What is a fractional Chief Marketing Officer (CMO)?
A fractional CMO is an experienced marketing professional who provides strategic leadership and expertise on a part-time or project basis. We work collaboratively with you and/or your internal marketing team, offering guidance and support to help achieve marketing objectives.
Why should I work with a fractional CMO instead of hiring a full-time marketing specialist for my team?
Whether or not a fractional CMO is right for your business depends on a lot of factors, but here are a few things to consider:
- Cost-effectiveness: A qualified, experienced, full-time marketing manager or director salary is going to be at least $75k per year or higher, plus benefits. Full-time salaries for a VP or CMO level professional will be well above $150k per year. By hiring a fractional executive, you are getting the experience and expertise of a VP or CMO level marketer for less than the cost of a full-time marketing manager.
- Flexibility: You can scale their involvement based on your specific needs, allowing you to adjust resources as required. Maybe you want to focus on customer retention, or maybe you are looking to reach a new audience. A fractional CMO can focus on the areas that matter most to you.
- Diverse skill set: Want to excape “this is how we have always done it?” Fractional CMOs bring a broad range of skills and industry experience, offering fresh perspectives and innovative ideas.
- Strategic guidance: If you have been in buisness for a while, it can be hard to see new opportunities… or identify the barriers that may be preventing growth. A fractional CMO can help you get out of the tactics and develop comprehensive marketing strategies aligned with your business goals, ensuring your efforts deliver maximum impact.
- Mentoring and team development: If you already have a small marketing team, a fractional CMO can provide valuable mentorship, fostering professional growth and enhancing skills. This is expecially helpful if your team is made up of “do’ers” like a graphic designer, social media specialist, or PR person, who could benefit from strategic direction.
How can an outsourced marketing professional augment our internal marketing team?
Even the most skilled marketing teams can become overwhelmed during peak times. Special initiatives, new campaigns or product launches, or particularly large projects like web redesigns or brand overhauls can stretch the resources of any team.
- Manage peak workloads: When special projects arise, ensure your team can manage all initiatives effectively. Hand over managment of a special project, or have your outsourced person manage day-to-day tasks while you focus on the big initiative.
- Looking for new ideas? An outsourced marketing pro can bring in-depth knowledge and experience, complementing your team’s skills and expanding your capabilities.
- Overcome entrenched challenges: Outsourced professionals offer an objective viewpoint, challenging assumptions and introducing innovative strategies that drive growth.
Can a fractional CMO really provide the same level of service as a full-time marketing team member?
Many small businesses do not have the workload to necessitate a full-time marketing executive, but they still want the strategic expertise and guidance of a top-level professional. While a fractional CMO will work fewer “hours”, the level of experience they bring allows them to accomplish tasks faster and deliver more value in less time. If your business reaches the stage where hiring someone full-time makes sense, a fractional CMO can advise you of that and provide support as your build your team.
What types of projects can Kate Turner Marketing work on?
We can assist with a wide range of projects, including but not limited to:
- Marketing and communications strategy development, and sales process support
- Management, sourcing, and alignment of marketing communications projects, vendors, and other outsourced services and partners
- Writing for feature stories, interviews, blog posts, and marketing/communications needs
- Social media planning, content creation, posting, and monitoring of social media accounts
- Web content planning, creation, and management
- Communications strategy, planning, and execution of outreach initiatives
- Media and public relations support
- Marketing and advertising campaign planning and execution
- Customer and audience research, insights, and strategy development
- Video, photography, and multimedia planning and project management
- Marketing collateral and publication planning and project management
Why do I need a marketing plan?
A marketing plan is essential for strategic growth and achieving your business objectives. It outlines your target audience, defines clear goals, and details the strategies and tactics to reach those goals. A well-crafted marketing plan provides a roadmap for your marketing efforts, ensuring resources are allocated effectively, and activities are focused on driving results.
Can’t I just handle my marketing on my own or DIY it?
You did not go into business to be a marketer. As a small business or resource conscious manager, it may be tempting to try and save money by doing marketing on your own. But you are paying more in the long-run through inefficient or ineffective tactics, missed opportunities, and over-reliance on the advice of external vendors (like ad sales reps) who do not see the complete picture of how all your marketing tactics are working together.
If I am already paying for a Fractional CMO, then why do I also need to pay for other specialized marketing services, like graphic design or SEO? Shouldn’t the fractional CMO do it all?
You are paying a fractional CMO to develop and manage your marketing strategy and all of the tactics, vendors, and services required to execute that plan. Bringing together the right slate of experts to get the job done, ensuring everyone is working from the same plan towards the same goals, and taking the work of sourcing and managing those professionals off your plate, is the value that a fractional CMO brings. For very small businesses with limited marketing needs, a fractional CMO may not make sense. But for most businesses that are looking to grow, investing in a dedicated marketing professional will more than pay for itself in higher efficiency, time savings, and marketing results.
I am ready to get started!
Great! Contact us today to schedule an introductory meeting.
The first step is an initial consultation to discuss your specific needs, objectives, and explore how we can best support your marketing efforts.
We look forward to partnering with you!