Senior Marketing Leadership, Flexible Engagement
Our fractional CMO services deliver executive marketing leadership without the full-time commitment. You get a senior marketing leader who embeds with your team, develops strategy, builds systems, and drives results - at a fraction of the cost of a full-time CMO hire.
We combine 20+ years of experience building growth systems at companies like Tencent and Expedia with AI-powered agentic workflows that enable us to execute at 10x the speed of traditional agencies.
What's Included in Our Fractional CMO Services
Every engagement is customized to your situation, but here's what you can expect.
Strategic Marketing Leadership
- - Marketing strategy development aligned with business goals
- - Positioning and messaging frameworks
- - Channel strategy and budget allocation
- - Competitive positioning analysis
- - Go-to-market planning for new products
Growth Roadmap Development
- - 90-day sprint plans with quick wins
- - Quarterly OKRs and measurable objectives
- - Annual marketing plans
- - Budget allocation for maximum impact
- - Success metrics and tracking
Team Building and Management
- - Role definition for your stage
- - In-house vs. agency vs. contractor decisions
- - Recruiting and interviewing
- - Onboarding and management
- - Agency oversight and accountability
Marketing Operations and Systems
- - Tech stack selection and implementation
- - CRM, marketing automation, analytics
- - Process documentation and SOPs
- - Reporting dashboards
- - Data quality and decision-making
Performance Analytics and Optimization
- - Marketing performance analysis
- - Attribution modeling for ROI
- - A/B testing frameworks
- - Budget optimization
- - Conversion rate optimization
Vendor and Agency Oversight
- - Agency evaluation and selection
- - Contract negotiation
- - Performance management and KPIs
- - Relationship management
- - Transition planning to in-house
How Our Fractional CMO Engagement Works
We follow a proven process refined through dozens of engagements.
Discovery and Assessment
Weeks 1-2
We immerse ourselves in your business with deep dives on goals, existing data, customer and competitive landscape, technology audit, and team assessment.
Output: Assessment report with prioritized recommendations and preliminary roadmap.
Strategic Planning
Weeks 3-4
We develop your marketing strategy including positioning framework, channel strategy, content strategy, campaign strategy, team strategy, and budget allocation.
Output: Comprehensive marketing strategy document and 90-day execution roadmap.
Execution and Optimization
Ongoing
Strategy without execution is worthless. We work alongside your team to implement priority campaigns, build systems, optimize based on results, and scale what works.
Output: Continuous improvement and measurable business outcomes.
Typical Engagement Timeline
| Phase | Duration | Focus |
|---|---|---|
| Discovery | Week 1-2 | Understand business and assess current state |
| Strategy | Week 3-4 | Develop comprehensive marketing plan |
| Foundation | Month 2-3 | Implement priority initiatives |
| Optimization | Month 4-6 | Refine based on performance data |
| Scale | Month 7+ | Expand successful programs |
The Novastacks Difference: AI-Augmented Marketing Leadership
Traditional fractional CMOs give you strategy and oversight. We give you strategy, oversight, AND execution.
Agentic Workflows for 10x Faster Execution
We've built agentic marketing workflows that enable us to execute at 10x the speed of traditional approaches. Audit agents, content agents, analytics agents, and implementation agents handle execution while we focus on strategy.
Data-Driven Decision Making
We don't rely on intuition or "best practices." Every decision is grounded in data: comprehensive analytics, attribution modeling, competitive intelligence, and customer research.
AEO and AI Visibility Expertise
Answer Engine Optimization is becoming as important as SEO. We bring specialized expertise in getting your brand cited by ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google AI Overview.
"Work Alongside You" Model
We're not consultants who deliver recommendations and disappear. We're operators who join your Slack, attend your meetings, and become part of your culture.
Who We Work With
Our fractional CMO services work best for specific company profiles.
Company Stage
| Stage | Revenue | Fit |
|---|---|---|
| Seed | < $1M | Usually too early |
| Series A | $1M-$5M | Excellent fit |
| Series B | $5M-$20M | Excellent fit |
| Series C | $20M-$50M | Good fit |
| Growth SMB | $2M-$20M | Excellent fit |
Industries We Serve
-
SaaS and B2B Technology
Our primary focus
-
Professional Services
Consulting, agencies, financial services
-
E-commerce
Direct-to-consumer and B2B commerce
-
Healthcare Technology
HealthTech, MedTech (non-clinical)
-
FinTech
Payments, banking, lending, wealth management
Current Marketing Maturity
| Maturity | Characteristics | What We Do |
|---|---|---|
| Early | No strategy, random tactics | Build foundation from scratch |
| Developing | Some tactics working, no coherence | Create strategic framework |
| Established | Working systems, need optimization | Improve performance and scale |
| Transitional | Changing direction, need reset | Restructure for new goals |
Results We've Delivered
We measure success by business outcomes, not marketing activities.
B2B SaaS Client
Series B, $8M ARR, 40 employees
Strong product but marketing was scattered - no clear strategy, underperforming agency, no marketing leadership.
