The same responsibilities, without the full-time overhead.
Marketing runs on three layers. Execution, coordination, and leadership.
| Option | Agency or specialist | In-house marketing manager | Fractional CMO | Full-time CMO |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The role | Executes channels | Runs marketing day to day | Sets direction and owns the number | Sets direction and builds the department |
| Best at | Depth in one channel, production capacity | Coordination, assets, keeping things moving | Strategy, budget allocation, leading the team and vendors | All of that, plus long-horizon org building |
| Typical cost | $8K–$25K/mo by scope | $85K–$130K plus benefits | $10K–$20K/mo | $280K–$450K all-in |
| Directs | Their own scope of work | Vendor day-to-day | Agencies, internal team, and the budget | The entire function |
| Right when | A channel needs to be run well | There's enough volume to coordinate | Executive decisions are needed before the headcount is justified | Marketing is a permanent function at real scale |
Your agencies keep executing. Your marketing manager keeps coordinating. What gets added is someone senior deciding where the money goes, and holding both accountable to it.
What happens to our agencies?
They get audited against what they cost and what they produce. Some are underpriced for the work they do. Some have been coasting for years. The ones earning their fee get a clearer brief and a number to hit. The rest get replaced, and I run the search.
We're already unhappy with one of them. Can you handle that?
Yes, and it's common. Half the companies I talk to have at least one vendor they've been meaning to move on from. I'll tell you whether the problem is the agency, the brief they were given, or the channel itself, before anyone gets fired.
Who manages the agencies day to day?
I do. They report into me, not into you. You see the scorecard.
Is this advisory or hands-on?
Accountability for the outcome sits at the CMO level. Execution stays with your team and your vendors, under direction.
What happens in the first 30 days?
Access to every account in week one. A full read on where you stand by week three. A quarterly roadmap with owners, dates, and a sequence by day thirty.
Why not hire a full-time CMO?
Most businesses at this stage need CMO-level decisions about twelve days a month. A full-time hire runs $280K to $450K all-in.
Are we paying for your time or your output?
Output. Marketing doesn't take eight hours a day, and billing by the hour rewards activity instead of results. You're paying for the decisions and the number they produce.
What's the minimum commitment?
Six months. Twelve if the setup has to be rebuilt before it can be run.