It seems as though the rise of fractional marketing executives is impacting every industry and every stage of company. But this rise in accessible C-Suite leadership has also created some confusion. 

Is everyone that you can hire for marketing a fractional CMO? Is there a specific qualification to look for in your fractional CMO search?

Fractional CMO Definition

A fractional CMO (Chief Marketing Officer) is a professional with C-Suite level marketing expertise that companies hire to lead their marketing department and drive strategy without having to bring in a full-time employee (which they’re oftentimes not ready for).

A fractional CMO can help companies with many different marketing areas, including but not limited to:

• Audit your current marketing strategies/campaigns
• Build marketing strategies
• Develop campaigns and campaign planning
• Build out templates and resources
• Align and develop your marketing team
• Hire and/or train new marketing team members
• Facilitate rebrands or messaging shifts
• Project manage larger initiatives like websites
• Put together budgets and reporting

What a Fractional CMO Is Not

A fractional CMO is not a freelance marketing manager. There is a big difference between doing the marketing on your team (building creative, running ads) and leading the marketing vision and strategy.

While both are necessary for a successful marketing program, a fractional CMO will provide strategic insights, reports, strategies, and leadership as opposed to running your ads or designing assets.

A fractional CMO is an investment in your brand growth that can move your marketing goals forward more quickly than waiting to find someone to bring on full-time. They can also support with hiring a full-time CMO when the time is right.

Marketing Agency vs. Fractional CMO 

A fractional CMO is also not a full-scale marketing agency. Instead, they are individuals with years – sometimes decades – of experience, working for a variety of companies and brands. 

They are the leader of your brand that will work with your marketing agency or internal department to assess results, map out strategies, make decisions, and coordinate your efforts to align with your business goals.

Why Fractional Marketing Executives Are on The Rise

Now that you understand more about what fractional marketing executives do and how they differ from a freelance marketer or a marketing agency, let’s take a look at why this role is becoming more and more popular.

Companies across industries are constantly seeking ways to save money and time while simultaneously seeking ways to excel in marketing and sales.

Enter: Marketing professionals with years of experience in marketing at a high leadership level who desire flexibility in their career and life.

Hiring a fractional CMO has so many benefits for companies.

• Hire a marketing executive quickly
• Have clear deliverables
• Gain C-suite level expertise quickly
• Take your time hiring full-time when it makes sense
• Lead the company marketing team earlier in the business growth

HelloCMO Fractional CMO Services

Liane Caruso is one of the foremost fractional CMOs in the world of franchising. With over two decades of B2B and B2C experience, her insights have become an invaluable resource for the companies and brands she’s partnered with over the years. 

Having worked with so many franchise brands both in consumer marketing and franchise development marketing, she realized there was a gap in executive leadership in emerging and mid-sized brands to accomplish comprehensive strategic marketing planning, marketing and sales alignment, and initiatives that produce real results with strong ROI. 

And so, HelloCMO was created.

HelloCMO is Liane Caruso’s franchise marketing consultancy dedicated to fractional CMO or outsourced franchise marketing consulting engagements and projects for franchise concepts. If you need the kind of assistance that only a fractional CMO can provide, we’ve got your solutions waiting.