Fractional CMO Services: What's Included vs NOT Included (The $60K Mistake)

Most "fractional CMO services" descriptions sound impressive but say nothing.

"Strategic marketing leadership." "Full-service CMO support." "Comprehensive marketing oversight."

What does that actually mean? What do you get for $10K-$15K/month?

TL;DR:

• Fractional CMOs provide strategic leadership, not execution (they lead, they don't "do marketing")
• Included: Strategy, vendor oversight, team leadership, board reporting, budget allocation
• NOT included: Content creation, campaign execution, ads management, design, technical work
• Service scope correlates with price: $3K-$6K = light advisory | $12K-$20K = full strategic leadership
• Typical time: 10-20 hours/month (40-50% strategy, 20-30% oversight, 15-25% meetings)

Here's exactly what fractional CMO services include—and what they don't.

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What's Actually Included in Fractional CMO Services

Strategic Planning & Direction

This is the core of what fractional CMOs do. They set the strategic direction for all marketing efforts.

Specific deliverables:

• Marketing strategy document (annual and quarterly)
• ICP definition and positioning framework
• Channel prioritization and budget allocation
• Go-to-market strategy for new products/markets
• Competitive positioning and differentiation

Harvard Business Review research shows that companies with documented go-to-market strategies show 80% higher rates of revenue growth. This strategic documentation is what fractional CMOs should deliver.

What this looks like in practice:

• Month 1-2: Audit current state, develop strategic frameworks
• Month 3-6: Refine strategy based on early results
• Month 7+: Ongoing optimization and adjustment

Vendor & Agency Management

Fractional CMOs oversee and coordinate external marketing resources.

Specific responsibilities:

• Selecting and onboarding agencies/contractors
• Setting expectations and KPIs for each vendor
• Reviewing vendor performance and deliverables
• Coordinating multiple agencies to work cohesively
• Contract negotiation and budget management

Deloitte research shows that top-performing CMOs spend significant time on vendor management, as most marketing execution now happens through external partners.

Why this matters:
If you're working with a paid ads agency, SEO consultant, and content team, the fractional CMO ensures they're all working toward the same strategy instead of optimizing their individual channels in isolation.

Team Leadership & Development

Fractional CMOs lead your internal marketing team (if you have one).

Specific activities:

• Weekly or biweekly team meetings
• One-on-ones with marketing managers
• Prioritization and workload management
• Skills development and mentorship
• Hiring/firing recommendations

Time allocation:
Typically 20-30% of their monthly hours go to team leadership. For a 15-hour/month engagement, that's 3-5 hours of direct team interaction.

Board & Executive Reporting

Fractional CMOs provide marketing representation at the executive level.

Specific deliverables:

• Monthly or quarterly board presentations
• Marketing dashboards and performance reports
• ROI analysis and budget recommendations
• Strategic updates to CEO/leadership team
• Investor communication on marketing strategy

McKinsey research shows that when CMOs are involved in strategic planning alongside CEOs, companies see 1.4x-2.3x higher growth. Board-level reporting ensures marketing has a voice in strategic decisions.

Budget Allocation & ROI Analysis

Fractional CMOs decide where marketing dollars go and measure return.

Specific responsibilities:

• Annual and quarterly budget planning
• Channel allocation based on ROI
• A/B testing prioritization
• Performance analysis and reporting
• Cost-per-acquisition tracking by channel

Data-Driven Impact: McKinsey research finds that data-driven marketing can deliver marketing efficiency gains of up to 30% and incremental top-line growth of up to 10%.

Systems & Process Development

Fractional CMOs install the measurement and operational infrastructure.

Specific deliverables:

• Marketing dashboard setup (metrics, KPIs)
• Reporting processes and cadences
• Campaign approval workflows
• Budget tracking systems
• Attribution modeling

What this looks like:
They don't build the dashboard themselves—they define what metrics matter, how to track them, and then oversee the implementation (often by you or a contractor).

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What's NOT Included in Fractional CMO Services

Content Creation

Fractional CMOs don't write blog posts, create social media content, or produce videos.

Why not:
At $200-$400/hour, having a fractional CMO write a blog post would cost $800-$1,600 per post. That's not a good use of executive-level expertise.

What they DO:

• Set content strategy and editorial calendar
• Define messaging and positioning
• Review and approve content (not create it)
• Manage the team/agency that creates content

Campaign Execution

Fractional CMOs don't build and launch campaigns themselves.

