What does a fractional CMO do, and when should you hire one?
By Toby Dames. Published 5 November 2026.
What they do
- Write a 90-day marketing plan with priorities and a budget.
- Manage agencies and freelancers, and hold them to agreed results.
- Build the systems that bring customers back: email, SMS and customer data.
- Report monthly on revenue, margin, repeat customers and cost per customer.
How it differs from an agency or a consultant
An agency delivers a service, such as ads or design. A consultant gives recommendations. A fractional CMO takes on the marketing function part-time, makes decisions within an agreed budget, and is accountable for the numbers.
Signs you may need one
- Growth has stalled.
- Marketing spend is rising without clear results.
- The founder or owner is doing the marketing.
- You have new funding to deploy.
- A marketing leader has left or is on leave.
- You are launching a product or entering a new market.
If two or three of these apply, it is worth a conversation.
What it costs
Our fractional CMO service starts from $5,000 a month for one day a week, plus GST. Two days a week is scoped on a call. There is a three-month minimum and an option to end after the first month. See the fractional CMO page for the full terms.
Questions
Fractional CMO or full-time hire?
A full-time hire is a bigger, slower and harder-to-reverse commitment. A fractional CMO can start within a week or two and scale up or down while you learn what you need.
Does a fractional CMO do the work?
They lead the strategy, budget and reporting. Specialist execution such as design or media buying is usually done by your agencies or freelancers, managed by the CMO.
How do I know a fractional CMO is working?
Agree the measures at the start: revenue and margin, cost per new customer, repeat purchase rate and email share of revenue. Ask for 30-day outcomes in writing.
Want this worked out on your own data?
The free Profit Leak Detector takes a couple of minutes. Or book 30 minutes and we will look at your numbers together.