Over the past year I’ve spoken with a lot of business owners and marketing managers who feel a bit stuck. There’s plenty of work on, everyone’s busy, and there’s more pressure than ever. But no one is fully sure if the marketing is actually working or just keeping people occupied.
A common reaction I’ve seen is to hire a junior to support the marketing manager. Now most people think that this should make sense, because if everyone is busy you bring someone in to help right. Sometimes it works, sometimes it really doesn’t.
And when it doesn’t, it’s usually because the marketing manager has never been given the support or experience to manage another person. They’re already flat out with the day job, they don’t have time to step back to look at strategy and suddenly they’re expected to train, support and manage someone new as well.
So the junior arrives, full of enthusiasm, but with no direction, no structure and no real leadership behind them. Two months later they’re gone and the business is back where it started, but with more recruitment fees, lost time and more pressure than before.
I think we’ve got to get better at supporting both juniors and marketing managers.
The businesses who get it right
The organisations getting this right tend to be the ones who look for fractional CMO support (but of course I would say that 😂). They already have a capable marketer or a small team, but they’re stretched across everything: brand, campaigns, digital, reporting, product launches, sales support and internal comms. They don’t have time to step back, never mind bring someone new in.
What they don’t need is:
- a full-time CMO
- an agency retainer churning out assets
What they do need is someone senior who can bring clarity, direction and a bit of breathing room.
Every business I’ve worked with so far has had brilliant people, but what they were missing was the time and leadership to turn busy marketing into marketing that is contributing to the overall business goals.
This is what I have really enjoyed about fractional work. It has the variety of agency life that I love, but you’re working on the stuff agencies were never really built to fix. Years ago I was brought into a well known high street brand on an agency project. Within minutes we’d abandoned the agenda because the CEO needed help with their marketing framework. It was a hostage situation. That was when it clicked that neither a full time hire, or an agency covers this gap well.
So what do I think a Fractional CMO actually for?
I don’t think it’s not about taking over. It’s about creating the right environment for the team you already have.
For most organisations the decision isn’t “fractional CMO or full-time CMO.” It’s more like should you stick with an overwhelmed team who never get the headspace to lead, or give them senior support without the cost or commitment of a permanent CMO.
Fractional support gives businesses clarity.
It gives marketing managers room to breathe and grow.
And it stops premature hiring that only sets everyone back.
Most importantly, it stops people being thrown into roles they aren’t ready for.
If there’s one thing I’ve learned so far, it’s this. Most marketing teams aren’t broken. They’re just overloaded. Give them structure, direction, a bit of space and senior support and you start to see the green shoots very quickly.