Fractional CMO for B2B SaaS
Experienced Marketing Leadership for B2B SaaS
Scale Your B2B SaaS Company Faster With a Fractional CMO
Get Maximum Results in Minimum Time
Affordable, Flexible Engagements
Generate More SQLs, Trials, and Demos
Part-time Resource, Full-time Results
Build a Profitable Marketing Department
Experienced marketing leadership that
generates demand
What is a Fractional CMO?
A Fractional CMO is the part-time Chief Marketing Officer who runs the marketing team in your SaaS company, and is responsible for all of your marketing outcomes. B2B SaaS Fractional CMOs typically work with rapidly growing or recently funded software companies who need the role of a CMO, but not in a full-time capacity.
Rapidly growing and recently funded B2B SaaS companies use Fractional CMO services because they do not need a full-time CMO but still require expert strategy and leadership, and often enjoy the flexibility a Fractional CMO provides.
Oftentimes, it makes more sense to bring in a Fractional Chief Marketing officer instead of a full-time CMO. This can be for financial reasons, as a typical full-time CMO salary can easily cost over $200,000 annually. Or because the amount of work required by the CMO does not constitute a full-time position. It’s quite uncommon for a CMO to spend 40 hours a week on strategy and leadership.
Fractional CMO Responsibilities
A B2B SaaS Fractional Chief Marketing Officer will help you:
- Create, develop, and deploy your marketing strategy
- Provide strategic guidance on sales enablement & sales development
- Craft and correct your messaging + positioning
- Map out your customer journey
- Deploy marketing strategy and lead marketing efforts
- Manage KPIs so marketing makes you money
- Build your in-house marketing department
- Hire marketing employees, agencies, and vendors to execute marketing campaigns
- Oversee and lead the entire marketing function, including tactical execution
- Create systems for your team to follow
- Help increase company valuation as part of your leadership team
At Devante Group, that’s what we do for B2B SaaS companies. We’d love to hear what your goals are… and help you reach them with marketing leadership that drives results.
What does a Fractional CMO for B2B SaaS do?
Create your marketing strategy
Correct your messaging & positioning
Create systems for your team to follow
Map out your customer journey
Deploy marketing strategy and lead sprints
Manage KPIs so marketing makes you money
Hire marketing employees & vendors to execute
Build your in-house marketing department
Increase company valuation for VCs and investors
Devante Group's fractional CMO services
will help you...
Skip the stress of figuring out marketing. Get the direction you need to grow - fast.
Let’s face it – you simply don’t have the time to figure out automation, paid ads, email marketing, etc. You’re the CEO, not a marketer.
Devante Group takes the entire marketing workload off your plate so you can focus on what matters – running your company smoothly. From hiring and evaluating to training and firing vendors, contractors and employees, we help you amplify your marketing department’s ROI.
As a CEO, you should be driving the company forward, not stuck spending most of your time in marketing.
Get the experience and results you need - without the c-suite price tag.
Hiring an in-house CMO can be pricey. Highly experienced CMO salaries typically start at $160k+ annually (not including bonuses and incentives). Moreover, if you’re under $20M ARR, you don’t need a full-time CMO for 40 hours a week, since CMOs are focused on strategy & leading the marketing department.
Devante Group acts as the Fractional CMO on your leadership board and helps you get the most out of your marketing department. All without the cost or responsibility of managing a full-time hire.
What if you could bring on experienced marketing leadership for less than the salary of a full-time CMO?
Flexible engagements. Fully engaged or advisory basis.
You choose.
Whether you need a hands-on, fully engaged Fractional CMO to drive the growth of your SaaS company, or simply advisory to make sure your team is on track, we’ve got your back.
At Devante Group, we offer flexible engagements. Choose from a half-day strategy workshop, advisory-based Fractional CMO guidance, or a fully engaged Fractional CMO for your B2B SaaS company.
Book a free, no obligation intro call and get all your questions answered.
Cost-Benefit Analysis
In-House vs. Fractional CMO
What You Get
In-House CMO
Fractional CMO
(employee)
(contract-based)
(Strategy, execution, hiring + evaluating + training + firing vendors & employees, creating & implementing SOPs, etc)
(Capacity to execute done-for-you marketing services)
(salary-based)
(plus revenue share or equity)
Who it's for
Perfect for B2B SaaS startups with...
Minimum $5M+ in ARR or Funding
We work with growing companies. We require that companies have reached a certain level of maturity (seed stage or series A), and have a proven product-market fit before pursuing a Fractional CMO relationship with us.
Minimum $15k Annual Contract Value
B2B SaaS companies with an annual customer contract value of at least $15k tend to be a better fit, because higher deal velocities and annual contract values can allow for faster capital & cash generation.
