Your Complete Guide to Making the Most of Your Marketing Dollars
If you’re like most businesses today, you know the value of marketing and staying in front of your audience. But you also know the reality of tighter budgets, hiring (and retention) challenges, and wanting more for less.
The good news in the marketing world is that as leadership needs and circumstances have changed, so have the resources. Today’s marketplace—and a post-COVID environment—have supported remote workers, technological resources, and, let’s face it, the benefit of almost everyone knowing how to join a video call.
Another result is a term that’s quickly becoming a buzzword in marketing departments around the country: Fractional CMO.
In this blog, we’ll cover the what and why of Fractional CMOs and marketing services and why these trending topics could help you get more for much, much less.
If you need to make the most of your marketing dollars, click here for a free consultation.
What is A Fractional CMO?
For those new to the term Fractional CMO, the first question is often – what is it? And the answer is relatively simple.
Instead of a full-time Chief Marketing Officer who may demand a multi-six-figure salary, a Fractional Chief Marketing Officer is a shared professional who can support your business while managing others.
The most straightforward comparison is often to an executive consultant or strategist, although a Fractional CMO is typically more involved in your daily operations, cross-departmental communications, strategic goal setting, oversight of marketing services, etc.
And unlike a high-priced full-time marketing officer, a Fractional CMO is a shared cost that reduces overhead while maximizing outcomes.
Do I Need A Fractional CMO?
If you don’t currently have a Chief Marketing Officer on your staff, you may be unsure if a Fractional CMO is a necessity for you. However, as the founder of a leading digital marketing agency, I can share that what we are finding today is strategic marketing (not just marketing in general) is essential to success.
This means that a part-time employee who occasionally posts on LinkedIn or Facebook isn’t enough to help you stand out from the crowd – or see any significant value from your efforts.
Instead, it’s critical to start with a strong foundation for your brand and business and clearly understand your audience and their needs. From there, you need a strong digital presence (including an optimized and user-friendly website) and strategy for your marketing, whether your goal is to build consistency in your content, authority in your region, or become a leader in your industry.
Our team is experienced in helping set the strategy for your marketing and execute the selected services, but that extra layer of a Fractional CMO can dig deeper into your operations, internal communications, sales funnels, and more.
It’s like having a great car (your business) and gas to fuel it (our fractional marketing services) but needing a driver to manage the journey!
What if you already have a full-time Chief Marketing Officer? If that’s you, great! A Fractional CMO is no replacement for a successful full-time member of your team. Instead, consider a fractional CMO as a future option as staff changes occur or needs change!
For a free assessment of your marketing needs, click here.
Signs Your Business Needs Fractional CMO
At The MMC Agency, we work with clients of varying sizes throughout the United States. Some have a fully staffed marketing department and a full-time CMO. Others have busy business owners who are just beginning to outsource or hire for some of their marketing needs (like showing up on social media, staying in front of their customers with newsletters, adding valuable content to their website, growing their SEO, sharing press releases, and more).
If you’re in the latter category, you may be wondering how to know if you’re ready for a Fractional CMO. Below are three signs that may signal a Fractional CMO is your next best step!
- You need a marketing strategist who can work alongside your executive team.
At The MMC Agency, we believe strategy is foundational to any successful marketing campaign. It’s why we start with strategy, whether executing your social media accounts or designing your new website.
But as much as we value strategy, our marketing services aren’t designed to replace an executive-level team member who can integrate routinely with your leadership team and divisions to ensure a comprehensive view and strategic plan for success.
Think of it this way – if you hired The MMC Agency to execute your marketing services but don’t have an internal point of contact to collaborate with one of our project managers, you might need a Fractional CMO!
- You need to maximize results but minimize budget spend.
We know that our clients benefit from receiving high-quality services, but we also recognize the need for a reasonable partner who can deliver without robbing the bank.
