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Let’s face it: most seed-stage startups don’t need a full-time CMO to run their marketing from day one. And yet, many founders either take on junior marketing talent that can execute tactics without strategy or rely on advisors to tell them what to do without giving them the tools to actually get it done.
The result? A scattered marketing plan and wasted resources.
A fractional CMO is the sweet spot for startups that need strategic guidance and practical execution and someone who is not afraid to get their hands dirty.
They don’t just tell you, “You need a brand strategy”; they help create that strategy. They don’t suggest you run a marketing campaign—they outline what channels work best, design the framework for success, craft content for the first campaigns and ensure you’re leveraging the right platforms to reach your target audience effectively.
Typical work a fractional CMO might be doing:
Brand strategy: Crafting a unique identity that resonates with your target audience. This might involve setting up and running branding and brand value workshops with the founders, pulling in designers to execute the visual design and creating a brand handbook that is easily translated in tools like Canva to help anybody create brand materials in line with the brand's voice and design.
Product positioning: Ensuring your product stands out in a crowded market by refining its unique value proposition. This includes assessing competitor positioning, gathering customer feedback, and tailoring messaging to align with market demands. The fractional CMO will work closely with your fractional CPO or whoever is in charge of user discovery on this task.
Go-to-market strategy: Designing a plan for successful product launches including the nitty-gritty tools and strategies that are needed. This might involve deep expertise in content marketing, SEO, crowdfunding, guerrilla marketing approaches, influencer dos and don't and key KPIs to follow when performance marketing is the most promising channel.
Customer segmentation: Identifying and defining your core customer base and prioritizing outreach so that your startup avoids costly random acts of marketing.
Content strategy and creation: Developing a content roadmap that includes blog posts, social media strategy, and newsletters. This might involve recommending platforms, creating content calendars, and collaborating with content creators.
Campaign design: Planning and implementing high-level marketing campaigns including channel analysis and strategy, marketing content suggestions and hands-on measuring of performance. This may include implementation of the correct tools in order to streamline and measure ROAS so you know where you get the most bang for your buck.
Team structure: Building the right internal and external marketing team to execute marketing efforts. This includes suggesting roles needed for your specific team, writing JDs and finding places to hire the best talent.
Marketing tech stack optimization: Selecting and implementing the right tools for automating and scaling marketing efforts. A fractional CMO audits existing tools, recommends new ones, and integrates CRM, email marketing, social media, and analytics platforms.
Partnership and collaboration strategy: Identifying and forming strategic partnerships with complementary brands and influencers. This includes vetting partners, negotiating terms, and planning co-marketing initiatives to expand reach.
Customer retention strategy: Your fractional CMO for your startup also builds strategies to retain and grow your customer base through loyalty programs, email marketing, and community-building efforts.
Hiring a full-time CMO at this stage could be overkill and financially draining, while hiring junior marketers could lead to costly missteps. With a fractional CMO, you get the benefit of deep marketing experience but at a fraction of the cost, plus access to a high-level strategist who will equip your team to carry out the plan with confidence.
Get in touch and we will help you find your fractional CMO for your startup.
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