Fractional CMO Services for Growth-Minded Companies
Get Senior Marketing Leadership Without the Full-Time Cost
Mid-market and PE-backed companies trust Digital Optimus to provide strategic marketing leadership, proven growth frameworks, and measurable ROI—at a fraction of the cost of a full-time CMO hire.
What You Get With a Fractional CMO
Does This Sound Familiar?
Growing mid-market companies face unique marketing challenges that require executive-level expertise.
The cost of inaction is significant.
Every quarter without strategic marketing leadership means missed revenue opportunities, inefficient spending, and falling behind competitors who have executive-level marketing expertise driving their growth.
Introducing the Fractional CMO Solution
Get the strategic marketing leadership you need, when you need it, without the full-time commitment or cost.
Strategic Expertise
20+ years of proven marketing leadership experience across multiple industries and growth stages
Rapid Deployment
Hit the ground running—no lengthy onboarding or learning curve typical of full-time hires
Cost-Effective
Access senior-level expertise at 30% of the cost of a full-time CMO, with flexible engagement terms
The Digital Optimus Fractional CMO Model
Why Companies Choose Fractional CMO Services
The strategic advantages that make fractional leadership the smart choice for growing companies.
A full-time CMO costs $200K-$350K in base salary alone, plus 25-30% in benefits, equity packages, bonuses, and recruiting fees—easily exceeding $300K-$450K annually.
With a Fractional CMO, you get the same caliber of strategic expertise for $5K-$15K monthly ($60K-$180K annually)—a 60-70% cost savings while maintaining flexibility to scale up or down as needed.
Fractional CMO: $120,000/year
Annual Savings: $205,000
Our Fractional CMOs bring 20+ years of marketing leadership experience, having driven growth for companies ranging from mid-market to Fortune 500.
You get immediate access to expertise in brand strategy, demand generation, digital marketing, marketing operations, team building, and executive leadership—without the 6-12 month search and onboarding process.
- Proven track record scaling marketing operations
- Industry-specific knowledge and best practices
- Experience with PE-backed and high-growth companies
Unlike consultants who deliver recommendations and disappear, or agencies focused only on tactics, a Fractional CMO provides ongoing strategic leadership AND hands-on execution oversight.
We develop the strategy, build the roadmap, manage implementation, optimize campaigns, lead your team, coordinate vendors, and course-correct in real-time based on performance data.
We bring battle-tested frameworks and methodologies refined across dozens of successful engagements—no need to reinvent the wheel or learn expensive lessons.
From customer journey mapping and lead scoring models to marketing attribution systems and growth playbooks, you benefit from proven approaches that accelerate results and minimize risk.
- Scalable demand generation systems
- Data-driven budget allocation models
- Marketing technology stack optimization
- Revenue attribution & forecasting
Fractional CMO vs. The Alternatives
Understanding which solution is right for your business stage and needs.
- Provides strategic leadership across all marketing functions
- Serves as part of your executive team with ownership mentality
- Manages and coordinates all marketing vendors and agencies
- Aligns marketing with business objectives and revenue goals
- Builds internal capabilities and develops your team
- •Executes specific tactics (SEO, paid ads, content)
- •Works as external vendor with multiple clients
- •Typically focused on one channel or discipline
- •Limited strategic oversight beyond their services
- •Incentivized to sell more of their services
Best Use: A Fractional CMO and agencies work together perfectly. The Fractional CMO sets strategy and manages the agency, ensuring their work aligns with business goals and delivers ROI.
- $60K-$180K annually (60-70% cost savings)
- Immediate availability—start within days, not months
- Flexible engagement—scale hours up or down as needed
- Diverse experience across multiple companies and industries
- No long-term commitment or severance risk
- •$200K-$350K+ salary plus 25-30% benefits/equity
- •6-12 month search and onboarding process
- •Fixed commitment regardless of workload fluctuation
- •Single perspective and experience base
- •Significant severance cost if wrong fit
Best Use: Fractional CMO is ideal for companies $10M-$100M in revenue. Once you exceed $100M with established marketing operations, consider transitioning to a full-time CMO.
