What is a Fractional CMO and Why is it the Answer to Post-Series A Marketing

Make It Stand Out.

For B2B start-up founders and executives, securing your Series A funding is grounds for a well-deserved celebration. You have put countless hours into your product market fit, providing a great customer experience for your early clients, defining your differentiators, and crafting your pitch to investors.

And while you should celebrate this major milestone, you also need to figure out how to utilize your capital in a way that will deliver the aggressive growth targets your investors expect and your business needs. Where do you begin?

Enter: The Fractional CMO.

In the article we unpack the “Fractional CMO.” Learn what the role is, why a Fractional CMO is the right answer after Series A funding, and how a Fractional CMO is the best way to intelligently deploy your new capital.

The “Fractional CMO” Defined

A Fractional CMO is an interim executive that provides your company CMO-level marketing expertise, strategy and execution without the hassle of hiring a costly, full-time executive. A Fractional CMO is a part-time, dedicated executive that is driven by helping start-ups reach their aggressive growth goals. They constantly seek to make major impacts on strategy and key decisions that help your company scale.

A Fractional CMO delivers everything you would expect from a seasoned marketing executive. But the real value is found in everything else you get. Beyond providing strategic direction, Fractional CMOs execute against the plan they build. In this way, I consider Fractional CMOs to be equal parts high-level thinkers and in-the-weeds doers.

A FRACTIONAL CMO MAKES A $5M START-UP LOOK LIKE A $50M COMPANY

In order to deploy your capital efficiently, a Fractional CMO can serve your company on-demand. Utilize their expertise when you need it most across brand awareness, press, analyst relations, demand generation, and product marketing. Typically, the time B2B start-ups “need it most” is post Series A because investor expectations are high.

Why Your Start-up Needs a Fractional CMO Post-Series A

Any successful start-up executive will tell you that post-Series A is very exciting but also very stressful. You now have a bunch of cash that comes with high expectations. Your investors expect fast results.

To hit your growth goals and deliver results post-Series A, it’s crucial to “figure out marketing.” For many start-up executives that is a daunting task. Where do you begin? What types of marketing roles do you hire? How do you allocate your budget?

At this point, you don't need a full time CMO. But you need that executive level thinking to help map out how you can achieve your milestones and accomplish your goals. This is why you need a Fractional CMO post-Series A. This interim executive will be able to provide strategic direction, build a marketing plan based on your specific goals, identify gaps, and execute against the plan.

If your start-up currently has a marketer or a small marketing team, a Fractional CMO can review your team’s capabilities to best allocate their current skill sets across the plan. Empower your full-time marketing employees with executive-level guidance, mentorship, and get the help you need to hold your team accountable.

In simple terms, leave the marketing to the marketing experts.

A Fractional CMO serves as a bridge between your Series A and Series B funding. This role can come in to launch a plan quickly, optimize, and set you up for long-term success. Fractional CMOs offer an eagerness to achieving goals, years of experience, and a different perspective.

There is also less pressure on the executive team to get this hire approved by the board, issue a press release, or have to deal with all of the hassle involved with onboarding  full-time employee. You get all of the benefits of a senior-executive without the headache.

Get Better ROI on Marketing

Now that you have money to put towards growing your business, it’s imperative that you spend your dollars wisely. Post-Series A is the time to invest in people and resources that will enable you to reach your growth goals. Each dollar spent should guarantee the return you need.

Hiring a Fractional CMO is one of the best ways to intelligently deploy your capital, or make your money work for you. With a Fractional CMO you get the best of both worlds - strategy plus execution without the commitment (or risk) of a full-time executive.

With a Fractional CMO, your company can expect full-time results from a part-time hire when you want them. Fractional CMOs make impact from day one. They understand the weight of demonstrating ROI on marketing efforts so they are motivated to get the marketing ball rolling quickly, deliver the results you expect on-demand, and provide a plan that your company can move forward with once the contract has ended.

If your B2B start-up is looking to achieve your post-Series A growth targets, we’re here to help. Arch Collective is purpose-built to help B2B companies thrive. We offer clients a Fractional CMO + A Collective of the best and brightest marketing talent. Get in touch with us today to see how we can help you reach your goals.