on marketing plans, building relationships with partners, creating marketing processes, developing the sales portfolio, and more.
These operations are stuck somewhere between an individual company and a large scale company that can afford to invest hundreds of thousands of dollars on the topic of CMOs every year (more on CMO compensation in a moment). The fractional payment rates of CMOs can vary, but instead of worrying about the cost, evaluate the value you'll receive and whether you'll save money. As you can tell from the above, the role that a fractional CMO will play will be reduced to a combination of the needs of the company that hires them and the skills and experience that the marketing professional brings. A fractional CMO is no less passionate about their business than a full-time employee; in many cases, they are more complete than most because of their track record and their deep experience in driving growth. Chief Outsiders is responsible for ensuring that you hire a fractional CMO who has achieved excellence in marketing leadership, who has achieved proven results and who can align with your corporate culture. Startups could consider hiring a fractional CMO to manage their fledgling marketing aspirations.
