Marketing is a service that most businesses need. However, it can be overwhelming for a business owner to decide what they need and where to start.
Marketing has so many different aspects: website, SEO, brochures, presentations, social media, advertising, and so on. You can find someone who specializes in each one of these areas but the problem is that each one speaks its own language and has its own priorities – and unless you are in marketing yourself it can be difficult to understand what it is that you really need.
A good CMO (Chief Marketing Officer) is able to understand what your business needs, explain how each different aspect of marketing will benefit your company, and ultimately unite them for your ultimate goal – bringing you revenue.
Who Needs A Fractional CMO?
Any business that doesn’t need or want a full-time, in-house CMO or other leadership position to manage their marketing should consider a Fractional CMO. The business leadership may decide not to have a full-time person commonly because they don’t have the budget to support them, don’t know when their funding will run out, aren’t ready to launch full marketing campaigns because their startup or business is in stealth mode or otherwise trying to keep under the radar.
What is a Fractional CMO?
A Fractional CMO is someone who will manage your business’s marketing strategy and implementation, without being a full-time, in-house employee. They are able to build and lead your marketing without the expense of hiring a new employee.
They can manage staff you already have, such as a graphic designer, or bring in resources as required. They work collaboratively with your company – meeting with Sales, Engineers, Operations, etc. to get a clear picture of your company and how best to market it.
The Benefits of Hiring a Fractional CMO and Not an Employee
You might be asking yourself, “Why wouldn’t I just hire someone who can come, sit with me in the office and be part of the team? Isn’t it better to have someone that is part of the company and comes to the office every day so they can really understand what we are doing?”
There are two main reasons why it might not make sense to bring someone to your team at this point – workload and resources.
- Not Enough Work. For small and medium businesses (SMBs) or early-stage startups, there just isn’t the workload yet to support a full-time person doing their marketing. And it can be difficult to get a high-level, experienced marketing person for a part-time position.
- Not Enough Money. To be frank, it’s just cheaper to hire an external person. There is no need to worry about salary negotiations, benefits such as pension or health insurance, negotiating vacation days and sick leave. By bringing in a Fractional CMO, the business is often saving money by having someone work only the hours needed to complete the job, without any of the frills that go along with bringing on a new employee.
As your company grows, it will make sense to bring certain jobs in-house. Our biggest success is when a client reaches a point where they need their own full-time marketing person! Until then, KSW Solutions is here for you.
If you think that your company can benefit from a Fractional CMO, reach out to Samantha at sam@ksw.solutions.
