While many B2B businesses seek help from traditional marketing consultants, their assistance may not be enough to fully overcome complex branding and digital strategy challenges. Without strong marketing leadership, the best laid plans will fail during execution—if they even get executed at all.
What is a Fractional CMO?
A Fractional Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) is an experienced marketing consultant who can guide your existing team, coordinate the tools and experts needed to successfully execute campaigns, and lay the foundation for continued growth.
Also known as an outsourced CMO, a fractional CMO serves as a temporary executive for a business. When a business doesn’t have the resources to hire a full-time CMO, a fractional CMO can conveniently step into that role—at a fraction of the salary.
Unlike a traditional consultant, a fractional CMO is fully-ingrained in the daily operations of the business. Working closely with the leadership and the existing marketing team, the fractional CMO doesn’t just offer suggestions and recommendations; they also help make key decisions regarding marketing strategies, objectives, goals, development and growth.
Does My Business Need a Fractional CMO?
B2B businesses should consider working with fractional CMO when hiring a full-time CMO doesn’t make sense for their budget or business needs. For example, when rebranding or launching a new product, a fractional CMO allows organizations to leverage the CMO’s expertise without the burden of increasing their full-time staff. The fractional CMO assumes the responsibility of leading the marketing team and coordinating campaign execution so the executive team can fully concentrate on day-to-day operations and long-term goals.
Benefits of Working With a Fractional CMO
- Marketing Team Coordination: Without dedicated leadership, an in-house marketing team may lack the proper direction to formulate and execute on a cohesive strategy. A fractional CMO gives these teams the high-level guidance they need to develop and implement strategies, manage operations and budgets, and improve the marketing ROI.
- Added Expertise: A fractional CMO connects businesses with marketing resources that most organizations won’t or can’t staff in-house. As the marketing strategy evolves, the fractional CMO can bring in experts in PPC, design, copywriting, email marketing, and more depending on the needs of the campaign.
- Modernization: An existing marketing plan may perform optimally for years, then the dynamics of the industry or economy change. What was once effective is now stale and stagnant. A fractional CMO brings a fresh perspective to the entire organization, from the brand to the marketing strategy to the sales performance. With an unbiased opinion and the ability to look at the industry from the outside, a fractional CMO can develop a marketing plan that connects with new audiences to generate leads and revenue.
- Overcome Budget Constraints: Start-ups, SMBs and mid-size organizations often face the challenge of operating with limited budgets. Since employing a fractional CMO is not a long-term commitment, it allows a company to invest their resources for maximum effectiveness.
Where Can I Find a Fractional CMO?
While most traditional marketing consultants offer the basics, Bongo takes a more forward-thinking approach. Our fractional CMO services allow us to bring an entire marketing team into your business for less than the cost of hiring a full-time CMO. Contact us today to learn how we can help manage and execute your marketing plans to accelerate your growth.