This is part 1 of 3 articles about our fractional CMO and marketing-as-a-service models. Part 2 is about process, flexibility, and results. Part 3 is about how to decide if these models are for you.
Fractional or part-time CMOs are on the rise
There are a lot of articles about the rise of fractional (or part-time) CMOs being written right now….. primarily by a fractional marketer like me! It’s no longer a novel idea and spawned many different models of how it works. We have one that works well for our clients. We want to take you through why the overall concept is getting such traction now, and why our version of it is successful.
What conditions lead to somebody going for senior marketing leadership in the first place?
This question is not as silly as it might sound. There are a handful of challenges businesses usually experience that lead to them engaging with us: far and away, the top one is inconsistent pipeline and revenue. There are types of marketers to whom “revenue” is a dirty word, but definitely not to us. Our work effectively creates a more consistent pipeline of leads and opportunities, and nurtures leads along that process to becoming a deal.
The second reason people usually contact us is related to the first: improving brand and reputation.
So, those are the challenges. What is the solution?
Hiring a full-time CMO sounds excellent in theory. You get a senior marketing leader, someone to drive strategy, and keep things moving. For many businesses, the attached salary is a hard pass. Especially when you still need a team to execute the work.
That’s why fractional CMOs are on the rise. Instead of locking in a full-time exec, businesses hire an experienced marketing leader part-time or on a project basis, getting the expertise without the hefty price tag. In its original form, the fractional CMO operates a specific number of days per week.
It’s a solid model. I’m an active member of a couple of fractional executive communities, and I’ve met extraordinary people who work as fractional CMOs using different variations and flavours of this model.
They’re all successful and have their own merits. Our version works for the clients, markets, and industries we work with.
An epiphany that led to a new way of working
When I started this work, I realised the limitations of flying solo and it didn’t work for me (and eventually for my clients). One incarnation of Europa Creative Partners a few years ago saw me working this way. I had three clients. We were doing an excellent job for those clients, but after a year, I was running close to burnout and noticed that the scope of my particular flavour of talents and experience limited us.
Today, we are active in Australia, New Zealand, Europe, and the USA. These clients include JOURNEY and Machine & Partners. We are proud to represent a cohort of extraordinary customers, and this is all because we have a different model.
We’re active in several markets, not including deep space just yet.
There is a solution
Here’s what my clients get today: an entire service marketing team, with on-demand specialists.
That means businesses get a senior marketing leader (me, plus Cory Gordon, who I’ll get to in a second) and access to copywriters, SEO specialists, media managers, designers, and web developers. Instead of hiring one person who does some things well, they get a full-on marketing department that scales as needed.
Like many marketers, we’re great at promoting other people, and not so much our own, so I’d like to let our client speak for us. Here’s what Dane Tatana, managing director of JOURNEY says about us:
“Working with Dave as our Chief Marketing Officer is a great experience. From day one, he took charge of developing our growth strategy and brought fresh, innovative ideas to the table. He transformed our early-stage marketing approach and led multiple successful campaigns that not only boosted our brand’s visibility but also significantly increased our customer base.”
“Twice the CMO power, fraction of the cost”
I don’t do it alone. I work alongside Cory Gordon, an experienced senior CMO and the owner and founder of Roger Roger Marketing.
Here’s the main advantages our customers enjoy from this approach: having two experienced CMOs combines different skill sets, strategic viewpoints, and execution strengths to create a more powerful marketing function.
Beyond strategy, having two CMOs means more bandwidth and faster execution. Whether launching a campaign, adjusting to market shifts, or driving long-term brand growth, we bring more capacity, agility, and resilience to your marketing function.
Beyond agencies: Marketing leadership plus execution
“How are you different from a marketing agency?” We often hear this question, and the distinction is important.
Unlike traditional agencies that primarily execute tactics, we function as your marketing leadership team. This means we:
- Take ownership of your marketing strategy and outcomes
- Work collaboratively with your existing agencies and specialists
- Fill capability gaps with our execution team when needed
- Integrate all marketing activities under a cohesive strategy
- Make decisions based on what’s best for your business, not what services we want to sell
If you already have a preferred supplier or a specialist who understands your brand, such as a copywriter, designer, or media buyer, we’re not here to disrupt what’s working. Our job is to enhance and strengthen your marketing, not force unnecessary changes.
If you want a partnership that generates real results, we’d love to chat to you
Ready to explore a different kind of marketing partnership?
Let’s chat if you’re tired of feeling like your marketing is fragmented or lacking strategic direction.
We’d love to hear about your business challenges and explore how our unique fractional CMO approach might be the missing piece you’ve been looking for. Let’s have a conversation about what’s possible. It’ll probably be the best marketing conversation you have all week!
Want to learn more? This is part 1 in a 3 part series:
- Want to know how our fractional CMO model works in practice? Read part 2, how our fractional CMO model works: process, flexibility, and results.
- Wondering if this approach is right for your business? Check out part 3, Is our fractional CMO model right for your business? (We might be the perfect fit).