What We Did:
- - Served as fractional CMO (3 days/week equivalent)
- - Developed comprehensive marketing strategy
- - Replaced underperforming agencies
- - Hired and onboarded marketing manager
- - Implemented AEO optimization
Results (6 months):
Professional Services Firm
50 employees, $12M revenue
Relied entirely on referrals and partner networks - no digital marketing capability whatsoever.
What We Did:
- - Served as fractional CMO (2 days/week equivalent)
- - Developed digital marketing strategy from scratch
- - Built content marketing program
- - Implemented marketing automation
- - Established thought leadership program
Results (9 months):
Key Metrics We Improve
| Metric | Typical Improvement |
|---|---|
| Qualified lead volume | +100-200% |
| Cost per acquisition | -25-40% |
| Organic traffic | +150-300% |
| Conversion rates | +30-60% |
| Marketing efficiency | +50-80% |
| Time to execution | -70-80% |
Fractional CMO Pricing and Engagement Options
We offer flexible engagement options to match your needs.
Advisory
8-12 hours/week
Best for companies that need strategy and oversight with existing execution capacity.
- Strategy development
- Team oversight
- Monthly reporting
Hands-On
15-20 hours/week
Best for companies that need strategy plus execution support.
- Everything in Advisory
- Hands-on implementation
- Campaign execution
- Weekly check-ins
Full Integration
20-25 hours/week
Best for companies that need an acting internal CMO.
- Everything in Hands-On
- Team management
- Leadership meetings
- Full integration
Comparison to Full-Time CMO
| Cost Element | Full-Time CMO | Fractional CMO (Novastacks) |
|---|---|---|
| Base compensation | $250,000-$350,000 | - |
| Equity (0.5-1.5%) | $50,000-$200,000 | - |
| Benefits | $40,000-$60,000 | - |
| Recruiting costs | $75,000-$100,000 | - |
| Annual retainer | - | $120,000-$180,000 |
| Total Year 1 | $415,000-$710,000 | $120,000-$180,000 |
You get executive marketing leadership at 25-40% of the full-time cost.
Fractional CMO vs. Alternatives
Understanding your options helps you make the right choice.
| Factor | Fractional CMO | Full-Time CMO | Marketing Agency | Consultant |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Role | Strategic leadership | Strategic leadership | Execution partner | Advisory |
| Ownership | Owns outcomes | Owns outcomes | Owns deliverables | Owns recommendations |
| Integration | Embedded in team | Fully internal | External partner | External advisor |
| Cost | $90K-$180K/year | $400K-$700K/year | $36K-$600K/year | Variable |
| Flexibility | High | Low | Medium | High |
| Team building | Yes | Yes | No | No |
| Execution | Yes (with us, more) | Limited (manages) | Primary function | No |
Frequently Asked Questions
We typically begin new engagements within 1-2 weeks of signed agreement. Discovery and assessment start immediately, with strategy development in weeks 2-4 and execution beginning by month 2. For urgent situations, we can accelerate the timeline.
We recommend 6-month minimum engagements to allow time for strategy development, implementation, and optimization. Month-to-month is available after the initial period. Three-month engagements are possible for specific projects with defined scope.
Yes. We frequently step in as marketing leadership for existing teams. We conduct individual assessments, provide coaching and development, and help teams level up. We're also candid about team gaps that need to be addressed through new hires.
We establish clear KPIs aligned with business goals in the first 30 days. Common metrics include qualified lead volume, cost per acquisition, pipeline value influenced by marketing, organic traffic growth, and conversion rates. We report monthly on progress against goals.
Our deepest expertise is in SaaS, B2B technology, professional services, and e-commerce. We've also worked with healthcare technology, FinTech, and education companies. We're open to other industries where marketing is a significant growth driver.
Absolutely. Part of our value is helping you determine when you're ready for a full-time CMO and what profile you need. We can lead the search process, evaluate candidates, and support the transition to ensure your new CMO succeeds.
We're platform-agnostic and work with whatever tools make sense for your situation. Common platforms include HubSpot, Salesforce, Marketo, Google Analytics, Looker, Tableau, and various specialized marketing tools. We also bring our own agentic workflow tools for accelerated execution.
Ready to Get Started?
If you're considering fractional CMO services, we'd welcome the conversation. We're candid about fit - if we're not the right solution, we'll tell you.
Schedule a Discovery Call
Book a 30-minute conversation to discuss your marketing challenges and explore whether fractional CMO services make sense.
Schedule Discovery CallDownload Our Case Study
See detailed before-and-after results from a client engagement, including strategy, implementation, and outcomes.
Download Case StudyRead "What is a Fractional CMO?"
New to the concept? Start with our comprehensive guide explaining how fractional CMO services work.
Read the GuideGet Marketing Leadership That Delivers Results
The companies we work with - Series A-C startups, growth-stage SMBs, companies in transition - need marketing leadership that delivers outcomes. Not more slide decks. Not more strategic frameworks. Actual results.