Driving strategic growth for your company with a fractional CMO

Melinda Pradarelli Meld Marketing
Melinda Pradarelli of Meld Marketing. CREDIT MELD MARKETING

Ten years ago there was little conversation about fractional Chief Marketing Officers (CMOs). Today, it’s a topic and concept that has accelerated nearly as fast as the digital, data-driven landscape. 

Companies are reporting the benefits of having someone who can provide cost-effective, high-level marketing expertise on a part-time or project basis instead of hiring a full-time CMO. This allows companies to have access to someone with comprehensive marketing knowledge and to do it at a price that fits their budget. 

Here are just a few of the statistics that speak to the impact a fractional CMO can have: 

According to Harvard Business Review, companies that use fractional CMOs report an average revenue growth rate of 29%, compared to 19% for companies that don’t.

According to C Suite Network, companies began to see that fractional CMOs could provide the same experience and leadership as a full-time CMO at a lower cost, usually 50–75% of a full-time CMO’s salary and benefits. 

A June 2024 article from Forbes addressed the growing popularity of companies seeking this type of support, particularly post-pandemic. “Many companies have become burned out by investing a ton of time and resources into hiring the perfect CMO, only to have them leave in three months. To avoid the whiplash, a growing number of organizations are turning to fractional CMOs to provide a more stable, steady solution to steer the marketing team and maintain momentum.”

What does a fractional CMO do?

Industry experts have categorized fractional CMOs into four main types.

  • On-demand: Temporary, part-time engagement
  • Turnaround: Revitalization of marketing efforts
  • Interim: Filling the gap while looking for a full-time CMO
  • Advisory: Coaching or mentoring less-experienced marketing staffers 

With a fractional CMO, companies can keep their business moving but also make room for someone to bring an outside perspective and assess the larger initiatives and goals that can be put into place on the marketing side. Without this, it’s easy for organizations to move from business goals to marketing executions without taking the crucial step in between. 

Often the sign this is happening is when companies start to direct their marketing teams to focus on one or two magic bullets to drive marketing and sales results instead of creating a holistic plan. “Let’s just fix the website.” “We just need some messaging.” “We don’t need brand awareness, we just need leads.” “We don’t need marketing. We just need more salespeople.”

The question is: How do you know? 

Having a fractional CMO can help companies avoid missteps, inefficiencies, and confusion by guiding this interim step and setting marketing strategies that provide clear guidance to internal marketing teams or external partners. 

What should you look for in a fractional CMO?

First, think about the person’s experience and knowledge and how well they will fit with your company culture. Can they deliver the strategy AND can they do it in a way that your leaders can hear? At a higher level, you want someone who: 

  • Is smart, curious, and has done this before
  • Can cut through the politics and speak with honesty and expertise to your company and its leaders
  • You can trust as a partner, whether for a short period or longer
  • Can guide your leadership team/owners/marketing director through a process, creating buy-in and resulting in an actionable plan
  • Understands the goals but also the resources it will take to achieve the goals
  • Can help advise on how to find the resources to accomplish your goals
  • Will hold your company or team accountable and help drive them to successful results
  • Will be a strong steward of your budget

I’ve been fortunate enough at Meld to play the role of a fractional CMO with some of our clients. I’ve also worked alongside talented fractional CMOs who support our client companies. In all cases, I’ve seen when the right person is in this position, it can drive powerful results by helping organizations gain focus and traction.


Melinda Pradarelli is CEO and founder of Meld Marketing.

To read more about fractional CMOs, visit Meld’s website: https://meldmarketing.com/blog/driving-strategic-business-growth-with-a-fractional-cmo/