I remember the first time I heard of a client who had paid six figures for a brand guide. Without a doubt, a brand guide can be extremely valuable to a business and its efforts to grow. It’s a service we proudly offer. But unless you have millions in your marketing budget, overspending (to the tune of six figures) is unnecessary. As a business owner, you want to get the value you need – at a cost that doesn’t jeopardize your other operational needs.
For that reason, a Fractional CMO – alongside fractional marketing services – can be a good fit if you want the value of a seasoned professional without a full-time, high-dollar requirement.
- You need to fill a CMO role quickly – or temporarily.
The more conversations we’ve had with clients about our fractional marketing services, the more we’ve realized that they’re often a good fit when things are changing. Whether a marketing director or valued team member is leaving, or the existing marketing department is overtaxed and needing instant relief – a fractional solution allows you to onboard professional help quickly.
The same is true of a Fractional CMO. They understand what to do and how to do it, and because of the nature of their business model, they can often move quickly to fill a gap or support an urgent need.
Outsourced Marketing Services: How to Use Strategic Marketing For Today’s Competitive Environment
As we’ve already acknowledged, today’s business landscape is highly competitive and requires a clear strategy, consistency, and positioning to help you achieve success. It’s why we work closely with clients to provide high-value marketing solutions that complement their needs (and existing team members) through outsourcing.
We’re thrilled to partner with the growing number of Fractional CMOs who believe in adding value without overtaxing a small business budget. It’s also true that not every company needs a full-time Chief Marketing Officer, even though they could benefit from the expertise and oversight they offer.
Why The MMC Agency
In this article, we’ve covered the value of Fractional CMOs and how they’re reshaping the marketing industry. We’re excited to support these efforts because they align with our offerings and help us better serve our clients. We also know that the success of Fractional CMOs relies on a team that can consistently execute their goals at a high level!
From day one of The MMC Agency, we’ve collaborated with other marketing and creative professionals – not just because we believe in staying in our zone of genius – but also because we love supporting and building relationships that allow others to find success.
If you’re interested in learning more about Fractional CMOs we recommend, contact us.
If you’re not sure you need the executive-level collaboration and multi-divisional strategy of a CMO yet but DO need a marketing strategy and consistent execution of high-level services, we’d love to provide a free assessment and quote.
Fractional Marketing Services
Our fractional marketing services are designed to support an existing team that may be overtaxed or focused on other priorities. We also are a good fit for a growing company that needs a reliable and qualified team to ramp up quickly.
Here’s a quick look at some of the fractional marketing services we offer.
Newsletters (Internal and External) – to help you stay in front of your audiences – and consistently top of mind.
Social Media Management – designed to build organic engagement and authentic followers.
Website Content Updates – to deliver quality content that provides value to visitors and credibility to search engines.
Blogs – to support website updates and cross-posting opportunities that drive traffic and engagement.
Press Releases – to help you build authority and leadership in your industry.
Sales Decks – to support your team with professional materials and leave-behinds that position your business as an expert.
Local SEO Content – to increase visibility and new organic traffic in your local area.
Sales and Promotional Materials – for a consistent and professional image on everything from business cards to industry expo displays.
White Papers, Abstract Submissions, and Custom Content – to help your business gain national exposure in front of larger audiences.
Branded Photography and Videography – to develop a branded library for use across multiple channels.
Taking the Next Step Towards Outsourcing Fractional Marketing Services
At The MMC Agency, our primary goal is to help our clients build exceptional brands that help them stand out, along with strategic marketing efforts that produce results.
If you’re interested in learning more about fractional marketing services to support your growth needs or existing marketing team, book a call today.
We’d love to learn more about your business and help you take the next step towards growth, whether that involves a custom marketing plan or partnership with a professional CMO!
About The MMC Agency
The MMC Agency is a leading website design & marketing agency that helps organizations build authentic brands. Our services are strategically positioned to showcase our clients and their mission while providing easy-to-use online experiences & client connections that convert.
We are located in Orlando, FL, and serve clients throughout the United States.
