What I’ve learnt as a Fractional CMO in Melbourne
So I am into my third year of being a Fractional CMO (aka Marketing Freelancer). Before I go any further, I’m going to high-five myself on that, because that’s a pretty decent achievement! I was pretty terrified starting out, worried that no one would hire me, and I’d have to skulk back to the world of the employed after a few months. But I’m still here, and I’m damn proud of that.
It’s been fun, a steep learning curve and super challenging. So I thought I would bang out some thoughts on what I’ve learned.
Back up, you’re a what?
Recently a friend who's involved in the union movement asked what I meant by Fractional, assuming I meant Factional. Aside from being pretty funny, it reminded me that this is still pretty odd and niche terminology. Essentially, a Fractional CMO / Head of Marketing or similar is a part-time senior Marketer working with an organisation.
Why? Fractionals give organisations access to seniority, at a scale they can afford. Many people I work with are looking for a solution somewhere between:
junior staffer that needs a lot of support;
senior staffer that needs a big salary;
agency that tends to be unaccountable and hard to manage.
A Fractional Marketer can sit between these options, in terms of cost, seniority and embedded within the organisation, providing the best of all worlds.
Fractional, Freelance or Consultant
Ok, so what's the difference and what am I? I don't know if I have a solid answer to this. Fractional was the newest kid on the block when I started this journey in 2023, which gave it some legitimacy and ‘newness’ that undoubtedly helped grab attention.
But is it much different to a consultant? Probably not, although Fractionals tend to be engaged on a rolling monthly retainer, rather than a project fee.
Recently I heard a definition of freelance vs consultant that I thought was pretty apt.
A freelancer does what the client asks. A consultant tells the client what they need.
If I’m honest, I have done more work on the freelance end of that scale, but as I get more experience, I’m keen to push more into the consultant side.
Yeah but what do you do, really do?
Am I the only one that always asks this, or at least thinks it? Job titles can be so obtuse, and sometimes people slip into corporate speak as easily as they breathe. But I always want to know – are you an orchestrator or a doer, what’s your technical skill, what does an average day look like?
For me, I actually love the doing part of my job. That’s why I do it! I’ve never really understood why corporate structures are the way they are.
Start job
Get really good at job
Get promoted to manager and stop doing the job you were good at.
For me, I work across strategy and execution, which is the way I like it. This can look like:
Owning the whole marketing program for a client, including managing other external providers
Delivering a set calendar of activities, including social, blogs, PR, website etc
Creating written or video content
Working closely with CEO or owner as their senior marketing counsel
Leads leads leads
Honestly this was the thing I was most worried about and still the hardest part of freelancing and the thing that keeps me up at night.
Even though I am a marketer, I’ve never been comfortable with sales. Too many bad experiences with pushy salespeople have left a mark. But when I started out, I had a very simple plan that made sense to me:
People are busy, you’ve got skills, help them out.
In terms of a tactical plan to generate leads, I started by messaging a bunch of people who were moving in interesting circles and let them know what I was up to, and that I’d appreciate any referrals. Many didn’t reply, but those that did led to some incredible clients and relationships.
I’ve also benefited from being part of a specialist network in my sector: Benefolk.
When it comes to finding more leads, I've found that many of the advice from business coaches out there isn’t applicable to solo pros. Writing a newsletter feels like overkill, ditto with Ads. Cold emailing is nasty.
A little bit of discomfort is good, but equally I think you have to lean into what works for you, and what brings you energy. For me, that’s meeting good people over coffees and beers. It may not have a super high ROI, but I like it, which means I keep doing it.
So that said, if anyone reading this wants to catch up, let me know!
In person or remote?
Almost all of my work has been remote. Usually that’s because the client is a remote operation themselves, or they’re in Sydney or Brisbane or elsewhere, while I’m in Melbourne. Usually, I’ve been the one badgering local clients to let me come into their office for a workshop or meeting, or coffee at the least.
I can’t deny there’s an efficiency of online meetings and remote work, but I still think we’re missing something, in terms of trust, rapport building, friendship, and digging into the minutiae in a way that online just doesn’t allow. I will continue to push for as much in person as possible and be that contrarian at the pub arguing we should be going back to offices at least a couple of days a week.
How much does it cost?
To state the bleeding obvious, there’s a huge range in what Fractionals charge, and I’m sure I don’t even know the half of it.
I spoke to someone running a highly capitalised startup, battling away in the high-stakes world of cyber security. They’d engaged an unbelievably well-credentialled and qualified Fractional CMO for around $30k per month for not many hours. Yeesh.
A lot of my clients are in the NFP and for-purpose world which obviously operates at a different end of the payscale.
I have found most client engagements ranging from $4-8k per month. This is where the sweet spot seems to be between a very capable full time staff member, and an outsourced solution. There have been some exceptions of course: more advisory-style engagements have come in around $2k per month; or intense full-time projects at around $20k per month.
The beauty is, it can be shaped to fit.
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I hope you enjoyed some insights under the hood of the work I do at Pigface Marketing. If you're keen to learn more about what I do, or compare notes, please get in touch.