Fractional Marketing explained by a bloke who's been at it for 26 years and didn't realise it was a thing...
- Steve Fairhurst
- 32 minutes ago
- 5 min read
As it turns out, I've been a Fractional CMO running an FMO for a long long time. Who knew? I have a broad dislike of 'buzzwords and phrases' so I never even bothered to check this one out. But now it's cool to the point where people use it as the lead statement on their LinkedIn profiles... So I'll explain it like so - for the buzzword allergic. The people who laugh too hard at Wankernomics.
Most companies in 2026 have the same headache
Targets keep going up. Headcount and budgets don’t. At the same time, customers / clients are everywhere. Different channels. Different journeys. Different expectations. To reach them you need deep insights.
All the stuff your current team is trying hard to “learn on the job” is distracting and counterproductive. The team you want versus the team you can afford. And that gap opens up like a sinkhole on an A Road.
This is where fractional marketing swaggers into the bar
Quietly swaggering at first. Now it’s winning at pool and chatting up the bar staff. Roughly one in four companies use some kind of fractional model. The fractional CMO market is already worth billions and shows no signs of slowing down anytime soon.
And it’s not just startups. Mid‑market and enterprise are at it too. Why? Because they want senior firepower without the full-time costs of it all.
Forget the jargon. Fractional marketing literally means this: You buy ‘a slice’ of a top‑end marketer instead of the whole person plus their pension, healthcare, bonus etc.
A fractional CMO runs strategy for several businesses. FMOs take that one step further. Not just a clever strategist. A clever ‘human’ head with a ready‑made Freelance and AI team. That’s important – because the on-costs of a UK based human team would make your eyes water… If you know the right horses for the right courses, you’re good.
Set the thermostat
You turn the dial up or down depending on what you need this quarter. It looks like an agency from the outside. But inside the business I sit with leadership. I have always survived on client results, and don’t expect that will ever change.
Engagements are simple. Retainer for ongoing leadership. Sprints for launches and market entries. (Most firms mix the two.) The big difference from a normal agency is the scoreboard. Fractional ‘leaders’ live and die on generated revenue.
Not on reach and engagement. Not on the amount of data, we’ve collected. But on “Show me the fucking money!” The bit your CFO and board really care about.
Fractional isn’t just cheaper
It works. Companies using fractional CMOs see around 29% revenue growth. Those without sit closer to 19%. Same economy. Different approach.
That’s a 53% improvement in the growth curve just from having proper strategic marketing leadership. Tighter strategy and targeting also show up in the maths.
Marketing ROI up 25–35%. Customer acquisition cost down 15–25%.
Now compare the costs
A full in‑house team for a mid‑sized firm can run 250k–500k a year once you add salaries, benefits, tools, and the usual bumfluffuries.
A fractional CMO plus access to an execution bench lands nearer 272k all‑in.And you’re not carrying the full‑time headcount underneath.
Do the numbers and you’re looking at 35–65% lower operating cost with faster pipeline and better leads. That’s not a creative opinion. That’s maths. Flexibility beats certainty
The smart bit isn’t even cost. It’s optionality.
With an FMO you can test a new segment, channel, or country with six months of expert help. If it works, you scale. If it doesn’t, you stop. No redundancy process. No sunk salaries. No tech stack you’re now married to. You’re renting capability instead of owning risk.
Why you should care
Here’s the punchline for businesses: Fractional is valuable when it stops being “marketing support” and starts being “revenue infrastructure”. The good ones build a joint operating model with sales. Shared dashboards. Weekly pipeline reviews. Clear rules of what a good opportunity looks like. They measure success in:
· Sales‑qualified opportunities
· Win rate by segment
· CAC payback
· Expansion revenue
Not how many people “liked the campaign”.
FMO's also solve the problem of “I need this specialist, but only for a bit”. One month you need strategic guidance. One month you need deep pockets for adverts.
With a fractional model you pull in the right expert when you need them, then you let them go. Speeds will increase: The march of AI means things are changing more quickly and in 2028, everything will be different…
Go with ‘tried and tested’
Be More Cheetah founder Steve Fairhurst has 36 years’ experience in every sector you can think of. You want 'tried and tested' as in many cases, outsourced and hybrid models are scaling pipeline two‑and‑a‑half times faster than in‑house alone, with lead quality up by a third. Amazing what you can achieve with the right support…
Not everyone is ready for a fractional model
If you’re consistently hitting plan with a sharp in‑house team and a clear strategy, carry on. But if any of this sounds familiar…
· Revenue flat despite higher marketing spend
· Senior people writing half the campaigns
· Lots of “new strategies”, very little follow‑through
If any of this sounds familiar, then you’ve probably hit the limits of what your current structure can do. When you look for an FMO, buzzwords and case‑study gloss. Focus on the revenue.
What to look for when hiring an FMO
Ask three simple questions:
· Have you grown businesses like mine before?
· How do you tie your work directly to my pipeline and revenue metrics?
· What does your weekly and monthly rhythm with my sales team look like?
If they can’t answer those without a deck, move on.
Be prepared to show how you cut the lady in half
If you want fractional to work, you must treat them as insiders. Give them access to sales calls, CRM, board targets, margins, people... Let them see the real numbers, not the sanitised ones. They should be seen as the definition of critical friends.
Agree a short list of KPIs before anyone starts any work: Pipeline coverage. Cost per opportunity. Time‑to‑revenue. Renewal should depend on those, not ‘how busy’ everyone has been.
Here’s a simple 2026 plan
Audit your growth engine: Map the funnel from first touch to renewal. Find the biggest leaks. Then list the skills you’d need to fix each leak. Compare that list with the skills of the available team that you have.
Whatever you can’t realistically and affordably hire in the next 12–18 months goes on the fractional list. Next, rent what makes you different: Brand strategy, customer insight, the big idea, the messaging, etc.
Rent for: Strategy, Performance, Media, RevOps. Run a six‑month FMO pilot. Set hard targets: e.g. 30% more qualified opportunities / 20% lower CAC / X new markets tested.
Watch the funnel
At the end, either scale, refine, or discard. No emotion. Just hyper-focus on the results. In a market where speed, flexibility, and capital efficiency decide who wins. Fractional marketing isn’t a ‘nice‑to‑have’ – for growth, it’s essential.
So just to recap, you need FMO support to scale sales: Someone with over 35 years’ experience in getting it right supported by the finest and most agile freelance talent pool and curated AI platforms: A team tailor-made to your needs.
steve@bemorecheetah.com (Clears throat and waves)
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