Chasing Things Down

Do you feel like you are running in circles chasing tactics without a marketing strategy? That your story isn’t being told the way it could be? That keeping your digital team on track become a burden that keeps you away from those activities most important for your business? That you are investing in marketing but just aren’t generating any results?

It may be time for you to explore the benefits of having a Fractional CMO on your team.

“Doing marketing” Without a Plan is Common

In the early phases of virtually every business, it’s pretty standard for leaders to tackle marketing on their own or to assign marketing tasks as an additional workload to their team. On some level, you are achieving some success with this model but it all just seems like throwing spaghetti at a wall.

Putting tactics before strategy is a recipe for disaster.

This shotgun approach to your marketing may result in some successes, but you will have a hard time understanding why you are gaining traction, and that makes it extremely difficult to repeat those gains.

What is a Fractional CMO?

A Fractional CMO is a part-time Chief Marketing Officer, tasked with crafting your marketing strategy and managing your marketing resources to their fullest effect. Typically, Fractional CMO services are retained by businesses that have matured to the level where they would benefit from someone filling the role of a CMO but not in a full-time capacity.

It makes sense to bring in a Fractional Chief Marketing Officer as opposed to a full-time CMO for a variety of reasons. Financially speaking, retaining Fractional CMO services make sense for a lot of businesses as a typical full-time CMO salary can cost more than $300,000 per year (not including benefits, equity, and bonuses). Or perhaps your business simply does not have the amount of work required to justify a full-time CMO. Fractional CMO services often require ⅕ the investment you would make in even an entry-level CMO while delivering an equivalent ROI.

What Makes Relish’s Fractional CMO Services Different?

With Relish’s Fractional CMO services, you gain access to our wealth of expertise in helping leaders in a variety of industries gain traction with their marketing, and gain the variety of solutions made available through our experience working within a variety of industries and sectors. This, PLUS our ability to leverage the expertise of our team to help execute your marketing plans, is what makes our approach to Fractional CMO+ services different.

What Does a Fractional CMO Do?

When you leverage the Relish Team as your Fractional CMO, you receive much more than just a security blanket for your marketing. We act as a part-time executive and execution team that enhances your leadership team by developing strategy and managing both internal and external resources to fuel your growth.

A Fractional CMO engagement blurs the lines between consultant, agency, and coach and helps activate your growth. Your Fractional CMO will:

Develop your marketing strategy plan. We start with Strategy First, then roll out quarterly planning and monthly reporting against that plan.

Create end-to-end customer journey maps that use the Marketing Hourglass methodology

Orchestrate your content marketing strategy to build trust and authority for your business

Build your social media strategy development and implementation systems

Design, develop, and execute your marketing campaigns

Make informed strategy decisions based on KPIs and metric reports

Execute brand development (core message development, audience personas, web design) and brand redesigns

Fractional CMO FAQs

What is the role of a fractional CMO?

A Fractional CMO (Chief Marketing Officer) undertakes a strategic role within a company where they offer guidance in marketing affairs, correlate marketing strategies with business objectives, and keep the execution plan on course. Their responsibilities encompass marketing budget allocation, employing data-driven insights for informed marketing choices, and taking the lead of the marketing squad. Contrary to a full-time CMO, a Fractional CMO serves as a part-time marketing tactician. They’re integrated into an organization to help establish strategic avenues and coordinate the deployment of marketing initiatives, harnessing both internal and external resources.

How much does a Fractional CMO make?

A full-time Chief Marketing Officer can command an impressive yearly salary surpassing $330,000 that would create financial pressure on many small to mid-sized businesses. Compare that to a Fractional CMO who presents a more affordable option without sacrificing expertise, all while servicing several clients. The actual cost for a Fractional CMO hinges on various factors, leading to a wide-ranging scale of monthly retainers. Typically, a small to medium-sized business could expect to engage a Fractional CMO for a monthly fee between $5,000 and $7,500. This is a remarkable value proposition, especially when compared to the steep cost of a full-time CMO.

What types of companies need a fractional CMO?

Typically, a Fractional CMO is engaged by small to mid-sized enterprises, startups, or organizations that require advanced marketing direction, yet are unable to justify the cost or necessity of a full-time CMO. These small to mid-sized businesses find value in the adaptability, cost-effectiveness, and acumen of a Fractional CMO, who can offer strategic oversight and implementation without stretching the company’s budget.

What are the benefits of hiring a fractional CMO?

The advantages of bringing a fractional CMO on board are immense:

Proficiency: With their marketing acumen and expertise, fractional CMOs tailor their knowledge to your business requirements.
Economic Efficiency: You get the perks of a full-time CMO without incurring the heavy salary, associated benefits, and associated expenses.
Adaptability: Since fractional CMOs work on a contract or part-time basis, you have the liberty to tweak the service level as and when required.
Concentrated Strategy: With an intent focus on strategy, fractional CMOs aid businesses by devising and implementing marketing blueprints that stimulate growth and reinforce profitability.

Is hiring a fractional CMO a good fit for my business?

Do you need high-level marketing strategy but don’t have the resources or demand to employ a full-time CMO? Engaging a Fractional CMO may be the ideal solution for you. Is your business adrift without a strategic marketing compass? A Fractional CMO can help grapple with the challenges of marketing implementation. Are you in need of an accomplished marketing chief to help steer your team so you can focus on what you’re best at? A Fractional CMO could be a rewarding asset for your enterprise.

Can a Fractional CMO help with our overall business strategy?

Absolutely. While our primary focus is on marketing strategy, a good Fractional CMO understands that marketing should support and drive overall business goals. We work closely with your leadership team to ensure marketing strategies align with and contribute to your broader business objectives, often providing valuable insights that can influence company-wide strategic decisions.

What should I expect when working with a fractional CMO?

With a Fractional CMO on board, anticipate a collaboration that moves beyond the confines of typical consultancy. Your Fractional CMO will integrate with your team, research the intricacies of your business, and develop and implement marketing strategies in accordance with your objectives.

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Ignite Your Purpose-Focused Marketing: Harness the Power of Fractional CMO Services