What Is a Fractional CMO

Fractional Futures is the essential podcast for CEOs, investors, and senior marketing executives looking to unlock the power of fractional marketing leadership.
 
Hosted by Paul Mills, Founder at VCMO, and with special guests, we'll share expert insights, provide actionable strategies and explore real-world success stories to help you leverage fractional marketing leadership for maximum impact.

In this episode

In this episode of Fractional Futures, Paul Mills and Lydia McClelland delve into the concept of fractional leadership, particularly focusing on the role of a fractional CMO. They clarify what a fractional CMO is, how it differs from traditional marketing roles, and address common misconceptions surrounding the model. The conversation highlights the strategic value that fractional CMOs bring to organisations of all sizes, emphasizing their ability to provide senior-level marketing leadership without the full-time commitment. The discussion also covers the engagement model, flexibility, and how fractional CMOs can drive commercial success by aligning marketing efforts with business objectives.

Special Guest

Lydia McLelland, Fractional CMO

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Key Takeaways

• Fractional CMOs provide strategic leadership on a part-time basis.
• The role is about embedding leadership, not just executing marketing tasks.
• Fractional CMOs are integrated into the senior leadership team.
• They help set marketing strategy and align it with commercial goals.
• The value of a fractional CMO comes from senior thinking, not hours worked.
• Flexibility in engagement allows businesses to scale support as needed.
• Fractional CMOs can add value at any stage of a business's lifecycle.
• Effective communication is key to successful fractional leadership.
• The model helps businesses avoid wasting time and resources on disconnected activities.
• A fractional CMO can uplift team capabilities and improve agency alignment.

Sound bites

"What is a fractional CMO really?"

"You're the conductor of the orchestra."

"The company should see better margins."

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• Email us at hi@vcmo.uk
• Visit our website vcmo.uk
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Thanks for listening & keep podcasting!

Fractional Marketing Leadership | Marketing Transformed.

Chapters

• 0:00 Episode Introduction
• 1:55 Lydia McClelland
• 2:58 Distinguishing Between Fractional CMOs and Consultants
• 5:06 Misconceptions About Fractional CMOs
• 6:30 How to Prepare for Embedding a Fractional CMO
• 8:06 What Fractional Really Means
• 10:11 How Fractional CMOs Differ from Consultants
• 12:12 Types of Companies Fractional CMOs Operate In
• 14:49 Engagement Models and Practical Applications
• 16:10 How Fractional CMOs Use Their Time
• 19:02 How Fractional CMOs Add Value
• 20:55 How to Know a Fractional CMO Engagement Is Working
• 22:39 Measuring Success and Value of Fractional CMOs
• 23:29 Summary & Next Episode

Transcript

Paul Mills (00:03.787)

Hello, welcome back to a new season of Fractional Futures, the show for CEOs, founders and investors who want clarity on modern marketing leadership. I'm Paul Mills, founder of VCMO, and today we're tackling a topic that's created more confusion than clarity over the last couple of years, and that's the rise of the fractional CMO. It's a term that's now everywhere on LinkedIn, in boardrooms, in recruitment conversations, but if you ask 10 people what a fractional CMO actually is,

you'll probably get 10 different answers. So in this episode, we're going to strip away the jargon. We're going to ground the definition and get really clear on what the role involves and just as importantly, what it doesn't. Now, for many leaders, hiring a fractional CMO is a strategic moment. It signals ambition, but it also raises a lot of questions like, are we buying senior leadership or part-time execution?

Is this consultancy by another name? Is the value diluted because it's fractional? These kind of misunderstandings can lead to hesitation or worse, choosing the wrong type of marketing support entirely. So today is about clarity. Whether you're a founder, a CEO or an investor, by the end of this episode, you'll have a grounded understanding of what fractional marketing leadership really looks like, how it integrates into your business and how to decide whether it's the right model for you.

Helping me make sense of all of this, I'm joined today by someone who embodies what a true fractional CMO is. I'm delighted to welcome Lydia McClelland, who's a chartered marketer, a fellow of the CIM and operates as a fractional CMO. Lydia also brings deep practical experience of embedding fractional leadership where it genuinely, I'll say that bit again. Lydia brings deep practical experience of embedding fractional leadership where it genuinely moves the needle.

Hi Lydia, welcome to the show. It's great to have you with us today. For our listeners, would you like to share a little bit more about your background and the types of businesses you work with?

Lydia McClelland (02:01.153)

Thank you Paul.

Lydia McClelland (02:10.377)

Yes, so I'm Lydia McClelland. I'm based in Belfast in Northern Ireland and I set up LMC Associates in 2019.

Paul Mills (02:18.219)

Sorry, can we just stop there? Sorry, you've moved too far to the right, so your head's cropped off. Can you... That's it. Yeah, that's why I don't want to be too zoomed in, it's just a slight movement, it crops you out. That's all right. Shall I introduce you again, and we just do that.

Lydia McClelland (02:22.177)

God. no. sorry, see what you mean. yeah, apologies.