In-House Team of 2+ Marketing Employees
Our Fractional CMO consulting engagements require involvement from the in-house marketing team to drive results. Minimum 2 in-house marketing staff are preferred. We will help you hire, train, and expand your in-house team.
Fractional CMO for B2B SaaS
Our fractional CMO
engagements include:
Strategy Consulting
& Advisory
Automation Setup
+ Implementation
Demand
Generation
Data Benchmarks +
Audits & Reporting
Quickly uncover revenue leaks and growth opportunities in your marketing. Set benchmarks and understand the KPIs that drive MRR. Get insights on campaigns with highest ROI, by channel and more.
Budgeting
+ Forecasting
Understand marketing budget and forecast marketing revenue, costs, ROI, budget needed to support sales projections. Present business case to adjust marketing budget and advise the company’s board.
Talent + Resource
Planning
Uncover gaps in your existing team structure, identify talent needs, and build a strong in-house marketing team that executes and supports sales growth – such as a permanent CMO or marketing leader.
SOP + Process
Training
VCs look for scalability when investing. Our Fractional CMO service includes creating processes for marketing teams, implementating automation and training your team on tactical execution so your team is effective.
Ongoing
Meetings
Why we care about making your marketing world class
We know it can be frustrating to have ambitious growth goals for your company and feel bogged down by marketing that isn’t working well or takes up too much of your time.
We’ve worked with B2B SaaS companies just like yours. We love solving marketing problems and guiding teams to win with their strengths. As marketing leaders, we help founders turn marketing departments into profit centers.
Schedule an intro call to see if our Fractional CMO service could unlock the growth your SaaS company needs!
Choose how you engage us:
unlock instant access to a CMO
Fractional CMO Guidance
Scale Advisor
Starts at $3k/mo
- A dedicated Fractional CMO leading your team as a strategic advisor
- Available after at least one 90-day sprint with Scale Engaged or a Scale Half-Day Consultative Strategy Workshop
- Quarterly Planning calls, Sprint Planning calls led twice-monthly
- Bespoke KPI dashboard to track performance
- Unlimited email correspondence
- Grow long-term with the least financial risk
- Access to our marketing campaign standard operating procedures (SOPs)
- 6-month recommended commitment
Great fit for companies:
- Of all sizes, from startup to established company
- That have a strong marketing team in place and you’ve worked with a Fractional CMO to create a strategy
- In need of a marketing leader to keep the team on track and adjust priorities as campaigns launch
- You don’t need or want a full time hire yet, but you do need someone to create the strategy and ensure it’s execution
- You may wish to hire a full time CMO soon, but you prefer to get guidance on that process before hiring
Schedule a free strategy session to gain clarity on what you need in a Fractional CMO.
Fractional CMO for hire
Scale Engaged
Starts at $10k/mo
- A dedicated, hands-on Fractional CMO for your business (part-time resource delivering full-time results)
- Deploys the Functional Marketing® Framework to build out marketing strategy, establish KPIs and reporting, define positioning, and more
- Functional Marketing® Systems Map delivered after the first 30 days
- Quarterly Planning calls, Sprint Planning and Review calls led weekly, and daily Stand-Ups with the team
- Hire, train, evaluate and fire vendors, employees, and contractors
- Access to our marketing campaign standard operating procedures (SOPs)
- Bespoke KPI dashboard to track performance
- Unlimited email correspondence
- 3-month minimum commitment after first 30 days (quarterly, high-octane sprints)
Great fit for companies:
- With at least $5M ARR or in funding
- Looking for part-time staff that specializes specifically in creating marketing strategies and ensuring it’s execution
- You don’t need or want a full time hire yet, but you do need someone to create the strategy and ensure it’s execution
- You may wish to hire a full time CMO soon, but you prefer to get guidance on that process before hiring
Schedule a free strategy session to gain clarity on what you need in a Fractional CMO.
Half-day consultative strategy session
Scale Half-Day Consult
Starts at $7.5K
- 4-hour Strategy Session for your team using the Functional Marketing Framework to focus your marketing strategy
- Custom, bespoke based on your company’s needs
- 7-day Prepatory Period via email correspondence
Deliverables:
- Immediate marketing punch list
- List of blindspots
- Marketing Playbook for next 1-6 months
Great fit for companies:
- With at least $5M ARR or in funding
- With a strong marketing team in place that can take a fresh and accurate strategy
- In need of a marketing leader to keep the team on track and adjust priorities as campaigns launch
Schedule a free strategy session to gain clarity on what you need in a Fractional CMO.
Frequently asked questions...
and answers
Overview
A fractional CMO is a Chief Marketing Offices for your company, but is hired as a contractor, consultant, or equity basis. Fractional CMOs serve as your marketing executive and lead marketing strategy, sales development, growth opportunities, and head the marketing department.