- Long-term strategic partner focused on sustainable growth
- Ongoing relationship through multiple growth phases
- Builds systems and capabilities for lasting impact
- More cost-effective for extended engagements
- •Temporary fill-in during leadership transition
- •Short-term engagement (3-6 months typically)
- •Maintains status quo until permanent hire
- •Premium rates for short-term commitment
Best Use: Choose a Fractional CMO when you need ongoing strategic leadership. Choose an Interim CMO only if you're filling a gap while recruiting for a full-time CMO role.
Real-World Results: Fractional CMO Success Story
How strategic marketing leadership transformed a mid-market company's growth trajectory
The Challenge
A PE-backed manufacturing services company had plateaued at $50M in annual revenue after years of steady growth. The CEO recognized that marketing was the bottleneck—they were still relying on referrals and legacy relationships, with no strategic approach to demand generation or market expansion.
The company couldn't justify a $300K+ full-time CMO hire, and their previous agency relationships had delivered tactical execution without strategic direction. They needed senior marketing leadership to unlock their next growth phase.
The Fractional CMO Approach
- • Conducted comprehensive market analysis
- • Developed ideal customer profile (ICP)
- • Created differentiated positioning strategy
- • Built 18-month growth roadmap
- • Launched multi-channel campaign strategy
- • Implemented marketing automation
- • Developed lead scoring & nurturing
- • Created sales enablement materials
- • Restructured marketing team (2 new hires)
- • Selected and implemented martech stack
- • Established KPIs and reporting cadence
- • Aligned marketing with sales process
- • Managed 3 external agency partners
- • Optimized campaigns based on data
- • Weekly executive reporting
- • Quarterly strategic planning
The Results
Bringing on a Fractional CMO was one of the best decisions we made. For a fraction of what we'd pay a full-time executive, we got someone who understood our business, developed a clear strategy, and managed execution. The ROI has been exceptional, and we now have marketing systems that will continue driving growth.
How Working with Digital Optimus Works
A proven engagement process designed to deliver results quickly
Discovery & Assessment (Week 1-2)
We begin with a comprehensive discovery process to understand your business, market position, competitive landscape, and growth objectives. This includes stakeholder interviews, marketing audit, data analysis, and customer research.
Strategy Development (Week 3-4)
Based on our findings, we develop a comprehensive marketing strategy aligned with your business objectives. This includes positioning, target markets, channel strategy, budget allocation, and measurable goals.
Implementation & Execution (Month 2-3)
We roll up our sleeves and get to work. This phase involves implementing quick wins, launching priority initiatives, building necessary systems, managing teams and vendors, and establishing measurement frameworks.
Optimization & Growth (Month 4+)
As initiatives launch and data flows in, we continuously optimize performance, scale what works, eliminate what doesn't, and identify new opportunities. This phase focuses on sustainable, scalable growth.
Get a Free Marketing Audit from a Fractional CMO
Before you commit to anything, let us show you what's possible. Our complimentary marketing audit reveals specific opportunities to improve your marketing performance and accelerate revenue growth.
What's Included in Your Free Audit:
After submitting your information, we'll schedule a 45-minute discovery call. Within 5 business days, you'll receive a comprehensive audit presentation delivered via video call, with supporting documentation provided.
Request Your Free Marketing Audit
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Frequently Asked Questions
Everything you need to know about fractional CMO services
Ready to Scale Your Marketing with Strategic Leadership?
Stop letting marketing be your growth bottleneck. Get the strategic leadership and proven frameworks you need to achieve predictable, scalable revenue growth—without the cost and commitment of a full-time CMO.
Join the growing number of mid-market companies achieving breakthrough growth with fractional CMO services.