Yeah, let's play that again. Sorry, let me just, so if I go that way, yeah, it's too far. Do you know what? Let me just tilt. Let me just see if I turn a little bit. Is that okay?

Paul Mills (02:38.771)

Yeah, it's the other way. Yeah.

Paul Mills (02:45.067)

Yep, that's fine. But what I'll do is I'll just go to the Lydia welcome to the show because I think that's where it sort of went out of focus. Hi Lydia, welcome to the show. Great to have you with us. For our listeners, would you like to share a little more about your background and the types of businesses you work with?

Lydia McClelland (03:03.157)

Yes, I'm Lydia McClelland. I'm based in Belfast in Northern Ireland and I've been working as a fractional CMO since 2019 when I set up LMC Associates.

Paul Mills (03:14.763)

Great. I was going to say, it's quite abrupt finish. Do you want to say a little bit more about LMC Associates?

Lydia McClelland (03:22.477)

Yes, so LMC Associates works with a range of companies across the UK and Ireland offering fractional CMO, we're head of marketing services.

Paul Mills (03:32.523)

Lydia, before we get into the myths and misconceptions, I want to start with the foundations. If we're going to talk about fractional CMOs with any clarity, we need to define what the role actually is and what it isn't. So, Lydia, when we talk about a fractional CMO, what do we actually mean?

Lydia McClelland (03:50.167)

So a fractional CMO is a senior marketing leader who works within a business on a fractional or part-time flexible basis. Fractional CMOs we bring strategic capability, the same level of strategic capability that a full-time CMO would bring, but without that full-time salary or headcount commitment. The role is very much about embedded leadership, it's about setting the direction, it's about connection with commercial goals, and it's not simply just about doing the marketing, it is very much at a strategic level.

Paul Mills (04:18.077)

And how would you explain the difference between a fractional CMO and a marketing consultant to a CEO who's probably never used either a marketing leader before?

Lydia McClelland (04:28.91)

Yeah, and it's a great question because it gets asked a lot. So a consultant advises, they recommend, they often deliver specific projects. Whereas a fractional CMO leads, they take responsibility really for the full marketing function, for shaping the strategy, for prioritising budgets, setting KPIs and really ensuring that there's alignment with the board or the senior leadership team. Consultants, I find are often brought in for a very dedicated or defined piece of work, whereas a fractional CMO really sits across the whole picture at the holistic level

bringing consistency, accountability and ongoing direction for the business.

Paul Mills (05:02.391)

You're moving left again. You keep cutting yourself out. Now, I'm just wondering if you zoom out a little. I'm just wondering if...

Lydia McClelland (05:09.166)

Yeah, I was going to say the only thing, because I don't have a zoom on my camera or anything, can do sort of sit back a little bit. Does that help?

Paul Mills (05:12.883)

Set back, yeah. So I'm just gonna think if we keep changing, we're have to start from the top again because we're gonna keep shrinking. It's gonna look a bit weird. Yeah, you just, yeah, maybe it's just like you're sort of just drifting.

Lydia McClelland (05:16.718)

I'm out of

I know, sorry, it's good.

We'll sit back a little bit further.

Or could start with, if I stood, would that help, do you think, if I stood up at a standing desk?

Paul Mills (05:32.035)

but the only thing you got there is if you sort of start waving around. it's, let me just, let me just see my camera out slightly.

Lydia McClelland (05:36.65)

Let me try and stay stationary. Did that give you enough? Okay, look as if I've got a frame, but maybe on your end it looks different, does it?

Paul Mills (05:46.884)

Yeah, okay let me just...

Lydia McClelland (05:48.878)

My camera is it's static it doesn't have a

Paul Mills (05:53.171)

Yeah, no, it's fine. I think if you're too close in at any small movement, it just cuts you and it's just going to look awful. That should.

Lydia McClelland (05:57.839)

Yeah, it looks... it's going. I'll move back, I'll try and sit back a little bit, that would help too.

Paul Mills (06:04.767)

Right, yeah, if that's where you're gonna be, let me move myself again.

Lydia McClelland (06:15.864)

Thank God for editing.

Paul Mills (06:17.757)

Yeah, okay that's about, that's probably okay there. I'm just wondering if we need to do that section again. What, are you okay if we do that?

Lydia McClelland (06:26.422)

Yeah, go ahead.

consultant bit or the whole thing.

Paul Mills (06:35.607)

I'm just going to want to because we've moved quite a bit. I'm just wondering if we

Lydia McClelland (06:40.952)

Do it again. Yeah, absolutely. Sorry. I apologize. It's my fault for.

Paul Mills (06:42.507)

Yeah, is that okay? Yeah. No, it's all right. That should be fine. So I just got to do a quick minor adjustment.

Lydia McClelland (06:50.638)

I'll try, I'll try, I just need to tape myself to the floor with my feet.

Paul Mills (06:54.795)

Yeah, it's one of those things really, it's hard sometimes.

Lydia McClelland (07:00.046)

It's very hard to sit still.

Lydia McClelland (07:05.762)

Just go, go again, go again, that's no problem. Yeah.

