Chicago’s Fractional CMOs Drive B2C Marketing Success

The Windy City’s high level of competition and rapidly changing B2C market have led companies to dream up new innovative marketing approaches. What better person to lead the charge than a fractional chief marketing officer?

A fractional CMO is your secret weapon to level the playing field. These marketing pros provide the high-level leadership and marketing skills needed to help B2C companies tackle any challenge head-on.

The possibilities of what your B2C company can achieve are endless with an FCMO; they may even surpass your expectations. Read on to learn how a fractional CMO for Chicago B2C marketing transforms businesses into key figures in their industry.

Check out this quick guide to learn more about hiring a Chicago fractional CMO:

What Is B2C Marketing and How Is It Different from B2B Marketing?

B2C stands for business-to-consumer (B2C) marketing, which is a common business model that sells products and services directly to consumers. If you leave this article and buy that sweater that you saw on Instagram — that's B2C marketing.

This type of marketing focuses on addressing the personal needs and interests of everyday users through digital marketing campaigns, social media, and customer relationship management.

For example, common examples of B2C marketing include retail shopping, hospitality, eating at restaurants, and eCommerce. B2C marketing usually has shorter sales cycles and aims to evoke an emotional response from customers.

Meanwhile, B2B (business-to-business) marketing focuses on businesses selling products to other businesses. One of the main differences between B2B and B2C marketing is that the former takes longer and requires more time, research, and investment.

Here’s Jason with more about B2B marketing:

What Is a Fractional CMO?

A fractional CMO or chief marketing officer is a part-time marketing professional hired by companies to oversee and manage all marketing activities. Fractional CMOs provide high-level marketing guidance without the commitment and added costs of hiring full-time.

Fractional CMOs also bring a wealth of experience and a diverse skill set to the table. Their experience working in multiple industries and tackling any issue makes them perfectly adaptable to any scenario. You can rest assured knowing that your company is in good (great) hands.

How Do I Choose an FCMO?

Before hiring an FCMO, take these factors into consideration.

• Previous track record: What successful campaigns have they worked on? Take note of what issues they tackled, what solutions were implemented, and what the results were.
• Cultural fit: A good FCMO works harmoniously with the rest of the team. Do their values and goals align with the company’s? If so, that’s a solid sign.
• Leadership: FCMOs are leaders in their own right, so they should bring strong leadership skills to the table. They should be able to motivate team members and delegate tasks to the most appropriate people.
• Communication and collaboration skills: Marketing is a team sport, and the FCMO acts as a coach. They should be able to communicate with both the team and outside departments in the name of cohesion and a unified marketing approach.

How Much Does an FCMO Cost?

A fractional CMO’s cost varies depending on several factors, such as scope of work, duration with the company, and level of expertise. For example, some FCMOs may charge around $200 to $350 per hour. Others may offer retainer-based pricing for longer engagements.Regardless, it’s important to assess your company budget before hiring any candidate to gain the most out of their services. Not only will this ensure your budget has the bandwidth, but it also helps ensure you’re making a worthwhile investment. Plus, 

How Fractional CMOs Help Chicago B2C Companies

In the world of marketing, things change quickly and without warning; market conditions fluctuate, and consumer behavior and interests can change in an instant.

In moments like these, a fractional CMO for Chicago B2C marketing is someone you need on your side. FCMOs help companies understand their customers and what factors influence their buying decisions. This information is a game changer for B2C companies to adapt and thrive in a dynamic market.

A fractional CMO also harnesses digital solutions to drive brand awareness and engagement. Using means like email marketing, social media marketing, and search engine optimization (SEO), FCMOs help B2C companies finally gain the exposure and customers they deserve.

How To Find B2C Marketing Success in Chicago

Let’s review eight ways a fractional CMO for Chicago B2C marketing helps brands like yours achieve success.

Segment Your Audience

Chicago is full of diverse buyers, each with their own unique needs and requirements. To gain a better understanding of this colorful market, you can segment your audience into different groups.

A fractional CMO for Chicago B2C marketing uses this method to create buyer personas and paint a picture of your ideal customer. This helps your products reach the right people who will appreciate them and become buyers in the future.

Audience segmentation starts with grouping your market according to distinct characteristics; this can be according to the following:

• Demographics (age, gender, occupation, income level, etc.)
• Behavioral data
• Geographic data
• Psychographic data
• Previous interactions with the brand
• Buying patterns

Segmenting your audience helps you create a buyer persona, which is a detailed representation of your ideal customer. Think of it like writing a character for a story; you get a clearer image of what kind of person they are, where they live, how old they are, and more.

Once you have a complete buyer persona, you can use this information to create personalized campaigns and content that target the buyer and address their needs.

Target Local Keywords

Fractional CMOs are SEO experts who help companies improve rankings and increase topical authority and digital presence. This process starts with local keyword research and aligning these keywords to the user’s search intent.

A Chicago local SEO agency can find relevant, low-competition, high-volume keywords to reach ideal shoppers. 

For example, let’s say you’re running a restaurant in Chicago. Instead of targeting broad, general keywords like “restaurant,” narrow it down further with specific details or phrases, also known as long-tail keywords. These may look something like this:

• affordable restaurants in Chicago
• best restaurants to try in Chicago
• cheap restaurants near me
• Chicago restaurants for families

We also tackle the difference between B2B vs. B2C SEO in this helpful guide!

