Short answer: Definitely yes, if you are an entrepreneur, start-up, or early growth stage company. Maybe yes, if your company is larger and your marketing team is already in place.
First, what is a fractional CMO?
It’s a Chief Marketing Officer that your company can leverage on-demand, at a fraction of the time and cost of hiring a full-time, dedicated executive. A thought partner and executive who can hit the ground running and make immediate impact on your marketing goals.
For High-Growth and Early Stage Companies
Entrepreneurs, start ups and mid-sized companies can benefit tremendously by bringing on a Fractional CMO. Companies in these stages might not be ready for the commitment of hiring a full-time, full-scale marketing and communications team. But, they still need the leadership, strategic vision and breadth of knowledge that a CMO can offer.
Most likely, businesses in these stages are still in “Do-It-Yourself” mode. Especially entrepreneurs. But the smartest leaders that want to scale fast, know what they don’t know and benefit by partnering with a knowledgeable marketer that can add 10x value on day one.
I was recently talking to a prospective client who is scaling their business rapidly but is stuck in the DIY model. They’ve retained an outside PR firm in one region, an SEO company, a web developer, an Ad Buyer and they have a marketing manager on staff. Unfortunately, there is no marketing strategy weaving all of these pieces together ensuring that these efforts operate in concert and deliver ROI.
In fact, when asked how often the client is reviewing website traffic, SEO, click-thru data, bounce rate, time-on-page data, highest traffic pages, ad metrics, etc. they were really only looking at them quarterly. That’s just not enough, particularly when you are talking about digital marketing. Your team must be reviewing performance metrics on a daily basis and adjusting accordingly. Furthermore, companies in this stage of growth need someone that can stitch all of the pieces together and measure them against Key Performance Indicators (KPIs). Investing in this type of leadership and expertise will pay dividends in the future.
The smartest leaders that want to scale fast, know what they don’t know.
For Companies with a Marketing Team
I was a marketing team of one a few times in my corporate career and this can be daunting. Especially as “marketing” has evolved into a catch-all term that encompasses a wide range of everchanging tactics, tools and strategies. Amidst the vast sea of options your team of one or two marketers might be wondering where to steer the ship for maximum ROI and value. This is precisely where a fractional CMO can add value and much-needed guidance.
I heard this quote and it just resonated so much with me, “You can’t see the full picture when you are standing in the frame.” Yes, exactly. An outside expert can help guide your team, collaborate and coach on the best strategies and tactics to deliver on your organization’s goals.
“You can’t see the full picture when you are standing in the frame.”
-Said every smart business leader ever
Working with a seasoned fractional CMO can help marketing and communications teams develop and execute a comprehensive and specific-to-your-business marketing plan that gets results.
Fractional CMO Model Is For Any Size Business
Bottom line, a fractional CMO can add value on day one to any business or team. At Forward March, I offer my clients high-level strategy mixed with execution focused on their precise business goals. Busy leaders don’t have time to waste with less experienced marketers that maybe caught up in the latest marketing trend. They need accelerated results delivered by a collaborative thought partner that can dream big and execute on every detail. Want to know how I can help your business? Fill out the Let’s Connect form or email me at Caroline@ForwardMarch.xyz.
Forward March Communications 