Stop wasting money on ineffective marketing
Build a marketing engine that drives the kind of growth you always knew was possible.
You shouldn't be running marketing
You should be running the business. Yet marketing keeps pulling your focus away from things that really matter – the things that drive growth.
Reviewing strategies and campaigns, managing the agencies, budgeting and forecasting, performance analysis and reporting – it all routes back to you. You keep stepping in and having to make the calls, but you don't have the time or expertise for that. But there's nobody else who's accountable for the outcome.
The role you're missing isn't another marketing do-er.
It's a marketing leader.
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.
A full-time CMO is a $250,000 gamble
Get the hire right and marketing finally has an owner. Get it wrong and you waste 6-12 months and money you can't recover. And in the meantime, your hard-earned dollars keep getting spent on marketing that doesn't move the needle on revenue. At all.
Hefty Price Tag
The average salary for an experienced CMO in Australia is over $250,000 – and that’s before you add superannuation, bonuses, benefits, annual and sick leave, and a potential 15 - 20% recruiter fee. It’s serious money.
Wasted Time
Recruiting a CMO can take months, plus they’ll likely have a lengthy notice period. So it could be six months before they’re onboard and productive. Can your business afford to lose half a year of missed opportunities and momentum?
Knowledge Gaps
If you don't know what your strategy is, then how do you know what skills you need your CMO to have? A single CMO won't possess all the specialised skills needed for every area of marketing, leaving critical gaps in your marketing capabilities if you hire the wrong person.
Experienced marketing leaders at a fraction of the cost – and the risk
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.
What the first 30-45 days look like
When we step in, we do what a strong in-house CMO would — set the direction, build the team, install the rhythms, hold the standard. And we're accountable for all of it.
Week 1-2
We take the time to truly learn about your business
We learn your goals, audit what’s working, and find the gaps.
WEEKS 3-4
We set the strategy
We learn your goals, audit what’s working, and find the gaps.
WEEKS 5-6
We get it moving
Strategy goes live, the operating rhythm is in place, and the whole business is feeling the momentum.
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:
Need more than leadership? Bring in a fractional team, too
Your fractional CMO leads the engagement. But when the plan calls for specialist hands, scale up with our fractional teams – senior practitioners brought in as you need them.
Operations Team
Project management, communications and reporting.
Design Team
Branding, graphic design, asset creation and website redesigns.
Loyalty Team
CRM management, email marketing and lifecycle campaigns.
And more...
Web development, analytics specialists, GTM specialists and fractional CTOs.
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.
If you keep doing what you're doing, you'll keep getting what you're getting
