What Is A Fractional CMO?

I’ve recently updated my profile title on LinkedIn from “out wandering around” to “Fractional CMO.” So what, pray tell, is a Fractional CMO? Honestly, I’d never heard of this role until I left my job in early 2021. Since I was doing the equivalent of a full-time CMO gig, I didn’t have a need for a fractional CMO. For those of you thinking “chief medical officer,” let me gently hit the “wrong answer” buzzer (insert sound effects). I’m referring to “Chief Marketing Officer.”

Companies have many leadership functions teamed up to hit their financial goals and serve customers, and marketing is an important role on this baseball team of business. Contrary to popular belief, marketing does more than order branded polos for trade shows and logo golf balls for sales teams.

Marketing drives growth strategy by creating action plans based on understanding customers. Yes, these action plans include connecting with customers in various ways, and sometimes it starts with a free t-shirt or a social media post. But the real magic happens when marketers partner with customers to understand what problems their company can help solve.

Good marketers connect with customers to gather data about what matters to them and then work internally and cross-functionally to do something about it in profitable way for both. If you have strong marketing leadership with a strategic marketing approach, you will be quicker to see the big picture and translate information into action, and you’ll have leadership to drive communication and collaboration in a way that accelerates sales.

Now that I’ve briefly stepped on my “marketing is very important to grow your business” soapbox, let me say more about a Fractional CMO. A Fractional CMO is an experienced marketing leader for hire, including access to a network of marketing professionals, without the commitment of hiring a full-time person.

When would you need a Fractional CMO?

Here’s a handy checklist for starters:

1. You want to grow your business.
2. You want a trusted C-level marketer but can’t or don’t want to hire one full-time yet.
3. You feel like your marketing strategy could use a makeover and you’re not sure where to start.
4. Your marketing function is currently handled by the CEO, taking away from other critical areas.
5. Your marketing function is managed by someone with multiple roles, and you could use some help from a marketing expert to keep up with the rapidly changing marketing playing field.
6. You’re investing in marketing but not clear on the return.
7. You raised more startup funding and need help prioritizing growth strategies and hitting key investor metrics.
8. You’d like to know how your marketing performance and investment match up with similar sized companies.
9. You want help entering a new market and want to realize sales faster.
10. You’d like to capture and act on customer insights sooner.
11. You’d like marketing and sales to collaborate (don’t laugh, it can happen).
12. You wonder: What is digital marketing? Should we be on “The Facebook”?
13. You just really love marketing. It’s like the cowbell — you need more marketing!

Ok, so maybe I stayed serious almost to the end of the list. I’m still transitioning from my year of recovery, discovery and growth writing to let’s get out there and help people grow their businesses. Stay tuned in the upcoming weeks for more information about what’s next business-wise. Lots of stuff cooking in the proverbial kitchen! In the meantime, if you want to talk marketing or Fractional CMO or memes about why parenting is hard, reach out! You can find me on LinkedIn at linkedin.com/in/haley-stomp.