Demand for fractional CMOs driven by expertise over cost
Why Firms Are Actually Hiring Fractional CMOs (It's Not the Reason You'd Think)
Ask most people why a business brings in a fractional CMO, and you'll get the same answer every time: it's cheaper than hiring full-time. But new research suggests that’s not the whole picture.
Firms aren't hiring fractional CMOs because they're cautious; they're hiring them because they're stuck, and they need someone who's solved this exact problem before.
This is why I have been hired as a fractional CMO in the past 12 months, and now the stats are in to prove it.
Why three firms brought in fractional marketing leadership
Three of the firms I've worked with as a fractional marketing leader over the past year came to me for very different reasons, and cost wasn't the main one for any of them. The Slice Network and Robert Half Talent Solutions asked 113 fractional marketing leaders, mostly UK-based, what drives demand, and found a market growing 'progressively and meaningfully'. Of those, 33.9% cited access to senior expertise without a long-term commitment, and cost efficiency came second at 18.6%.
The senior expertise piece is the primary motivator: it’s about impact, not money. This has certainly been the case in my recent appointments: to bring an experienced and proven pair of hands that will make a significant impact in a specific amount of time.
Fabric: an inheritance tax campaign
Fabric wanted to open a conversation with founders and their families about inheritance tax, and how easily it can leave family wealth exposed. I co-authored the Unfunded Success campaign with Fabric's head of technical, from the idea and the positioning through to a plan to run across 2026. We structured it around quarterly themes so their professional partners could raise these conversations with confidence, and built the partner and client materials to go with it.
Atomise: making the 'why us' concrete
Atomise, a software development and product engineering business, had strong client relationships and a good delivery record. They already called themselves fixers, and my work was making that concrete enough for the wealth and adviser market, so they had a clearer answer to 'why us' for that market.
"Most people give you feedback on a proposition. Emma takes it apart, works out where the real commercial value is hiding, and hands it back sharper than you thought it could be. We brought her in to help shape up a proposition and she got to grips with it faster than anyone I've worked with in a long time."
Alex Feltwell, Founder, Atomise
Connor Broadley: a plan for the next stage of growth
Connor Broadley, an independent wealth management and employee benefits firm, had grown organically for almost twenty years. I joined as their Fractional Chief Growth Officer and wrote a growth strategy across four routes (organic growth, client referrals, B2B partnerships, and recruiting advisers), with a campaign and a voice-of-the-client programme ready to take forward.
"The exercise has left me more confident about the things we were doing well, and more informed about the things we can do better, together with a clear action plan."
James Connor, Founder and CEO, Connor Broadley
The Real Question to Ask Before Hiring a Fractional CMO
Three different firms. Three different problems. None of them was really about money.
What they had in common was a moment when the business had outgrown what it could figure out on its own and needed someone with the experience of having already been through it.
That's the real question worth asking, if you're wondering whether now is the time for fractional leadership. Not "Can we afford this?” But "Do we actually have the expertise in the room to solve the problem we're facing?"
The honest answer? It’s likely to be the one that gets you unstuck.
I can see why many people choose the fractional life. It's certainly something I've thoroughly enjoyed.