What is a Fractional CMO (and do you really need one)?
Every growing company hits a point where marketing needs to transition from scattered tactics to a structured, strategic function that can scale with the business. Maybe sales have stalled, messaging is inconsistent or everything feels reactive rather than proactive. Hiring a full-time Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) can feel too early—or just too expensive. That’s where a fractional CMO can step in.
For small businesses and startups, this kind of leadership is particularly valuable. A fractional CMO helps bring structure, focus and repeatable processes, while ensuring your audience is defined and your marketing is positioned to stand out. In short, a fractional CMO gives you the senior-level guidance you need exactly when you need it. You’ve proven your product works, your team is growing, but your marketing isn’t there yet.
What exactly is a fractional CMO?
A fractional CMO is a senior marketing leader who partners with your company on a part-time, contract, or project basis. Instead of carrying the cost of a full-time executive, growing companies can tap into high-level marketing expertise only when and where they need it. Fractional CMOs don’t just give advice—they are accountable for the marketing department’s success, team leadership, and overall strategy tied to business goals. Engagements can last anywhere from 6 weeks to 2+ years, depending on your company’s needs. As a fractional CMO, here’s what I focus on:
Rapid Marketing Audit and Goal Alignment
Marketing review—brand, audience, messaging, channels, partnership, and digital—check ROI, spot gaps, and find opportunities. Align with leadership on the top three marketing priorities for the next 90 days.
Marketing Strategy / Roadmap
Refine your marketing vision and positioning—including brand story, voice, and messaging—then create a quarterly marketing plan tied to company priorities and outline a go-to-market strategy for key initiatives like product launches or strategic partnerships.
Team & Structure Assessment
Assess your current marketing team, capabilities and gaps, with recommendations on new hires or agency partners. At the same time, setup processes and systems for planning, reporting, KPIs, and optimizing your marketing tech stack—including AI tools.
Growth & Revenue
Partner with sales to align on priorities; recommend ways to grow revenue through upsells, cross-sells, or customer engagement, and track key performance metrics like sales wins, revenue impact, and co-marketing results.
Executive Leadership
Represent marketing in leadership meetings and serve as the voice of the customer across product, sales, and R&D, while delivering quarterly reports on marketing’s impact to business goals along with plans for optimization.
I’ve Been There, Done That
Every company is different—industry, product, challenges, customers, and more. But here’s an example of how I helped an early-stage startup transition its marketing from messy and chaotic to a true growth engine.
The company was small—about 10 people—and I was their first marketing hire. Marketing efforts were founder-led, scattered, and inconsistent: a press release here, a LinkedIn post there, but nothing that drove revenue. After auditing the company’s brand, messaging, and tactics, I recommended a vision, strategy and budget that transformed marketing from a line item on the P&L into a department driving growth. Of course, that transition didn’t happen overnight, but the foundation was in place.
Today, the company has clarity. It knows where it’s headed and how marketing drives revenue. They know who their customers are, how to stand out, and are telling a consistent story. Launches and campaigns have a clear plan, the right channels and budget are in place, and the team has the tools and systems to execute. And best of all—they’re tracking the numbers that actually show what’s working, so they can keep improving.
Why growing companies need a fractional CMO
In my work with growing companies, the most common reasons for hiring a fractional CMO include:
Outgrowing founder-led marketing but unable to afford a full-time exec with benefits
A marketing team that’s swamped with execution but lacks focus and direction
The need for someone to own the marketing function and solve bigger business problems
For many small businesses, a fractional CMO is the sweet spot between doing a lot of activities and doing the right activities. I love working with growing companies because every ounce of effort and passion affects the company’s success. It’s incredibly rewarding to watch a business grow, adapt, and evolve into a sustainable, profitable company.
TL;DR
If your small business needs marketing leadership but a full-time hire isn’t realistic yet, that’s where I come in. I bring executive-level expertise, startup experience, and over 20 years of marketing know-how to give you clarity, strategy, and direction—without the overhead of a full-time hire.
So, do you need one? If you’re second-guessing your marketing decisions, watching ad dollars disappear without results, or struggling to connect the dots between marketing efforts and revenue, then yes.
Let’s schedule a quick, no-pressure call to talk through your goals and see if a fractional CMO is the right move for your business.
Scheduling Link
Elishaa Batdorf is a fractional CMO and marketing strategist who helps growing B2B wellness and tech companies scale by providing leadership, strategy and focus. With 20 years of experience helping Fortune 500 companies and fast-growing startups, she uses proven marketing strategies to accelerate business growth. Connect with her about marketing strategy and growth tactics on LinkedIn.
