What is a Fractional Chief Marketing Officer and Do You Need One?

Are you a business leader looking to stay ahead of the competition and maximize growth without needing to hire a full-time Chief Marketing Officer (CMO)?

If so, a fractional Chief Marketing Officer may be the perfect solution for your small business or startup. A fractional CMO provides marketing expertise as needed, allowing an organization to benefit from high-quality guidance that works with your growth goals and budget.

Most small businesses don’t need a full-time CMO and will benefit from the experience and knowledge of a seasoned marketer serving in a fractional executive role.

In this article, we’ll explore the role of a CMO and why hiring one might be beneficial for growing your business.

What does a Fractional Chief Marketing Officer Do?

A fractional CMO is essential in laying the groundwork for a successful enterprise. At a basic level, Chief Marketing Officers promote the company’s offerings to prospective and current customers.

Roles and responsibilities typically involve a combination of:

  • Overseeing market research
  • Close engagement with product development teams
  • Driving sales goals
  • Communication strategies

In many cases, a CMO also contributes to strategic planning for larger organizational objectives by identifying new markets for products or services and assessing the impact of competing products on demand within those markets.

Simply put, Chief Marketing Officers are indispensable in helping successful companies tell their stories to consumers and other stakeholders.

How will a Fractional Chief Marketing Officer Help your Business Grow?

A fractional Chief Marketing Officer plays an invaluable role in helping businesses grow. A CMO brings years of marketing and business development experience, which they use to create strategies and tactics that will help increase brand awareness and create new customer relationships.

Furthermore, they will ensure that the marketing team is well-equipped and has the appropriate resources to handle marketing projects efficiently. With a CMO’s guidance and leadership, greater profits can be achieved through strong consumer engagement strategies and better marketing automation.

Adding a fractional CMO to your team demonstrates your commitment to making your business more efficient and maximizes return on investment for all stakeholders involved.

Experience Matters

If you are looking to hire a fractional chief marketing officer, the background and experience of that person matter – A LOT.

A person in this role is not simply a marketing consultant, social media expert, graphic designer, copywriter, or web designer.

A fractional Chief Marketing Officer is a leader who thinks and operates at an executive level. They understand the vision of the organization and create strategic plans to help the organization grow. Those strategic plans are delivered with various tactics and closely monitored with accurate, reliable data to assess the performance of the tactics. Adjustments are made based on the data to help the organization reach its growth goals.

Often, a fractional Chief Marketing Officer will have years of experience as a high-level executive or a successful business owner who has owned multiple businesses.

Should a Fractional Chief Marketing Officer Have Experience in My Industry?

In most cases, no.

In fact, it may be beneficial to have an outside perspective to help you reach your growth goals. It is easy to get stuck in “industry thinking” and stop exploring innovative ways to communicate the value or products/services to prospective and current customers.

Do you need a Fractional Chief Marketing Officer?

If your small business or startup needs help meeting your growth goals, the simple answer in most cases is YES.

Consider the following:

  1. Is executive marketing experience is missing from your leadership team?
  2. Does your marketing team lack leadership and organization?
  3. Are marketing and sales teams aligned?
  4. Are key growth decisions being made with reliable market data?

If your answer to any of these questions is NO, your organization can benefit from the expertise of an experienced fractional Chief Marketing Officer. Click here to schedule a complimentary 90-minute discovery call with Adam Robinson, MBA to discuss your business goals and current marketing situation.

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