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As the founder and chief marketing strategist at Treefrog Marketing, a co-host of the Priority Pursuit Podcast, a StoryBrand Certified Guide, and fractional chief marketing officer, Kelly Rice has spent more than two decades helping small businesses take their companies to the next level by providing trustworthy leadership and building effective marketing strategies and systems.
She has dedicated her career to helping small businesses succeed because she knows, firsthand, how hard they work to make their communities a better place.
Still, many people undervalue the strength and ingenuity of small businesses, but not Kelly. She believes they deserve to have a marketing partner and strategy that works as hard as they do.
As a cost-effective alternative to hiring a full-time CMO, a fractional CMO allows small businesses to access top-notch marketing expertise—but without the hefty price tag.
Here are a few frequently asked questions to help you decide if partnering with a fractional CMO is right for your business. You can also learn more about fractional CMOs by tuning in to “Episode 111” of The Priority Pursuit Podcast.
No. In fact, many organizations already recognize the value of outsourcing executive functions such as the chief financial officer role.
For organizations with an annual revenue of $2-$30 million, they need a CFO’s expertise to stabilize and protect their business—but not on a full-time basis. The same philosophy applies to partnering with a chief marketing officer.
A CMO is an outside director position brought in to understand, refine, and manage your marketing initiatives, spending, resources, and staff in order to improve your overall sales.
Usually, companies with $2+ million in revenue that may have a marketing manager, but lack strategic marketing leadership required to grow their business to the next level—or are not happy with their current marketing strategies—can benefit from hiring a fractional CMO for small businesses.
A fractional chief marketing officer (director of marketing) assumes a critical role in shaping a small business’s marketing strategy and execution. With their wealth of experience, they can continuously analyze marketing performance, identify areas of improvement, and fine-tune strategies to maximize ROI.
Fractional CMOs enter a company with a fresh perspective, allowing them to provide insights about your current marketing initiatives and systems. Additionally, they are usually responsible for:
The benefit of partnering with Treefrog is that our professional agency teams have been helping small businesses implement their marketing strategies for more than two decades. Not only can we provide exceptional marketing leadership, but when warranted, our agency can also complete the implementation of projects such as brand development, brand messaging, copywriting, website design, SEO, and more.
The best time to partner with a fractional CMO is when you’ve reached a sustainable revenue in which you can afford one (usually $2+ million) and when you’re not satisfied with your current marketing results.
It is important to note that the partnership is best served when a company has either an internal marketing person or external vendors (or both) in place to execute a comprehensive marketing strategy.
A fCMO is not a full-time employee or someone who will personally execute specific marketing campaigns or tasks. This partnership is designed to lead the overall marketing strategy for your company, oversee the implementation, and manage your marketing department—even if it's a department of one—and any outside vendors.
If you don’t have a marketing team, our agency team would be happy to partner with you on a contractual basis. At Treefrog, our professional agency teams have been helping small businesses implement their marketing strategies for more than two decades. Not only can we provide exceptional marketing leadership, but when warranted, our agency can also complete the implementation of projects such as brand development, brand messaging, copywriting, website design, SEO, and more.
Research indicates that about 36% of those presenting as fCMOs lack the skills and experience needed to perform their duties. But, there’s actually a way to quickly weed out less-than-qualified candidates.
Simply focus on the types of questions your potential fCMO asks. If they ask questions about your overall business, structure, products, current challenges, competition, and market fit, you’re off to a good start.
However, if they ask questions about marketing strategies currently in place and then immediately want to discuss implementation and execution, that’s not a fractional CMO. They’re a marketing manager in disguise.
The agreed upon duties will play into your overall investment. However, most fractional CMOs charge an hourly rate of $200 to $500 per hour.
Additionally, it’s important to take into account the amount of time needed by a fCMO to learn the relevant aspects of your company. Since this is an executive role, they will need to become very familiar with your company—which won’t happen overnight.
On average, you should budget for at least 10 hours a month, but your specific needs will determine the final rate.
Designed for small businesses that want to get to the next level, but don't have the time, desire, or in-house talent to build, implement, and manage an effective marketing strategy.
Begins at $6400 per month with a 12-month commitment
Best suited for small businesses that are looking for resources, guidance, and oversight when learning about, building, and implementing their own flywheel marketing strategy.Â
Begins at $3500 per month with a 12-month commitment
Provides access to resources and 6-months of professional guidance to those wanting to develop the first two steps of their flywheel marketing strategy; messaging and website.
$450 per month with a 6-month commitment
Designed for small businesses that want a StoryBrand Certified Guide to develop your Marketing Guiding Statements.
Begins at $3000
Best suited for small businesses that are looking for guidance and oversight when writing their own Marketing Guiding Statements.
Begins at $2500
Access to resources and 6-months of strategic guidance for those wanting to develop the first two steps of their flywheel marketing strategy.
$450 per month
