Need a Fractional CMO or Marketing Director?
Categorized in: Fractional Marketing, B2B Digital Marketing
So, you know you need help with your marketing. There are many reasons why you might need help. You could feel as if you need someone to facilitate the alignment of marketing and the growth of the company. You could need assistance because you need to make some personnel changes, or you could need help building an implementing a marketing strategy.
Whatever the reason, there are two basic directions you can go. You could hire a marketing director in-house or you could work with a Fractional CMO. Which to choose? Here are some things to consider.
There’s Are Big Differences Between the Two
First of all, you should consider that there are actually big differences between the two, and this could be the first factor that determines which to choose. Here’s some of the main differences:
- Experience. In terms of experience, a Fractional CMO, would have more than a Director of Marketing. They earned their status as a marketing officer, which is the highest ranked person the marketing department.
- Function. CMO’s and Directors have different roles in the company. Think of a Fractional CMO as equivalent to an in-house CMO, who would be responsible for budgeting, developing the strategy, performing market research, and other high level activities. The Marketing Director supervises marketing staff, implements the strategy, analyze and adjust campaign performance, etc.
- Strategic vs Tactical. In other words a Fractional CMO is strategic, whereas a Marketing director is tactical. Think about which you need help with, and then proceed accordingly.
Note that you will often see some task crossover. This is often because jobs evolve in different ways, and many times it comes down to budget. In an ideal world, the two have very distinct and different functions.
Consider What’s Going on in the Business
What is the current state of the business? There are two factors here about the business that play a role in determining which direction to take. These are the overall stage the business is at, as well as the company’s overall goals. Either one or the other will be a good fit, but it all depends on the business itself. So, the first step is to think about what you really need.
The first, major consider is you need to determine if what you need is strategic help (Fractional CMO) or tactical help (Marketing Director). Keep in mind that if you need help with both, you could work with a Fractional CMO who would then advise you on the best approach for the tactical side. They can even assist you with hiring in-house personal. They have so many industry experience, they’d be a clear asset.
Another item to consider is the budget. Hiring in-house can really put a drain on an already strapped budget. Hiring a Fractional CMO is definitely more cost effective, especially since you won’t have to pay for insurance, the taxes, and more in addition to the salary. You just pay the Fractional CMO’s fee and that’s it. You can also pay for only what you need in terms of time. It can be a full schedule of 40 hours a week, or it can be a lot less than that.
As you can see, there is no one-size-fits-all approach when it comes to getting marketing help for your business. You just have to choose the one that is best for you.
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