From marketing blueprints to business breakthroughs
You don’t want to be told how to win. You want the winners on your team, setting the standards required to create a radical improvement in marketing performance and revenue growth.
What is a Fractional CMO?
A CMO is your most senior marketing leader, responsible for overseeing all marketing activities. From setting the strategy, to managing the budget, to team leadership, and being directly accountable for revenue growth. With a Fractional CMO, the responsibilities remain the same. The only difference is they divide their time between on-site presence and remote support over a smaller number of days.
When to consider a Fractional CMO
Our Fractional CMOs ensure you succeed by building you an effective marketing strategy, a world-class team to roll it out, and flawless processes to manage everything. That's how we deliver lasting impact - even long after we're gone.
In-House vs Fractional
You’re trading full-time physical presence for flexibility and cost savings. A Fractional CMO spends a dedicated number of days in your office each week, working directly with your team and immersing themselves in your company culture - just like a full-time CMO would. This hybrid approach offers both in-person leadership and remote support, without the significant risks that come with hiring a full-time CMO in-house. Here are a few to consider:
High Price Tag
The average CMO salary in Australia is $225,000 - and that’s before you add superannuation, bonuses, benefits, annual and sick leave, and a potential 15 - 20% recruiter fee. It’s a lot of money.
Time Killer
Recruiting a CMO can take months and they’ll likely have a lengthy notice period. So it could be six months before they’re onboarded and productive. Can your business afford to waste half a year of momentum?
Knowledge Gaps
A single CMO won't possess all the specialised skills needed for every area of marketing, leaving critical gaps in your marketing capabilities. Plus, CMOs often come from specific industry backgrounds. They may struggle to adapt their strategies to your particular company's stage, size, culture, or market conditions.
Why choose VCMO?
Finding top-notch marketing talent is difficult. It might be six months before the successful candidate’s first day at your company - and another six months before they reach full productivity. That’s a full year wasted.
Many interviewers don’t know what questions to ask to properly assess candidate qualifications, skills and track record - because they’re not marketers themselves. And the wrong hire can set your strategy back years and cost hundreds of thousands in lost opportunity.
Whether you’re looking for a CMO, Head of Marketing, Marketing Director or Senior Marketing Manager - talented marketers aren’t cheap. Then add superannuation, bonuses, company perks, annual and sick leave, and yearly pay rises. And don’t get us started on the 15-20% recruitment fees…
There are so many agencies, freelancers and consultants out there. Wading through them to figure out who’s the real deal is overwhelming and pushes out the timeline for hitting growth targets.
Finding and onboarding the right in-house talent takes time. Finding and onboarding the right agencies takes time. Building a strategy and starting to roll it out takes time.
Some people interview really well yet don’t deliver what they promised. But once they’ve started they can be hard to remove, which can create culture issues, performance issues and morale issues.
Even successful hires may lack the diverse skill sets needed for comprehensive marketing leadership. One person simply can’t know all the facets of marketing in detail.
Our CMOs are the best of the best and can start right away, saving you from countless months of lost time. In turn, we’re offering immediate productivity and an accelerated revenue growth trajectory.
All of our CMOs have over 15 years of diverse experience, from start-ups, to publicly listed companies, to working at some of the biggest brands in the world. Normally it would be a track record that money couldn’t buy. But with VCMO, you can.
We’re 50-60% cheaper than a normal CMOs salary (and even more cost effective if you include all the other bells and whistles). We’re closer to the price of a junior marketer, but without sacrificing the experience and knowledge your company needs.
Skip the frustrating and confusing process of having to find, sort through and choose delivery partners. We bring a tried-and-tested network of trusted agencies and freelancers to deliver your project on time, on budget and to the highest possible standards.
We’ll complete a full audit of your marketing ecosystem and deliver a brand new marketing strategy in 30 days, giving you clarity and confidence that we’ll help you hit your ambitious growth targets.
We can start right away and, if you don’t feel like you’re getting value out of the arrangement, then there’s no need for it to continue. You get total flexibility to scale up or down as required.
We have a community of CMOs with diverse skills and specialties that we can tag in and out of any project. So no matter what expertise might be required, we’ve got it covered.
Hire our Fractional CMOs and reduce your costs, minimise your risks and maximise your growth.
We solve your most consequential marketing challenges
When your business ambition outpaces your marketing capabilities, that's where we step in. We carefully craft and meticulously manage your marketing strategy, removing any roadblocks in the process to unlock the next level of growth.
Accelerate your growth
Skip the learning curve and bring in the right strategy, right team and right processes from day one.
Add leadership and experience
Bring in the kind of firepower that all companies dream about, but overwhelmingly can’t afford.
Upskill your team
In-person collaboration and training sessions develop your team’s skills and capabilities.
Build your future state
Lay the foundations for a full-time hire without committing to the cost and risk before you’re ready for it.
Our team is your team
VCMO’s team is spread out all over Australia, so no matter what your project requires we’ve got the CMO to bring your vision to life. We also deliberately keep our team small and curated. Our standards are high - both for ourselves and for others. That’s why:
How VCMO works
Our four-phase approach blends insights, collaboration and hands-on leadership, moving you quickly from initial discovery to sustainable growth.
phase 1
Immersive Discovery
Week 1-2
Performance Deep-Dive
Evaluate your marketing capabilities and assess the effectiveness of your current marketing strategy.
Competitor Analysis
Examine your competitive landscape, market position and competitor strategies.
Stakeholder Interviews
Face-to-face conversations with everyone on the marketing team, leadership team and external partners.
