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A fractional CMO solves a common problem for many small businesses. These executives offer a wealth of experience and tailored marketing strategies necessary to drive sustainable growth but without the cost and commitment of a full-time hire. Instead of promoting team members who aren’t ready for the CMO role or risk going under to recruit an in-house executive, you can hire a fractional CMO—for a fraction of the cost.
This flexible arrangement is ideal for modern marketing teams and departments. A fractional CMO can help your business adapt to market changes and navigate critical periods. They can plan projects or hire marketing talent—whatever your business needs to thrive.
Before you start looking for a fractional CMO, get familiar with the role and the hiring process in this article. You’ll also learn about the best time to hire, choosing a CMO, and the benefits of a great hire. We’ll also introduce you to MarketerHire, a platform that can help you hire today’s top fractional CMOs in a matter of days.
What Is a Fractional CMO?
A fractional chief marketing officer (CMO) is a top-level marketing executive who you can hire on a flexible, part-time basis. You can engage them for a set number of hours or specific projects. Their schedule is adjustable, allowing you to get more help during crunch time and scale down during more relaxed periods.
Legally speaking, fractional CMOs are independent contractors. Due to their limited availability, they have a narrower scope of work. While in-house CMOs lead marketing teams from strategy to execution, fractional ones usually focus on strategic planning.
Still, they’re more involved with the companies they work for than typical contractors. They often form strong relationships with the employer to offer personalized strategies.
Check out the table below for a quick comparison of full-time and fractional CMOs’ work terms:
The fractional model aligns perfectly with C-suite roles like the CMO and marketing director. These fractional executives can be game-changers for small companies with tight budgets that require expertise to grow but don’t need it or can’t afford it full-time. With the fractional model, they can pay only for what they require.
Fractional hiring is especially common in marketing because this field requires agility. As new channels pop up and trends come and go, a fractional CMO can help you keep up with the changes.
Bonus: Part-time CMO!
What Does a Fractional CMO Do?
Your industry and specific business needs will dictate the fractional CMO’s duties.
For example, the role of a B2B fractional CMO in an established SaaS company will be much different than that of a fractional CMO in a startup. The former usually focuses on refining existing strategies and customer retention, while the latter helps build the brand image and test different approaches.
In general, a fractional CMO’s responsibilities include:
- Research: They need to understand your business objectives, target audience, and competitors thoroughly to make informed decisions
- Strategy: They devise strategies for market entry, growth, or any other goal your business may have while ensuring it maximizes ROI
- Branding: They assist you in building or refining your brand, making sure it’s memorable and consistent across all channels
- Supervision: They define KPIs and track progress during and after the execution of strategies, then make adjustments for improvement
- Partnerships: They identify suitable partnership opportunities and help secure them for a mutual benefit
- Management: Fractional CMOs can sometimes recruit marketers to fill skills gaps and guide them to ensure successful strategy implementation
When and Why Should You Hire a Fractional CMO?
You can hire a fractional CMO whenever you need expert marketing guidance. For example, if you’ve only recently launched your business, a fractional CMO can devise your marketing strategy and help you make the most of the available resources.
Another situation that warrants hiring a fractional CMO is when you already have a marketing team, but they’re bringing subpar results. The CMO can assess their marketing efforts, identify bottlenecks, and adjust the strategy accordingly.
A fractional CMO’s expertise can come in handy when:
- Your business is expanding or introducing a new product
- You want to explore new channels and verticals
- You’re looking to automate or streamline your processes
- Your full-time marketing executive left abruptly or is absent for a long time
- You’re looking for a full-time CMO and want to test the waters with a fractional expert
Regardless of the context, hiring a fractional CMO offers the following benefits:
- Cost-effectiveness: Since you’re not paying for their full days and benefits, fractional CMOs are much more affordable than full-time ones
- Flexibility: With scalable hours, you can get assistance when and for how long you need it. You can resolve issues and adapt to market shifts timely
- Fresh perspective: Fractional CMOs have versatile experience, so they can come up with innovative solutions. They can also assess your efforts more objectively
How To Choose the Best Fractional CMO
The best fractional CMO is the one who can effectively address your concerns and help your marketing department thrive. That’s why you need to consider your needs and define their responsibilities before you start writing the job description.