Claim and Improve Your Google Business Profile (GBP)

Another important part of local SEO is establishing your Google Business Profile (GBP). Remember the phone book? Think of the GBP as the phone book for the digital age. Your GBP contains all relevant business information about your business and helps users find you faster.

A Google Business Profile also grants you a place on Google’s Map Pack, which contains the top three search results for local businesses. With this pack, users won’t have to scroll too far to find the best option.

To optimize your GBP, gather all relevant details about your business, including:

• Company name
• Business category
• Company address
• Contact information
• Operating hours
• Ratings

Keep this information updated over time for consistency. Ensure all spelling, capitalization, and punctuation are consistent as well, as even the slightest error in these details could affect your rankings.

Additionally, don’t forget to include reviews and testimonials on your profile. These help goldmines of information as they help users make informed decisions and gauge the quality of services of the business.

Write Local Content

Content is one of the best ways to make your mark in the digital world. It allows you to speak directly to your users and bridge the gap between business and customer. There are many different kinds of content that you can create that inform, educate, and even entertain audiences. 

Content types can include:

• Blog articles
• Case studies
• Newsletters
• White papers
• Videos
• Infographics

Content is also one of the best ways to build your credibility and gain trust among customers. Users are more inclined to purchase from a brand that’s well-established in the industry and offers high value with every piece of content.

Naturally incorporate the keywords you found during keyword research into your content. This boosts your rankings as it gives the search engine a clear idea of what your content is all about. However, don’t overdo it; less is more. Intentional use (aka — no keyword stuffing) prevents your site from being penalized or even deindexed.

Additionally, it’s crucial to answer the user’s query within the first few sentences. The sooner a reader receives the information they’re looking for, the more likely they are to trust your brand and buy from it.

Utilize Social Media

With the number of social media users reaching the billions-mark, the opportunities for B2C companies to attract new audiences and drive sales have skyrocketed.

Each platform comes with its own unique uses that FCMOs take advantage of to create a personal connection with users. This could be in the form of hosting live Q&A sessions on your Instagram story or responding to comments on Facebook,

Apart from this, they also specialize in monitoring analytics to find which areas met expectations and which needed improvements. Some metrics to monitor include:

• Engagement rate
• Conversion rate
• Follower count
• Audience growth
• Page views
• Click-through rate (CTR)

Leverage Influencer Marketing

Not only is social media home to many potential customers, but it’s also a place where you can connect with local influencers. These are key figures with highly engaged and niche audiences who can help you increase brand awareness and gain credibility.

An example of influencer marketing is food companies collaborating with food and lifestyle influencers to promote their restaurant or meal kits. This helps get the word out to more people and encourages them to make a purchase.

Sponsor Local Events and Community Initiatives

What better way to attract more attention to your brand than with a buzzworthy event? Local events and community gatherings are a fun way to bring people together and help your brand leave a lasting impression.

Events are also a great way to partner with complementary businesses. FCMOs help find potential partners and vendors to work with based on shared values, common goals, and target audiences. 

By gathering the support of other local companies, your brand can create a mutually beneficial event that boosts profits and brand awareness for everyone involved.

A fractional CMO also uses their skills in event marketing to actively promote the event on various platforms, such as email marketing, social media, and your website. They also help determine the theme and concept of the event based on the brand’s objectives, whether it’s to launch a new product, raise money for charity, or celebrate a company milestone.

Try Hyperlocal Advertising

As digital advertising seems to be the norm (especially for online businesses), traditional advertising for brick-and-mortar stores has taken a back seat. However, there’s still a way for these businesses to gain customers… and that’s through hyperlocal advertising.

Hyperlocal advertising involves targeting customers in a specific area. In this case, you’d want to target Chicago residents. This method increases foot traffic to your store by placing advertisements in the right places. Examples of this may include billboards, store-exclusive offers, and out-of-home advertising.

One way a fractional CMO for Chicago B2C marketing helps businesses perfect hyperlocal advertising is through geofencing. Geofencing involves setting a virtual perimeter around a specific geographic area; brands can send targeted messages and advertisements to potential customers who enter this area. It’s a good way to combine marketing efforts, like using geofencing during trade shows.

Success Stories: A Chicago Fractional CMO’s Case Studies

Digital Authority Partners has had its share of success in helping B2C companies achieve success. Read about one of our success stories (aka case studies) below.

PartySlate

PartySlate is an online events management platform where users can organize their own events. The company connects customers to potential vendors, venues, and event professionals.

Their main challenge was not being able to rank for local keywords and low website traffic. They were only able to get results from paid ads and SEO agencies that offered limited results. Additionally, customer acquisition costs were high as the company’s market share was on the lower side.

Digital Authority Partners conducted a local SEO audit, which revealed the need for a complete website overhaul. This included optimizing landing pages, improving technical SEO and website design, and creating locally relevant content, among others.

As a result, PartySlate ranked #1 on Google for over 12,000 keywords. Organic traffic jumped to a 12x increase within two years. This also led to the company ranking for a whopping 300,000 keywords across the United States.

Our Fractional CMOs Can Help With B2C Marketing

There’s no better place to seek Chicago’s best fractional CMO services than Digital Authority Partners. The B2C marketing game isn’t an easy one to play, but our team of fractional marketers makes it so that your brand rises above the rest.

All you have to do is tell us what you need, and we’ll work hard to make it happen! Our team strives for nothing less than outstanding.

Send us a message right away to get started!