In our experience most CEOs and leaders of SMBs don’t struggle with ideas. They struggle with execution. You can hire an agency to run ads or a consultant to write a plan, but what happens when nobody owns the whole picture?
That’s where the Fractional CMO comes in. A Fractional CMO is like having a chief marketing officer without the six-figure salary, someone who can align your brand strategy, sales strategy, and marketing strategy and make sure it actually gets implemented.
Because what good is a growth plan if it never leaves the slide deck?
Big-Picture Thinking Without the Big-Picture Salary: A full-time CMO can be out of reach for many SMBs. Fractional CMOs bring executive-level strategy at a fraction of the cost.
Understanding the Buyer’s Journey: Yes, you’re the Fractional CMO’s client. But their real job is to understand your clients. How do they discover you? What makes them say “yes”? A Fractional CMO tailors your marketing plan to align with your ideal buyer’s journey, so every touchpoint feels intentional, authentic, and designed to move them closer to choosing you.
Bridging the Gap Between Marketing & Sales: Too often, sales is chasing leads while marketing is chasing likes. A Fractional CMO aligns both so everyone is working toward the same pipeline and revenue goals.
Focus + Accountability: Strategy is only half the job. Fractional CMOs also make sure the plan is executed—keeping internal teams, external vendors, and partners accountable.
Flexibility to Scale: Need 10 hours this month and 20 three months from now? Maybe a web developer today and a digital media expert next month? Fractional CMOs,like RB Consulting, typically bring execution resources with them and work within a flexible model, adapting to your business needs so you always get the right support at the right time.
Here’s how a Fractional CMO transforms SMB growth playbooks:
According to Forrester, 77% of SMB leaders say they need marketing leadership but can’t justify the cost of a full-time executive. And the pressure is only growing as buyers expect personalized, consistent experiences across every channel, while it feels like the competition is getting louder and faster than ever.
Fractional CMOs solve that problem—bringing clarity, alignment, and execution without the overhead.
So what value does partnering with a Fractional CMO actually provide for SMBs?
Here are some of the biggest wins our clients experience:
More sales opportunities — consistent, qualified top-of-funnel activity that drives revenue growth.
Clarity replaces chaos — aligned efforts into one clear growth strategy.
Amplify what’s already working — double down on wins and optimize the rest.
Scale smarter, not harder — additional capacity without burning out their team.
Marketing that performs — every effort tied to metrics that matter to their business.
Fresh perspective — identified new audiences, channels, and partnerships.
Stay ahead of change — know which trends and technology to embrace and which to ignore.
Elevate your team — strengthened internal talent with the right leadership and support.
Real-World Examples: Fractional CMOs in Action
We get it—“Fractional CMO” can sound a little abstract until you see it in motion. So let’s make it real. Here are two client stories where we rolled up our sleeves, turned strategy into action, and helped them unlock serious growth opportunities.
The Challenge: Chef For Hire was ready to grow, but limited brand recognition and digital presence were holding them back. They needed a fresh brand strategy and a smart plan to reach both B2B and B2C audiences.
What We Did: We jumped in as their Fractional CMO, delivering a complete brand and website refresh, plus a fully integrated marketing strategy. From digital ads and social media to print, email, conference marketing, snail mail and beyond—we made sure their message hit the right people in the right places.
The Results:
The Challenge: Friendzy’s email campaigns weren’t landing—low engagement, few conversions, and Salesforce Marketing Cloud that wasn’t pulling its weight. They needed a reset to re-engage their audience and turn emails into opportunities.
What We Did: Acting as their Fractional CMO, we built a new email and messaging strategy, executed fresh campaigns, and segmented their audiences to deliver the right message to the right decision-makers. We also built out a 2025 content plan and strengthened digital ad, conference, and partnership strategies for maximum impact.
The Results:
These are just two examples that highlight the power of having someone who can connect the dots between brand, strategy, and execution. That’s the Fractional CMO difference.
At the end of the day, SMBs don’t just need more marketing—they need the right marketing, led by brand strategy and executed with precision. That’s exactly what a Fractional CMO delivers.
If you’re tired of plans that never see the light of day, or disjoined efforts that don’t produce results, maybe it’s time to add a Fractional CMO to your team.