The table below breaks down some of the traits that you should look for in a fractional CMO:
How To Hire a Fractional CMO
Follow the steps and tips listed below to ensure a smooth hiring process:
- Source: Craft an informative job description and post an ad on well-known job boards, such as Indeed. You can also post on LinkedIn and use this platform to browse and contact passive candidates. Don’t forget to tap into your professional network and ask employees and colleagues for referrals
- Evaluate: Go through all the candidates’ resumes and case studies and shortlist those who align with the job description most closely. Interview the best candidates to assess their communication style and learn more about their past achievements. To validate their claims, check the provided references
- Hire: Review the top candidates’ proposals and select the one that matches your goals, timeline, and budget. Before the fractional CMO starts working for you, discuss the collaboration in-depth. Make sure you’re on the same page regarding the scope, deliverables, and other terms
Challenges of the Traditional Approach to Hiring a Fractional CMO
The above-discussed hiring process has some downsides that you should be prepared for:
- It’s resource-intensive: Even though fractional CMOs are easier on the budget than full-time CMOs, they still require meticulous screening due to the high stakes their role entails. This process can take months of work, which may delay your high-level plans and hinder growth. You also can’t fill critical skills gaps urgently
- It’s risky: If you’re not a marketing executive yourself, you may not know if you’ve made the right hiring choice until proven otherwise. When hiring a fractional CMO, the wrong decision can be costly. Even if you’re lucky enough to realize your mistake before any damage has been done, you’ll still have to repeat the expensive recruiting process
You can overcome these challenges by partnering with MarketerHire, a matchmaking platform that specializes in hiring for marketing roles. The platform connects you with a pre-vetted fractional CMO and offers free rematching if you’re not satisfied, eliminating the hassle and risk of traditional recruiting.
Why Is MarketerHire the Best Choice for Hiring a Fractional CMO?
Being seasoned marketers themselves, MarketerHire’s creators realized the importance of fast and effortless hiring for marketing positions. Since its launch in 2018, MarketerHire has made over 25,000 successful matches. Thousands of companies use it to connect with top marketing talent, including household brands such as Netflix, Forbes, and Lyft.
What makes MarketerHire so efficient is its pre-vetting process. Before joining the network, all expert marketers undergo a rigorous, expert-led screening process that includes:
- Detailed skills reviews
- Live interviews
- Test projects
Only around 1% of applicants end up joining the network. Many of them have helped grow famous companies, such as Uber and PayPal, so expertise is guaranteed.
Once you share your hiring needs with MarketerHire, its experts will find a match within days. They use the proprietary MarketerMatch system, combining AI and human insight to zero in on the perfect fractional CMO for your case.
Thanks to MarketerHire’s white-glove service, you can focus on your core responsibilities while experts handle the recruiting process. Once you approve the recommended fractional CMO, you’ll get a two-week trial to appraise them. If they’re not the right fit, you’ll get a new match for free. You can also scale up, scale down, or cancel the collaboration as needed due to the flexible, short-term contract.
How MarketerHire Works
MarketerHire’s typical recruiting process consists of only three steps:
- Describe your needs: Meet with your dedicated marketing manager to tell them about your company, project, and hiring terms
- Meet your match: The MarketerHire team will find a compatible fractional CMO within 48 hours
- Kick off the collaboration: Your fractional CMO can start working with you within three days
Besides fractional CMOs, the platform accommodates various other engagement types and marketing roles, such as email marketers, Amazon experts, and marketing analysts. You can even connect with full-time Expert Assistants who can quickly take over any rote tasks from your marketing, design, or sales team.
Don’t let any lucrative opportunities slip by because of a prolonged recruiting process. Reach out to MarketerHire and secure rapid business growth with a top-notch fractional CMO!
Other Hiring Guides To Check Out
Discover other hiring guides we’ve written in the table below:
