Marketing is a vital part of building and growing any business. However, it is something that we often put on the back burner. When you think about how much you have to do for your business, you will already see how this can happen.   

Many business owners think that to market their business correctly; they need to hire a full-time staff member to take charge of their marketing. However, this is not the case. You do not need a full-time staff member to take charge of marketing; you need someone who can be there sometimes. 

This is where the idea of a fractional CMO comes into play. But what is a fractional CMO, what do they do, and why may you want to bring one into the business?  

What are fractional CMO’s?  

A fractional Chief Marketing Officer takes charge of those key aspects of marketing your business (as any chief marketing officer would). Still, they work as either a consultant or a contractor.   

More often than not, a fractional CMO will work as a freelancer, which means that they may work with a variety of clients at once—dedicating fractions of their time to each one (which is where the name comes from).   

This doesn’t mean that they are not focused on what your business needs; they can spread their expertise and knowledge across several clients.   

Why is it worthwhile investing in a fractional CMO?  

It is normal to worry about outsourcing the most important parts of your business to someone outside of it. However, there are plenty of great reasons to outsource your marketing to a fractional CMO, even with those doubts. 

The main reason is that marketing is something that you can do, no matter whether you understand the industry or not. Marketing has specific approaches and techniques that work across the board. Marketing is marketing, and it is as simple as that.   

Therefore, a fractional CMO can use its marketing expertise to push your business forward. No matter what you do and whether they fully understand what you can offer.   

Not only this, but they save you money too. Sure, they will have a cost you will need to pay out, but this will only be for the work they complete. This means that rather than pay someone full-time (even if there is no work for them), you only ever pay them for the work they do for you.   

What do fractional CMO’s do?  

You are likely to ask yourself what precisely a fractional CMO can do for you and your brand. A fractional CMO is much the same as an in-house CMO; the tasks they perform are similar and work similarly.  

Some of the key tasks that a fractional CMO will be able to do for you include:  

• Securing leads  
• Managing digital ads  
• Ensuring that you have a sound marketing strategy  
• Growing your email list  
• Building and monitoring marketing reports  

They will oversee marketing for your business and think about which tools, techniques and approaches will work best for you and help you secure the most clients possible.   

What won’t they do?  

It is also worthwhile knowing what a fractional CMO will not be able to do for you.

Some of the tasks that they won’t take on include:   

• Emailing out to your email list   
• Uploading blog posts  
• Scheduling/posting on social media  
• Redesign some of your landing pages   

These are often tasks they may allocate back to you, or they may have a junior marketing person on their team who will take on these tasks for them. It depends on your fractional CMO and what they deem to be a part of their service.   

If you are wondering whether or not a fractional CMO is the right choice for you, then ask yourself these key questions:  

• Are you finding marketing an issue within your business?  
• Do you have a dedicated marketing team or someone who looks at your marketing as a whole?  
• Do you understand marketing and know the best approaches to take?  

Being able to think about and answer them honestly can highlight the issues you have when marketing your brand. They may also point in the direction of hiring a fractional CMO to be the driving force to push your business forwards and get you where you want to be in the future.   

Some of my services: 

Fractional Marketing Director and Interim Marketing

Marketing Consultancy Services

Need help?

If you would like help with your marketing then bringing on a marketing consultant with a fresh pair of eyes can make all the difference. I work with B2B businesses and professional service firms in London, Kent, UK and Europe as well as specialising as a Legal Marketing Consultant. Please get in touch or book a free 30-minute consultation.