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What a fractional CMO should deliver in the first 45 days

If the first six weeks produce a slide deck and a list of ideas, you hired the wrong one. Here's what you should have in your hands.

Stephen Conley / / 3 min read

The short answer

In the first 45 days, a fractional CMO should deliver written audit findings, ideal client personas, a core message, a customer journey map, a content strategy, ranked growth priorities and a week-by-week 90-day calendar with owners. The test: on day 46, anyone competent could pick up the plan and start work without asking what it means.

The first six weeks with a fractional CMO tell you most of what you need to know about the next year. By the end of them you should be holding specific documents, and you should have made specific decisions. If all you have is a slide deck full of observations, something has gone wrong.

This is what we deliver in a Strategy First engagement, which runs 30 to 45 days. Use it as a checklist for anyone you hire.

Weeks one and two: an honest picture

Before recommending anything, a good CMO finds out what's true.

  • An audit of your brand and marketing. What you say, where you say it and whether it's consistent.
  • An audit of your online presence. Your website, search visibility, reviews, listings and social profiles, looked at the way a buyer would.
  • A look at your competitors. What they claim, and where they've left room.
  • Conversations with customers, where that's possible. Nothing replaces hearing why people chose you in their own words.

You should get findings in writing, with the uncomfortable ones included.

Weeks three and four: the decisions

This is the part most marketing skips.

  • Ideal client personas. A specific description of who you're for, what sends them looking and what they need to hear. "Small businesses" is not a persona.
  • A core message. One promise that explains why someone should choose you, short enough that your whole team can repeat it.
  • The customer journey. What a buyer needs from you at each stage, from first hearing your name to referring a friend. We map it with the Marketing Hourglass.

These are decisions, and a decision means saying no to things. If your personas describe everybody, nothing was decided.

Weeks five and six: the plan

  • A content strategy. The topics you'll own, tied to what buyers search for and ask.
  • Growth priorities. The few moves that matter most, ranked. A list of thirty ideas is not a priority list.
  • A 90-day execution calendar. Week by week, with owners.

What you should be able to do on day 46

Hand the plan to anyone competent, inside your company or out, and have them start work without calling a meeting to ask what you meant. That's the test. A strategy that needs its author in the room to explain it is unfinished.

You should also have a choice about what happens next: run it yourself, have the CMO lead your team, or have their team run it for you. If the only path on offer is a bigger retainer, be careful.

See what's in Strategy First, including the price.

Frequently asked questions

What should a fractional CMO deliver in the first month?

An honest picture of where you stand, in writing: an audit of your brand, marketing and online presence, a look at competitors, and, where possible, what customers say about why they chose you. Decisions on your ideal client and core message follow in weeks three and four.

How long does it take a fractional CMO to build a marketing strategy?

A complete strategy typically takes 30 to 45 days. Our Strategy First engagement runs on that timeline, from audit to a finished 90-day plan.

What is a 90-day marketing plan?

A week-by-week calendar of the few marketing moves that matter most this quarter, each with an owner. It turns the strategy into work someone can start on Monday.

What are the warning signs that a fractional CMO is not delivering?

Six weeks that produce only a slide deck of observations, personas that describe everybody, a list of thirty ideas instead of ranked priorities, or a plan that needs its author in the room to explain it.

What happens after the first 45 days?

You choose how to run the plan: do it yourself, have the fractional CMO lead your team, or have their team run it for you. Be careful if the only option offered is a bigger retainer.

Stephen Conley

Stephen Conley

Founder of The fCMO Agency and Gisteo, and a Certified Duct Tape Marketing advisor.

More about Stephen

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