Reasons To Hire a New York Fractional CMO

New York is one of the most popular business hubs in the world. The epicenter of many Fortune 500 companies, this city’s reputation makes it a great city to establish small businesses and epic dynasties. 

New York City is home to big and small businesses alike: Well over 200,000 businesses, to be exact. Most of that 200k are small businesses, meaning they need to compete with the big dogs but on a much smaller spend. The easiest (and most affordable!) way to accomplish this is to hire a New York City fractional CMO. 

What Is a Fractional CMO?

The Fractional Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) is a C-suite level executive in marketing (and leadership), working on a part-time, project-based capacity. Basically—exactly what the name suggests. 

Fractional CMOs possess the same top-quality skill set that full-time CMOs have, minus the added cost of having them as salaried employees. Hiring a fractional CMO helps in optimizing a business’s marketing operations, especially in a business district like New York City. The nickname, “The City That Never Sleeps” was given pretty accurately.

What else to know about New York fractional CMOs? Jason shares more insights here:

Why Should I Hire a Fractional CMO?

One of the main reasons to hire a New York FCMO is when your company needs executive, high-level leadership to guide scalable (yet quick) growth without the financial strain of hiring a full-time executive. An FCMO’s contract-based role gives businesses access to valuable marketing leadership that fits their advertising and budgetary needs at the moment. 

New York City serves as headquarters for both brand leaders and startups, and its business-friendly climate makes it attractive to entrepreneurs. FCMOs help businesses grow; their extensive skills are key in helping companies thrive. 

From assembling a marketing team to developing strategies, these fractional marketing executives streamline the marketing operations. They can create and monitor metrics, conduct research, and do analysis to whip up the most effective marketing campaigns you’ve ever seen. They use their extensive industry knowledge and skills to guide (or create) marketing teams to take on the mantle of chasing down that elusive ROI.

Five Reasons To Hire a New York FCMO

1. FCMOs Drive Sales

Getting those sales numbers that make stakeholders cheer doesn’t come without a solid marketing plan. Products need to look great and look great quickly. 

Consider the numbers: It’s reported that 40 percent of purchases are made on impulse. What worked so well that someone parted with their hard-earned money in seconds? Marketing. Really, really good marketing. 

Well, what about the other 60 percent? That’s tricky. You need to catch someone’s attention and stay in the front of mind. It’s all about lead generation, the customer journey, marketing funnels, re-engagement, and more. That sounds like a team-up of social media marketing, blogs, and landing pages. And, of course, not to mention websites—user experience and technical SEO factor into that equation, too. 

Yes, marketing is key to securing profit and expanding into new markets and customer bases, but who’s going to do it? You already run a business full-time. You don’t have time to learn all of the ins and outs of digital marketing. You don’t have time for anyone else on your team to learn it, either. 

After all, “a New York minute” was named pretty accurately, too. Luckily, a fractional CMO from a New York City Digital Agency has already learned all of it and shows up to their very first day with big plans for your big city businesses. 

PS: Here’s what to expect from a New York City Digital Agency:

2. FCMOs Help Hire and Train Teams

These fractional CMOs have a wealth of experience earned from many years in practice, which helps them provide leadership and structure to marketing teams. Aside from general marketing leadership, another major reason to hire a New York FCMO is when you need to build. 

Scaling a business is much like that scaffolding we all experience in New York. It’s complicated, seems to take forever, never seems to end, and if you go too quickly, things can go south pretty fast. 

Scaling is difficult for growing companies, especially when there’s an emotional attachment to the business. Hire too quickly, and businesses run out of money and lose critical oversight. Scale too slowly, and the team is overburdened, burnt out, and companies can lose momentum and valuable sales. 

Your New York City Fractional CMO can take the reins on hiring, onboarding, and training (including training existing teams). To hire, an FCMO identifies which specific marketing skills and competencies are needed, writes the corresponding targeted job descriptions, and then reaches out to their expansive networks to attract top talent. That’s right: Say goodbye to sifting through hundreds of LinkedIn applications; your New York FCMO is responsible for that. 

Once new hires are onboarded (thanks to the FCMO), the FCMO oversees new employees (who can be full-time, part-time, or freelance based on the company’s needs) to make sure these people bring value and mesh well. Critically, fractional marketing executives are well-versed in understanding company culture, so they can hire people who integrate seamlessly into your team.

Additionally, fractional CMOs can organize other areas in the operations, such as monitoring progress, tracking metrics, and similar.

3. FCMOs Are Branding Experts

A great reason to hire a New York FCMO is their incredible work with branding. Fractional marketers use their wide scope of knowledge to amplify a business’s visibility with branding. NY FCMOs make their clients memorable (for good reasons) with the magic + science combo of branding. 

