A full-time CMO costs £100,000 a year or more. Most growing businesses don't need - or can't justify - that. A fractional CMO gives you the same strategic thinking, experience, and leadership on a part-time, flexible basis.
A fractional CMO is an experienced marketing leader who works with your business on a part-time or project basis, providing the strategic direction and leadership of a Chief Marketing Officer without the commitment or cost of a full-time hire.
They take ownership of your marketing strategy, align your channels and teams around shared goals, set the direction for your agency relationships, and bring a senior perspective that most growing businesses simply can't access through junior hires or generalist agencies. For businesses at a growth inflection point, a fractional CMO is often the single highest-leverage investment they can make.
Talk to us about fractional CMOEvery engagement is scoped around your business, but these are the core areas we take ownership of.
We start by getting under the skin of your business: your goals, your market, your current marketing performance, and your team. From that, we build a clear marketing strategy and a roadmap of what needs to happen over the next 6 to 12 months.
We take ownership of your marketing mix - deciding which channels to invest in, setting objectives for each, and holding agencies and internal teams accountable to them.
If you're working with external agencies, a fractional CMO provides the senior layer of oversight that ensures they're all working towards the same goal and that your budget is being spent intelligently.
For businesses with an in-house marketing team, we provide the leadership, direction, and mentoring that junior marketers need to perform at their best.
We translate marketing performance into business language, presenting to founders, boards, and investors in terms that connect to revenue, growth, and commercial outcomes rather than marketing metrics.
If your business has grown to the point where marketing needs proper leadership but you're not ready to hire a full-time CMO, a fractional arrangement gives you the seniority you need without the overhead.
If your Head of Marketing or CMO has left and you need someone to hold the function together while you hire, a fractional CMO bridges the gap without losing momentum.
Many founders run marketing out of necessity rather than expertise. A fractional CMO takes it off their plate properly, with the experience to do it right.
Agencies need senior direction to perform well. Without a client-side marketing lead who can set clear objectives and hold them accountable, the relationship rarely delivers its potential.
Can't find what you're looking for? Get in touch and we'll answer directly.
Contact usTypically a fraction of a full-time hire - usually 1 to 3 days per week depending on your needs. Engagements are scoped around what you need, so there's no fixed price. We'll talk through your situation and give you a clear proposal.
A marketing consultant typically delivers a piece of work - a strategy document, an audit, a set of recommendations - and hands it over. A fractional CMO stays involved, leads the execution, and owns the outcomes. It's an ongoing leadership role, not a one-off project.
Most fractional CMO engagements run at 1 to 2 days per week. Some businesses need more during an initial setup phase, with hours reducing once the strategy and team are in place. We scope engagements to fit what's needed.
We've worked with businesses across a wide range of sectors over 15 years. We'll always be honest about relevant experience, and equally honest if we think someone else would be a better fit for your specific context.
Book a free call to discuss your marketing leadership needs. We'll give you an honest view of whether a fractional CMO is the right fit and what an engagement would look like.
