Fractional CMO Services & Marketing Strategy for Growing Businesses
Most growing businesses hit a marketing ceiling. You’re spending money on ads, social, or a website — but without a senior marketing leader, there’s no strategy connecting it all. A fractional CMO fills that gap: executive-level marketing leadership, applied to your specific business, without the full-time cost. At Outrun, fractional CMO is not just a service we offer — it is the lens through which we approach every engagement.
What We Offer
Full Marketing Strategy
A comprehensive marketing plan built around your business goals, competitive landscape, and target audience. The roadmap before the work begins.
Fractional CMO
Senior-level marketing leadership on a flexible basis. Strategic direction, team guidance, and executive-level marketing thinking — without the full-time hire.
Marketing Audits & Assessments
A thorough evaluation of your current marketing efforts — what’s working, what’s not, and where the opportunities are.
Ongoing Advisory Retainer
A standing relationship where you have access to strategic guidance whenever you need it. Think of it as a marketing advisor on call.
Who This Is For
Executives and business owners who know they need better marketing but aren’t sure where to start. Companies without a senior marketing leader. Organizations that want strategic direction before committing to execution spend.
What a Fractional CMO Actually Does
A fractional CMO is not a consultant who delivers a slide deck and disappears. A fractional CMO is an accountable senior marketing leader who sets direction, manages execution, and owns the outcomes. At Outrun, that means:
- Developing a marketing strategy built around your specific growth goals — not a generic template.
- Directing campaigns across digital, paid, social, and creative channels.
- Managing any vendors or internal team members involved in marketing.
- Providing executive-level reporting that ties marketing activity to revenue and pipeline.
- Serving as your thought partner for every significant business and marketing decision.
This is the kind of marketing leadership that used to cost $300,000 a year in salary alone. On a fractional basis, it is accessible to any business with real growth ambitions.
Who This Is For (Specifically)
You’re handling marketing yourself.
You’re a founder or CEO who has been doing your own marketing because you haven’t found anyone you trust to do it right. You know marketing matters but you don’t have time to do it well. A fractional CMO gives you a senior partner who takes it off your plate.
You have a coordinator who needs direction.
You’ve hired someone to execute, but they need strategic guidance that you don’t have time to provide. A fractional CMO gives your team the senior leadership they need to be effective — without adding a $300K executive to your payroll.
You’re spending on marketing but can’t measure it.
You’re running ads, posting on social, maybe paying an agency — but you’re not sure what’s actually driving results. A marketing audit and fractional CMO engagement cuts through the noise and focuses your spending where it generates return.
You’re preparing to scale.
You’re at an inflection point — a new product launch, a new market, a new round of investment — and you need a marketing strategy that can support that growth. This is exactly when fractional CMO engagement creates the most impact.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does a fractional CMO cost?
Fractional CMO engagements at Outrun are structured around your business needs, not arbitrary hour blocks. Most engagements run between $3,000 and $8,000 per month depending on scope, pace, and complexity. This compares to a full-time CMO salary of $275,000–$375,000 annually — before bonuses and benefits. We offer flexible structures, including project-based engagements, monthly retainers, and advisory-only arrangements.
What is the difference between a fractional CMO and a marketing agency?
A marketing agency executes campaigns. A fractional CMO sets the strategy and owns the outcomes. At Outrun, we do both — so you work with one partner who thinks strategically and executes tactically. You don’t need to hire a fractional CMO and then manage an agency separately.
How long before I see results?
Most engagements produce a clear strategic roadmap in the first 30 days. Early performance signals typically appear in 60–90 days. Marketing compounds over time — the businesses that commit to consistent, strategic execution outperform their competitors in 6–12 months in ways that are difficult to reverse.
Do I need a fractional CMO or a full-service agency?
If you need someone to decide what to do and why — and then make it happen — you need both strategy and execution. Outrun provides both. If you need pure execution on a strategy you already have, our individual service offerings can fill that gap.
What does the engagement process look like?
Every engagement starts with a discovery conversation, followed by a marketing audit of your current efforts. From there we build a prioritized strategy and move into execution. There are no long-term lock-in contracts — we earn your business every month.