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Fractional marketing leadership gives businesses the best of both worlds. You get access to senior level strategy with tactical expertise, without the risks and high overhead costs of hiring a full-time CMO and a team of marketers.
A senior level marketing partner, and the talent in their network, can oversee and support marketing strategy, planning and execution. They are privy to broader business strategy, but take a more holistic approach to marketing because of their outside, diverse perspective built on many years of industry experience. Companies often rely on their in-house teams to manage these processes, but fail to have a go-to person with a senior-level mindset to ensure all of these activities work together in a complementary manner.
Agencies take the approach of offering account managers to oversee these activities, but they too, like in-house teams, often end up working in their own silos and create more logistical challenges. Or, they may leverage less experienced, junior staff to maintain their own margins which indirectly impacts marketing effectiveness. To be both strategic and tactical, companies need someone who can build out a full strategic marketing roadmap, while being able to execute on regular tasks like email campaigns, blogs and social media. Strong fractional marketing leaders meet all these requirements.
Tapping into fractional marketing leadership is a good option for growing companies. They either aren’t ready to bring on a full-time agency, or they already have a full-time agency, but lack an industry expert who understands how to execute on strategy around specific niche topics. Either scenario warrants exploring hiring fractional marketing leadership as this role can serve as one of the following outsourced positions: head of marketing, marketing director, VP of marketing, CMO or simply a trusted partner.
What Role Does Fractional Marketing Leadership Play in an Organization?
Fractional marketing leaders often play an adaptable, diverse role in an organization. Established marketers themselves have professional backgrounds built wearing many hats and have learned how to juggle complex, intense workloads with numerous responsibilities. This background translates well into a strategic partner to support an organization’s business goals.
Fractional marketing leaders can function similarly to an in-house team member, or act as an outside resource that provides direct reports to your team on a part-time basis. You also can rely on them as a representative to vet and manage outside marketing needs and industry vendors. Having fractional marketing leadership help build out your own team, or recruit outside resources as needed, is another possibility.
Relying on fractional marketing leadership also often brings an advisor to mentor and coach your various teams — across sales, business development marketing and product, in particular — on how to strategically align activities to company goals to scale. As a go-to idea generator, accountability leader, head of marketing and sounding board to bounce ideas off of, a fractional marketing leader fills in all the gaps that often exist on even the most developed teams.
By helping coach junior team members on how to fine-tune their own skill sets, a fractional marketing partner can both execute and manage products and teams. Alternatively, they can be tapped in for special projects that often get left on the “to-do list” when leadership hasn’t determined how to execute the task, or who could actually run with the project.
How is Fractional Marketing Leadership Priced?
Fractional marketing leaders usually offer flexible, but stable billing structures that allow companies to craft frameworks and budgets that work well for both parties. Depending on the services needed, this can usually be done by the hour, by the day, by the project or on a retainer basis.
At PMP, for example, our leadership typically works with companies on a retainer basis to account for ample time and attention to be split across strategy, planning and ideation — along with project oversight and execution. This approach enables our team to build in support-based services to address our clients diverse and evolving needs such as content marketing or business development support.
Why Fractional Marketing Leadership Benefits Everyone
Fractional marketing leaders are able to build their diverse professional network and experience, while enjoying the fulfillment brought from making a broader impact across multiple businesses. This purpose-driven approach can be a great fit for like-minded leaders looking for a trusted, savvy business partner without a political agenda.
Maximizing an organization’s marketing spend without increasing their overhead, leads to a high-quality low-risk relationship that can help companies scale. Having a fresh, outsider perspective can energize teams with new, innovative approaches in an approachable and professional manner. This is a win-win for both sides.
Access to a wider professional network allows organizations to pay for the cost of one resource and get access to an entire team of industry experts. These added benefits can introduce organizations to new talent, tools and services. Whether you need senior talent to consult on a specific project, strategy or industry consulting, or you need an entire marketing framework developed, fractional marketing services fit the bill by matching a specific need with a service in a more comprehensive and holistic perspective.
Is your business in need of additional marketing support? Reach out today to learn how our fractional marketing services can help you achieve your short and long-term goals.