This all starts with a clear understanding of an organization’s mission, values, and target audience (aka research, research, and more research). Typically, an FCMO starts by conducting thorough market research to identify customer needs and preferences to double-check that what a company has is what it needs.

Next up is a check for cohesive visuals and phrasing across all channels. We’re talking about logos and color schemes to messaging and customer interactions and everything in between. 

FCMOs nurture brand loyalty with storytelling and an authentic tone. After all, it costs five times as much to draw in new customers than it does to retain existing ones.

4. FCMOs Build Brand Trust with Regulatory Compliance

As we wrap up our list of reasons to hire a New York FCMO, we need to talk about trust. Being recognizable is essential, but so is being trustworthy. 

The importance of establishing a trustworthy presence in the marketplace cannot be understated. To do so, companies are looking at an extensive checklist of must-haves like:

• Quality Assurance, like rigorous quality control processes, like regular testing and certifications.
• Crystal Clear Policies, including clear return and warranty policies. (For instance, warranties should abide by The Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act, which varies by state.)
• Data Protection: Don’t run afoul of legislation protecting consumer information. Make sure all your ducks are in order. (“Ducks” being privacy policies, multi-factor identification, access controls, SSL certificate, and more.)
• Compliance With Regulations: Just because a company is sitting next to Broadway doesn’t mean they aren’t held to the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA). 

If you’re reaching out for fractional marketing leadership after something went wrong, you’re in good hands. Factional CMOs have unmatched expertise in areas such as crisis control, image building, risk reduction, and conflict resolution. 

5. FCMOs Are Data Driven

Dreaming big definitely has its place in business, but before companies can actually launch into the stratosphere, they need to set feasible goals and track their performance. Math. Data. Research. And more math. 

Even if you’re doing well, tracking these metrics lets you know if you could actually be doing even better. Don’t cut yourself short — the numbers can tell you more than you thought.

The fractional CMO understands that effective campaigns are born out of strong research. Aside from conducting research on factors such as customers and competitors, they measure performance every step of the way. To meet that carefully calculated ROI, first, we need to set key performance indicators (KPIs). All of this data comes together to relay which campaigns are effective and which need to be realigned.

The last of our reasons to hire a New York fractional CMO (on this list, anyway) is their ability to use and access powerful monitoring tools. Depending on the FCMO and the client, you don’t need to worry about learning Google Analytics, Google Search Console, or Microsoft Clarity to track what’s happening. They’re comfortable with Ahrefs, HubSpot, and more to look for gaps in the market and make your brand the brightest in the whole city. 

When To Hire a Fractional CMO

Fractional CMOs make a valuable addition to any business. Its benefits can expand the business and support its scalability. But how do businesses determine the need for a fractional CMO?

Do any of these sound familiar?

• Your marketing operations need to be organized. We see your company as a great Impressionist painting. Some business owners are too close to their subject matter, and all they see are the individual brush strokes. These leaders just need someone to step back to see the painting as a whole and bring order to the color and light. 
• Your team is brilliant, but an overall process is needed. Marketing operations run smoothly when all team members play their part. An organized team (with properly allocated tasks and responsibilities)x ensures a smooth flow of day-to-day operations and long-term plans. Not unlike the X-Men or the Avengers — everyone has a role to play, and team-building (and job definition) is vital. 
• You have big ideas but not a big budget. For growing businesses, time and budget are of the essence. Businesses need access to expert guidance and leadership but struggle to do so under budget constraints. Fractional CMOs bring expert marketing leadership (and marketing tricks) without the cost of paying for a full-time executive. Working in a part-time, project-based capacity means you get what you need and not any excess. 
• Your business is niche, and you need an expert in that area. A law firm has very different needs than an eCommerce company selling dog treats. That’s why we have fractional law firm CMOs and fractional CMOs for eCommerce brands.

Hire a New York Fractional CMO: Here’s How To Find One

New York City has captured the world’s imagination for what seems like forever. It’s time to add your name to the list of what draws both business tycoons and tourists to one of the East Coast’s shining jewels. 

Whether you’d like to know a few more reasons to hire a New York FCMO or would like a free consultation with one of our best FCMOs, we’d love to connect! Set up a time to talk to Digital Authority Partners, and let’s get this show on the road!

Sources: 

Marketing vs. Sales: Future of Marketing | Maryville Online 

Better Government. Stronger Businesses. | The Official Website of the City of New York

Businessperson's Guide to Federal Warranty Law | FTC

California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) | Office of the Attorney General

Customer Retention Versus Customer Acquisition | Forbes

The New Rules of Marketing Across Channels | HBR