They don't:

• Set up paid ad campaigns
• Build email sequences
• Create landing pages
• Manage social media posting
• Execute webinars or events

What they DO:

• Define campaign strategy and goals
• Allocate budget across campaigns
• Review performance and optimize
• Manage the people executing campaigns

Design & Creative Work

Fractional CMOs aren't designers.

They don't:

• Create graphics or visual assets
• Design websites or landing pages
• Produce videos or animations
• Build presentations (though they may direct them)

What they DO:

• Set brand guidelines and creative direction
• Approve designs and maintain brand consistency
• Manage design agencies or in-house designers

Technical Implementation

Fractional CMOs don't do hands-on technical work.

They don't:

• Set up marketing automation workflows
• Configure analytics tracking
• Build integrations between tools
• Manage technical SEO implementation
• Code emails or landing pages

What they DO:

• Define what technical infrastructure is needed
• Select tools and platforms
• Oversee technical implementation by others

Day-to-Day Marketing Operations

Fractional CMOs work 10-20 hours/month. They can't be hands-on with daily operations.

They don't:

• Monitor campaigns daily
• Respond to real-time issues
• Manage day-to-day communications
• Handle urgent tactical requests

What they DO:

• Set up processes so you can handle daily operations
• Provide strategic guidance at weekly or biweekly meetings
• Step in for major decisions or course corrections

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Service Tiers: What You Get at Different Price Points

Entry-Level Fractional CMO ($3K-$6K/month)

Typical scope:

• 8-12 hours/month
• Light strategic advisory
• Quarterly planning sessions
• Limited availability for questions

Best for:

• Companies needing occasional strategic input
• Teams that can execute independently
• Businesses wanting to "test" the fractional model

What's usually NOT included:

• Weekly team meetings
• Hands-on vendor management
• Detailed reporting

Mid-Level Fractional CMO ($6K-$12K/month)

Typical scope:

• 15-20 hours/month
• Full strategic leadership
• Weekly or biweekly team meetings
• Active vendor oversight
• Monthly board reporting

Best for:

• $2M-$10M revenue companies
• 3-5 person marketing teams
• Multiple agency relationships

This is the standard engagement level.

Senior Fractional CMO ($12K-$20K+/month)

Typical scope:

• 20-30 hours/month
• Comprehensive strategic leadership
• Multiple weekly touchpoints
• Executive-level access
• Complex stakeholder management

Best for:

• $10M+ revenue companies
• Complex marketing organizations
• Board/investor requirements for senior marketing leadership

Additional services often included:

• More responsive availability
• Industry connections and introductions
• Recruiting support for full-time hires

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How Time Breaks Down: A Typical 15-Hour/Month Engagement

Understanding where the hours go helps set realistic expectations.

Strategic Planning (6-8 hours):

• Reviewing performance data
• Developing quarterly plans
• Setting priorities and roadmaps
• Competitive analysis

Team & Vendor Management (4-5 hours):

• Team meetings (weekly or biweekly)
• Vendor check-ins and reviews
• One-on-ones with key team members

Meetings & Reporting (3-4 hours):

• Leadership team meetings
• Board preparation and presentation
• Executive updates

Ad Hoc Strategic Support (1-2 hours):

• Urgent questions or decisions
• Strategic guidance on specific initiatives

Time Reality Check: Notice what's missing? Execution time. The entire 15 hours goes to leadership, strategy, and oversight—not hands-on marketing work.

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The Pattern Growth Alternative: The 3 A's Framework

Most companies don't need ongoing fractional CMO services. They need strategic architecture built once and owned completely.

That's why we created the 3 A's Framework—a systematic 8-week sprint that builds everything a fractional CMO would develop, but you own it forever.

Analyze: Understand Where You Are

We start by analyzing your current state using diagnostic questions and industry best practices. Not generic questionnaires—specific questions that reveal whether you need strategic architecture, execution capability, or leadership.

Real example from our work: We analyzed a product's marketing spend and discovered they were spending the majority of their budget on a keyword that was connecting them with the entirely wrong audience. This came out in the Analyze phase.

Aspire: Define Where You Want to Go

Based on your past experience, current circumstances, and future goals, we work together to define where you want to go. This isn't a consultant telling you what to do—it's collaborative goal-setting that accounts for your specific constraints, opportunities, and ambitions.

We document the gap between current state and desired state, then prioritize based on what will move the needle most.

Action: Build the Bridge

We create a concrete plan to bridge the gap, then build the strategic frameworks, measurement systems, and playbooks you need. You own everything—no ongoing retainer, no dependency, no knowledge transfer gaps.