Challenge Identification
Direct observation of operational roadblocks and growth barriers, including marketing tools, systems and processes.
phase 2
Strategic Architecture
Week 2-4
Collaborative Planning
On-site workshops to develop your marketing strategy, including defining success and creating goal alignment.
Team Capability Mapping
Identifying strengths and growth areas within your existing team, and onboard external partners where required to plug the gaps.
Execution Framework
Building the systems, processes and teams needed for consistent results.
Investment Planning
Ensure allocation of resources for maximum impact.
phase 3
Strategy Go-Live
Month 2-3
Strategy Launch
Hands-on management of and support for the launch of the strategy (and all new marketing initiatives).
Stakeholder Management
Direct engagement with cross-functional teams and external partners.
Performance Tracking
Implementing metrics and accountability systems.
phase 4
Optimisation & Scale
Month 4 onwards
Regular Strategy Review
On-site sessions to evaluate performance and refine our approach.
Growth Acceleration
Collaborative sessions where we identify opportunities to scale winning initiatives.
Team Development
Training and mentorship for your marketing team to build internal expertise for long-term success.
Tangible impact all day, every day
FAQs
Why can't we just hire a full-time CMO?
The average CMO salary in Australia is $225,000 - and that’s before you add superannuation, bonuses, benefits, annual and sick leave, and a potential recruiter fee (which could be 15-20% on its own). It’s a lot of cost - and a lot of risk.
Then there’s the opportunity cost of the time you’ll lose. Recruiting a CMO can take months, and they’re likely to have a lengthy notice period given their seniority. It could be six months before they’re onboarded and start making changes. That’s a lot of lost time where you could’ve been generating momentum and revenue.
So could you hire a full-time CMO? Of course. Does it make sense? As long as you’re comfortable with the financial outlay, the lost time and the risks.
Our Virtual CMO service gives you access to the same level of expertise (if not better) at a fraction of the cost - and we could start tomorrow. We’ll produce a powerful marketing engine that any future full-time CMO can easily build on.
How much does a Fractional CMO cost?
The investment varies based on your needs, but you should be prepared for a minimum of $8,000 per month (or $96,000 per year). So by the time you add in a full-time CMO’s superannuation, bonuses, benefits, annual and sick leave, plus a recruiter fee, it’s almost 65% cheaper to hire a Fractional CMO. That’s a significant saving for your company, without needing to compromise on quality or output.
How many days will our Fractional CMO spend at our office each week?
This comes down to several factors, including the scope of what your business requires and your budget. A typical engagement for us would be 1 - 2 days per week in-office, with additional remote support as needed.
What's the minimum engagement period?
Because of the immense cost savings without any effect on quality or output, we find that most of our clients tend to stay with us for years rather than months. But we’re also happy to discuss a shorter engagement to start with, so we can prove our worth and win you over.
Do we need to have an internal marketing team already?
Having an internal team isn’t necessary. Our Fractional CMOs can work with your existing team or we can help you build one, including recommending and managing external resources like agencies and freelancers.
What if we eventually want to hire a full-time CMO?
Perfect! Many clients use our service as a bridge to building an internal marketing function. We can help prepare your organisation and even assist with recruiting when you're ready.
How do you handle urgent matters when our CMO is working with other clients?
We establish clear communication protocols to ensure availability for critical decisions, regardless of physical location. Your Fractional CMO remains accessible even when not on-site.
What happens if someone on our team doesn't work well with the Fractional CMO?
Relationship dynamics are important. If challenges arise, we address them directly and can make adjustments as needed. Our goal is to integrate seamlessly with your team, so we take interpersonal fit seriously.
How do you transfer knowledge to our internal team?
Knowledge transfer is a core part of our approach. Through documentation, training sessions, and collaborative work, we ensure your team builds capabilities throughout the engagement. Our goal is to leave you stronger - not dependent on our services.
What if we need someone to physically implement our day-to-day marketing?
That's not our game. We’re not going to run your Google Ads campaign, write code for your new website or design logo concepts for your new branding.
Our role is the same as any other senior marketer or CMO - we’re accountable for the performance of your marketing strategy, and by extension the growth of your business.
We're here to provide strategic direction and leadership - the "what" and "why" of your marketing. We'll help you identify, build, and manage the team that handles operational execution, while we focus on the big moves that drive real growth.
How do you measure success?
We establish and clearly define performance indicators at the outset based on your business objectives. Whether it's growing revenue, market share or brand awareness, we tie our success directly to organisational goals.
What happens if we’re not seeing the results we expected?
If we're not delivering value, you're free to walk away at the end of the contract. We’ll do a proper handover with whomever will be taking over the marketing department to ensure a smooth transition. It’s that simple.
Do you sign non-disclosure agreements?
Absolutely. We maintain strict confidentiality for all client information and will sign standard NDAs before beginning work.
Will our Fractional CMO work with other companies in our industry?
We maintain strict conflict of interest policies and will not work with direct competitors during your engagement.
Are there specific industries you specialise in?
While we don’t have a specific industry we specialise in, VCMO’s team has a broad range of experience covering almost every vertical. So we’ll do our best to match you with a Fractional CMO who has experience that matches your needs.
Our company is still pretty small. Would you work with us?
This is what our ideal client looks like:
- At least $5 million per year in revenue (or if you’re a startup, at least $2 million in funding)
- Ambitious and wanting to rapidly grow revenue by 2-3x
- Either B2B or service-based
- No CMO or senior marketing leader at the organisation
Having said that, if you’re a B2C or ecommerce business with less than $5 million in revenue, then it’s still definitely worth reaching out. At the end of the day, we love working with kind, collaborative, ambitious people. And if we can find a way to help, then we will.
Let our team take you from challenger to champion