Companies typically use fractional CMO services because they do not have the budget or need for a full-time CMO, but still require expert strategy and leadership.
A Fractional CMO isn’t the execution arm of your marketing department. Fractional CMOs do not execute on technical, tactical, or mechanical tasks, as that can get expensive very quickly and isn’t a wise way to leverage such a resource.
Most B2B SaaS companies need a Fractional CMO in one of two scenarios:
- They can afford a team for execution OR a full-time CMO, but not both.
- Their leadership team (often including their CMO) wants outside, objective perspective to understand new growth opportunities.
They usually require marketing leadership and the expert marketing strategy skills of a CMO, but do not need it on a full-time basis.
Here are 5 reasons it’s time to hire a fractional CMO:
- You are running your marketing team instead of being the CEO
- You’re not sure what campaigns to have your marketing team try next
- You don’t have your customer journey mapped out, or clear KPIs for your campaigns
- You don’t have a demand generation system in place that brings you SQLs and demos predictably and consistently
- You don’t have marketing processes or systems in place for your team to execute
Absolutely. Your digital marketing strategy serves as the foundation of all your future marketing efforts.
Your fractional CMO will audit your existing and past growth efforts, and map out a strong marketing strategy to help you go-to-market. Experienced fractional CMOs for B2B SaaS companies will also map out your customer journey and help you improve brand messaging, positioning, and lots more.
Absolutely. Your Fractional CMO has a limited number of clients so they give your brand the attention, care, and guidance it deserves.
How It Works
A fractional CMO is a Chief Marketing Offices for your company, but is hired as a contractor, consultant, or equity basis. Fractional CMOs serve as your marketing executive and lead marketing strategy, sales development, growth opportunities, and head the marketing department.
Companies typically use fractional CMO services because they do not have the budget or need for a full-time CMO, but still require expert strategy and leadership.
An experienced fractional CMO will serve as the leader on your marketing team, and is responsible for all your marketing outcomes. It wouldn’t make sense to have a fractional CMO execute marketing tasks, as that can get very expensive quite fast. Your fractional CMO should focus on strategy and leading the execution. They are responsible for managing all your marketing staff, from in-house employees to outside vendors, freelancers, and agencies. Their main responsibility is leading the results your marketing department generates.
Fractional CMOs work on a retainer basis, usually paid upfront. This retainer covers a specific number of hours they spend planning, leading, and managing the marketing department and outcomes.
If your Fractional CMO is required to travel, you can expect to cover those costs, such as travel tickets, meals, per diem, etc.
Relationship
Your fCMO integrates with your team and acts as an advisor on your leadership team. Your fCMO builds and coaches your entire marketing team and/or contractors, is accountable to the board or leadership team, and be a leader for your brand.
Your Fractional CMO can help guide you through (a) finding vendors to own tactical execution, or (b) making your first marketing hire, or (c) structure and expand your in-house marketing team.
Absolutely. As part of your leadership team, your Fractional CMO will own the entire marketing function of your company, including personnel decisions.
Scope & Responsibilities
At Devante Group, it all starts with strategy. Providing you have a GTM strategy, your Fractional CMO’s top priority is to guide, build, and develop your marketing strategy as well as team who owns tactical execution. Your Fractional CMO collaborates with your leadership team to set a strategy, and coaches your marketing staff to deploy, measure, and optimize it.
Your Fractional CMO also trains your team by creating and implementing SOPs.
Along with establishing processes and setting desired outcomes, your Fractional CMO is more of a leader of the marketing department, instead of getting involved in functional tasks such as writing or sending marketing emails, crafting ads & copy, or writing blog content.
We don’t limit the number of hours your Fractional CMO spends on your marketing (within reason). Your Fractional CMO focuses on maximizing your marketing budget and resources and will adjust the time spent as your needs evolve.
As a guideline, we recommend a minimum engagement of 6 to 12 months to see optimal results (excluding Workshops & Hourly Advisory Coaching).
There’s no maximum length for an engagement, but our aim is to grow your business enough to justify a full-time CMO as soon as possible.
Your engagement fees cover your Fractional CMO’s guidance and adivsory coaching. You should expect to incur additional costs for marketing technology (marketing automation software, split-testing tools, etc.), marketing staff and/or contractors (marketing technicians, agencies, freelancers, etc.) and advertising costs (Facebook ads, Google ads, etc.).
For workshops, we require a 50% deposit to book. The balance is due one week before the workshop is scheduled.
Engagements are billed monthly to a credit card, ACH account on file, or via wire transfer. We require a 3% payment processing fee for credit card payments. We also support quarterly billing for a 3% discount.
