What should I look for in a fractional CMO?

As a startup or small business owner, you know that marketing is crucial for growth. However, hiring a full-time chief marketing officer (CMO) is a significant investment that may not make sense for your company just yet. That’s where a fractional CMO can help.

A fractional CMO is an experienced marketing leader who works for your company on a part-time or project basis. They provide strategic guidance and hands-on work without the expense and commitment of a full-time executive.

If you’re considering hiring a fractional CMO, here’s what to look for:

First and foremost, you want a fractional CMO who is a seasoned marketing pro. They should have at least 10-15 years of experience leading marketing for respected brands. Strong strategic thinking skills are a must. Your fractional CMO should be able to analyze your business and market, spot opportunities, and develop plans to drive growth.

Look for expertise in areas like branding, advertising, content marketing, social media marketing, SEM/SEO, marketing analytics, and campaign management. Technical skills are a plus too. You want someone comfortable with marketing automation platforms, CRMs, digital analytics tools, and more.

Another key qualification is experience helping companies scale. Look for a fractional CMO who has worked with several startups or small businesses and helped guide rapid growth. They should have examples of developing marketing strategies that allowed those companies to significantly expand their reach and revenue.

Your fractional CMO should understand what it takes to turn a promising unknown into an industry leader. That includes knowing how to cost-effectively get the word out, systematically convert interest into sales, and leverage marketing to fuel exponential growth.

In addition to marketing expertise, your fractional CMO should have a strong grasp of general business fundamentals. This includes areas like operations, finance, sales, and management. They need to understand how all parts of your business fit together so marketing programs align with broader goals and realities.

When vetting candidates, look for fractional CMOs who ask probing questions about your overall business model, competitors, and targets. You want someone who takes a holistic view and creates marketing plans that make sense for where your company is today and where you want it to be tomorrow.

While skills are critical, you also want to make sure your fractional CMO is a good cultural fit. They should share your values, work style, and vision for the company. Not only does this lead to smoother collaboration, but it also ensures the marketing programs they develop reflect your brand authentically.

As you interview fractional CMO candidates, assess soft skills like communication, emotional intelligence, flexibility, and work ethic. Make sure you connect well and are comfortable working closely together. A little personality matching goes a long way.

At the end of the day, you want a fractional CMO who gets results. Ask candidates to quantify the impact they’ve delivered for other clients. Look for tangible examples like a certain percentage increase in leads, a dollar amount of revenue growth, or a number of new customers acquired.

A seasoned fractional CMO should have a portfolio of case studies showing how their marketing leadership and programs produced dramatic growth for real companies. If a candidate can’t point to concrete results, they may not be able to deliver what you need.

Beyond a strong marketing background, you want a fractional CMO who can think strategically about your business. They should ask thoughtful questions, synthesize information, and develop comprehensive plans tailored to your specific goals and situation.

When interviewing, present candidates with a high-level business challenge and ask how they would solve it. Look for big-picture thinkers who create targeted marketing strategies versus just tactics. You want someone who understands where you want to go and maps out how to get there.

If your company operates in a particular niche or industry, it can be helpful to find a fractional CMO with relevant specialty experience. For example, if you have an e-commerce fashion brand, someone who has done marketing for online retailers and apparel companies could have helpful insights.

While general marketing skills are most critical, a bit of industry/category experience can give a fractional CMO valuable context and connections. Just make sure they still have the well-rounded expertise necessary to guide comprehensive marketing initiatives.

In today’s digital world, marketing analytics is more important than ever. You want a data-driven fractional CMO who is obsessed with metrics and ROI. They should be fluent in tools like Google Analytics, Mixpanel, and Salesforce and able to extract key insights.

Look for someone who can analyze campaign performance, spot trends, and point out opportunities for optimization. The programs they develop should have clear KPIs that align with your goals. And they should continually optimize based on the data. Analytics skills separate strategic fractional CMOs from plain tacticians.

A major benefit of hiring a fractional CMO is getting executive-level expertise without breaking the bank. Be clear about your budget constraints up front so candidates can guide you on what’s reasonable to achieve.

Look for fractional CMOs who can stretch your dollars further through tactics like leveraging owned channels, employing agile programs that scale up based on performance, and negotiating discounts with vendors. They should balance recommendations with your resources to get maximum marketing impact.

Finding the right fractional CMO takes time. You want an expert marketer who understands your business and can drive strategic results. But they also need to align culturally and work effectively with your team. Interview several candidates, check references, and trust your instincts before making a decision.

With the right fractional CMO, you gain an invaluable asset – a seasoned marketing leader who can accelerate growth during critical phases of your company without the cost of a full-time executive. Approach the hiring process carefully and you’ll find someone who delivers tremendous value on a budget that works.

If your company needs a Fractional CMO for SaaS, consider working with Peter Geisheker, CEO of The Geisheker Group. Peter has been providing Fractional CMO services for over 20 years. His specialty is B2B lead generation for B2B SaaS companies.