What you get:

• Complete marketing strategy document
• ICP and positioning framework
• Channel prioritization playbook
• Measurement dashboard template
• Campaign playbooks for your top channels

After 8 weeks: Everything a fractional CMO would create in months 1-4, but you own it completely. No monthly retainer. You can execute independently or bring in agencies for specific channels.

Compare the models:

• Pattern Growth sprint: $9,500-$12,500 one-time, complete ownership
• Fractional CMO (6 months): $60K-$72K, partial knowledge transfer
• Fractional CMO (12 months): $120K-$144K, ongoing advisory

See how the 3 A's Framework works →

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Red Flags in Fractional CMO Service Descriptions

Red Flag #1: "We Do Everything"

If a fractional CMO says they handle both strategy AND execution, they're either:

• Overbooked and delegating strategy to junior people
• Not actually providing executive-level strategic work
• Charging you executive rates for tactical work

Good service description: "I provide strategic leadership and oversee you/your agencies who handle execution."

Red flag: "I'll handle your entire marketing operation."

Red Flag #2: Vague Deliverables

"Strategic marketing support" means nothing.

What to look for instead:

• Specific deliverables by month
• Clear documentation of what you'll own
• Defined meeting cadence and availability
• Explicit scope of what's included vs. not

Red Flag #3: No Execution Plan

If they're selling you strategic services without asking who will execute, they're setting you up for failure.

Good fractional CMO: "What's your execution capacity? Do you have agencies? If not, we'll need to address that."

Red flag: "I'll create the strategy and you'll figure out execution."

Red Flag #4: Execution Bundled at Lower Rates

If someone offers "fractional CMO services" at $5K/month and claims to include both strategy and execution, the math doesn't work.

Why: Executive strategic work commands $200-$400/hour. Execution work is $50-$150/hour. If they're doing both for $5K/month, either the strategy isn't executive-level or the execution is minimal.

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Questions to Ask About Services

Before signing any agreement, clarify exactly what's included:

1. "What specific deliverables do I receive each month?"

Look for concrete answers, not vague descriptions.

2. "How many hours per month, and how do those hours break down?"

Get the breakdown: strategy vs. meetings vs. oversight vs. availability for questions.

3. "What happens if we need execution support? Do you provide that or source it?"

Understand the gap between strategy and execution.

4. "What do I own when our engagement ends?"

Critical question. You need explicit documentation transfer.

5. "Who will be doing the actual work?"

If they say "you or agencies," make sure you have that capability before signing.

6. "What's NOT included in your services?"

The "not included" list should be longer than the "included" list. If everything's included, something's wrong.

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Making the Service Decision

You need fractional CMO services if:

✅ You have execution capability (team or agencies) but need strategic leadership

✅ You need ongoing oversight and optimization, not one-time strategy

✅ Your budget supports $60K-$120K for 6-12 months

✅ You want someone to lead you/your agencies but not do the work

You DON'T need fractional CMO services if:

❌ You have no one to execute (services won't include execution)

❌ You need strategic architecture built once, not ongoing advisory

❌ Budget is under $60K total

❌ You want "marketing handled" (fractional CMOs don't do marketing, they lead it)

Not sure what you need? Take the diagnostic →

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The Bottom Line

Fractional CMO services = Strategic leadership, not execution.

They provide:

• Strategy development and planning
• Vendor and team oversight
• Board-level reporting
• Budget allocation and ROI analysis
• Systems and process development

They DON'T provide:

• Content creation
• Campaign execution
• Design work
• Technical implementation
• Day-to-day operations

Service Clarity: Harvard Business Review research shows that fractional leader engagements succeed when scope is crystal clear and fail when expectations don't match reality.

Before you hire, make absolutely sure you understand what's included—and more importantly, what's not.

If you need execution, hire an agency. If you need strategic architecture you own, consider a strategy sprint. If you need ongoing strategic leadership and have execution capability, fractional CMO services might fit.

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What to Do Next

Want to understand what you actually need?

→ Take the growth diagnostic (10 minutes)

Comparing fractional CMO vs alternatives?

→ See complete cost comparison

→ Compare sprint vs fractional CMO

Ready to talk it through?

→ Schedule a 15-min call - We'll be direct about what you need (even if that's not us)

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Pattern Growth delivers CMO-level strategic architecture in 8-week sprints. We build custom systems, provide training, and transfer complete ownership. No retainers, no dependency.

Get clarity on what services you actually need:
Download the diagnostic or book a 15-min call.