Fractional CMO / Outsourced marketing director
Fractional CMO: senior marketing direction, without hiring a full-time CMO.
I work alongside CEOs, founders and owners, taking responsibility for strategy, budget, KPIs, teams and suppliers. I operate as a Fractional CMO with a commitment sized to the company, while staying directly involved in campaigns, data, CRO, CRM and MarTech.
Before defining the scope I check objectives, data, margin and the capacity to execute.
Definition
What a Fractional CMO is, and why it can help an SME
It does not mean buying a few hours of consulting. It means assigning responsibility for the marketing function, with a commitment sized to the company.
A Fractional CMO is a senior marketing director who works a fraction of a full-time role, but keeps ongoing responsibility for the marketing function. The difference from consulting is not the number of hours: it is that decisions, priorities and numbers stay with one identifiable person.
The same role is also called outsourced marketing director, fractional marketing manager or part-time CMO. The name changes, the substance does not: senior leadership accountable for objectives, budget and results without being a full-time employee.
For an SME this solves a concrete problem: the seniority needed to govern marketing, data and suppliers costs as much as an executive hire, but the workload does not always justify one full time.
Signals
When an outsourced marketing director makes sense
These are the situations where the problem is not the amount of activity, but the absence of a common direction.
Marketing has grown by successive additions, without shared governance.
The CEO is still too involved in day-to-day execution.
Several agencies or specialists need coordination, each with their own reading of the data.
Budgets are significant but priorities are not stated.
Marketing activity and economic results are not connected in a readable way.
Seniority is needed now, but it is not the moment to hire a full-time CMO.
The company is growing, reorganising or entering new markets.
Scope
What a Fractional CMO actually does
The scope is agreed upfront. These are the areas I can take responsibility for, in full or in part.
Strategy and positioning
Where the company competes, with which promise, and which segments are worth investing in.
Budget and investment allocation
How spend is distributed across channels, markets and stages of the buying journey.
KPIs, forecasting and reporting
Which indicators drive decisions, how they are read and how often they are reviewed.
Performance marketing
Governance of paid channels, with hands-on work in the accounts when needed.
Analytics and measurement
GA4, tracking, data quality and consistency between platforms and commercial systems.
CRO and customer journey
The path from first contact to conversion, working on message and friction.
CRM and MarTech
Tool selection and integration, data flows and commercial information feeding back.
Team, agencies and suppliers
Coordination, objective setting and review of the work delivered by others.
Roadmap and governance
Order of work, assigned responsibilities and review rituals.
Direct support to CEO and owners
Translating between marketing language and economic language, for informed decisions.
Comparison
Fractional CMO, temporary marketing manager or marketing consultant?
These models differ in responsibility, duration and level of involvement. None is better in absolute terms: it depends on what the company is missing.
| Role | Responsibility | Duration | Involvement | When it fits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fractional CMO | Managerial and ongoing across the marketing function. | Ongoing, with a partial and reviewable commitment. | Direction plus execution on the agreed areas. | Stable leadership is needed, but not a full-time CMO. |
| Temporary marketing manager / Temporary CMO | Managerial, tied to a defined mandate. | Temporary, with a declared end. | High during the mandate, then it ends. | Transition, replacement or a project with a deadline. |
| Marketing consultant | Analysis and recommendations, without ongoing governance. | Variable, often tied to a single engagement. | Advisory: execution stays with the company. | An outside opinion or a specific diagnosis is needed. |
| Agency | Delivery of activities within a contractual scope. | Ongoing for the service assigned. | Operational, through an external structure. | Execution capacity on specific channels is needed. |
These roles are not mutually exclusive. In several cases an outsourced marketing director works precisely to get more out of the agencies already in place.
Method
How I work as a Fractional CMO
First I reconstruct how the company generates revenue and margin. Then I define what marketing has to do.Read more about the method
Method
01 Understand
Revenue model, margin, operating constraints and the objectives of the ownership.
02 Measure
The real state of data, tracking and reporting, before any judgement.
03 Diagnose
Where the system loses value: channels, processes, tools or responsibilities.
04 Prioritise
What to address first, based on economic impact and capacity to execute.
05 Execute
Hands-on work and coordination of teams, agencies and suppliers on the agreed priorities.
06 Optimise
Periodic review of KPIs, budget and roadmap when the data changes.
Who it is for
Fractional CMO for SMEs and structured companies
The model works when there is already something to direct. It does not replace building a marketing function that does not exist yet.
See the industries I work in- Marketing activity already exists, even if uneven.
- There is an internal team, suppliers or agencies.
- Digital carries meaningful economic weight in the result.
- The CEO or owners want more control over spend and priorities.
- Seniority is needed, but not a full-time CMO.
- Revenue, acquisition and margin are measurable, or can be made so.
I do not set a revenue threshold: what matters is the complexity to govern, not the declared size.
Experience
Managerial and hands-on experience
I have worked in digital marketing since 2005. Since 2020 I have been CMO of The Bright Hotel, coordinating marketing for ten hotels in the United States.
My work combines managerial responsibility with direct execution across performance marketing, Google Ads, analytics, CRO, CRM and MarTech.
I have worked in hospitality, travel, education, online services, sport, gaming and mobile apps.
- Hospitality
- Travel
- Education
- Online services
- Sport
- Gaming
- Mobile apps
Frequently asked questions
Common questions about outsourced marketing direction
What is a Fractional CMO?
A senior marketing director who works with a company on a part-time basis, while holding ongoing responsibility for strategy, budget, KPIs and the coordination of teams and suppliers.
How much does a Fractional CMO cost?
There is no standard price. Fee and commitment depend on the responsibilities assigned, the complexity of the company and the time required. I define it after understanding scope and objectives.
What is the difference between a Fractional CMO and an outsourced marketing director?
None in substance: they are the same role under two names. Marketing direction in outsourcing and part-time CMO describe the same model.
Are a Fractional CMO and a temporary marketing manager the same thing?
No. A temporary marketing manager, or temporary CMO, usually has a time-bound mandate tied to a specific phase, a transition or a project with a declared end. The fractional model is ongoing, with a partial commitment.
What is the difference between a Fractional CMO and a marketing consultant?
A consultant mainly provides analysis and recommendations; execution and decisions stay with the company. In the fractional model I take on governance of the function and answer for the agreed results.
How many days a month does a Fractional CMO work?
It depends on the scope. It can range from a few days a month of direction to a broader commitment when hands-on execution is included. The level is agreed and reviewed over time.
When is it worth bringing in a Fractional CMO?
When activities, budgets and suppliers have grown but there is no shared responsibility, and when seniority is needed before or instead of a full-time hire.
Can a Fractional CMO coordinate agencies and internal teams?
Yes, it is one of the core activities: setting objectives, reviewing the work and bringing everyone back to a shared reading of the numbers.
Can you also run the campaigns directly?
Yes. I still work hands-on in Google Ads, tracking and analysis, so I can step in directly when that is useful rather than only supervising.
Is a Fractional CMO suitable for SMEs?
It is often where the model delivers most, because it provides senior direction without the cost and rigidity of a full-time executive position.
In short
What is missing is direction, not necessarily more marketing.
If activities, budgets, data and suppliers keep growing but no one holds shared responsibility, we can assess whether a fractional model fits the situation.
Or email me directly fabio.deleonardis@bigup.marketing