Paul Mills (07:07.241)

Yep, okay, right. So I'm just adjusting the camera, that's fine.

Lydia McClelland (07:10.74)

I'm gonna, yeah, gonna like consciously talk.

Paul Mills (07:14.027)

Right, okay, let's start again then. Hi, welcome back to a new season of Fractional Futures, the show for CEOs, founders and investors who want clarity on modern marketing leadership. I'm Paul Mills, founder at VCMO, and today we're tackling the topic that's created more confusion than clarity over the last couple of years, and that's the rise of the fractional CMO.

It's a term that's now everywhere on LinkedIn, in boardrooms, in recruitment conversations. But if you ask 10 people what a fractional CMO actually is, you'll probably get 10 completely different answers. So in this episode, we're going to strip away the jargon. We're going to ground the definition and get really clear on what the role involves, and just as importantly, what it doesn't. Many leaders hiring

I'll say that again. For many leaders, hiring a fractional CMO is a strategic moment. It signals ambition, but it also raises a lot of questions like, are we buying senior leadership or part-time execution? Is this consultancy by another name or is this diluted value because it's fractional? These kinds of misunderstandings can lead to hesitation or worse, choosing the wrong type of support entirely.

So today's about clarity, whether you're a founder, a CEO or investor, by the end of this episode, you'll have a grounded understanding of what fractional marketing leadership really looks like, how it integrates into your business and how to decide whether it's the right model for you. To help me make sense of all of this, I'm joined by someone who embodies what a true fractional CMO is. Lydia McClelland is a Chartered Marketer and Fellow of the CIM and operates as a fractional CMO.

Lydia brings deep practical experience of embedding fractional leadership where it genuinely moves the needle. Lydia, welcome to the show. Great to have you with us. For our listeners, would you like to share a little bit more about your background and some of the businesses you work with?

Lydia McClelland (09:15.47)

Yes, so I'm Lydia McClelland. I'm based outside of Belfast in Northern Ireland and I set up LMC Associates in 2019. So I've been working as a fractional CMO or head of marketing since then. I work with a range of companies. I'm very much sector agnostic and work with companies across the UK and Ireland. So I've worked with all sorts of companies from training companies, security companies, companies in the construction industry software as a service company. So a real blend of companies where I can bring my fractional leadership to that space.

Paul Mills (09:43.495)

And you're also a SOSTAC licensed trainer, aren't you? Do you want to explain what that involves?

Lydia McClelland (09:48.175)

Yes, so I'm a SOSTAC certified planner and also a trainer. So I train companies, marketers, marketing directors, managing directors on the SOSTAC planning framework. So it's a great marketing planning framework to help you bring a sense of order really to your marketing plans and really clear plans with clarity. That's sorry, Paul, totally messed up. Yeah, yeah, sorry, I haven't prepared that one.

Paul Mills (10:12.383)

Yeah, no, you can do that again. Just have a quick pause and then just do that bit again.

Lydia McClelland (10:19.861)

Okay, so I'm a SOSTAC certified planner and also a licensed trainer. SOSTAC is a fabulous marketing planning framework which really helps to bring a sense of order to your marketing department, to your marketing team. And I train all sorts of levels of people from marketing execs right through to heads of marketing and marketing, managing directors and marketing directors on the framework.

Paul Mills (10:41.599)

Fantastic. And I'm a SOSTAC certified planner myself. It's a great framework. I use it with all my clients and for anyone listening who hasn't come across it, I'll put a link in the show notes. so you can find out a little bit more. you know, if you want to get training, you know, by all means, give it a look. It's a great framework to use. So Lydia, before we get into the myths and misconceptions, I want to start with the foundations.

If we're going to talk about fractional CMOs with any clarity, we need to define what the role actually is and what it isn't. So Lydia, when we talk about a fractional CMO, what do we really mean?

Lydia McClelland (11:17.75)

Yes, so fractional CMO is a senior marketing leader who works within a business on a fractional or part-time flexible basis. Fractional CMOs, bring the same level of strategic capability as a full-time CMO, but without the full-time salary or headcount commitment. The role of a fractional is to embed leadership, to set direction, to connect marketing with commercial goals. It's not simply about doing the marketing.

Paul Mills (11:43.733)

Fantastic, and if you were to explain the difference between a fractional CMO and a marketing consultant to a CEO who's never used either, how would you explain the difference between the two models?

Lydia McClelland (11:54.425)

Well really for me the simplest explanation is that a consultant advises, recommends and often delivers specific projects whereas a fractional CMO leads. They take responsibility for the full marketing function, they shape the strategy, they prioritise budgets, they set KPIs and they ensure alignment with the board. Consultants we find are often brought in for a very defined piece of work whereas a fractional CMO sits across the whole picture bringing consistency, accountability and ongoing direction for the business.

Paul Mills (12:22.827)

you're just moving slightly. We do need to gaffer tape you, don't we? That's fine. What I can do is where you're sort of just moving out of shot slightly, I can do like a transition. So we can do that. So yeah, just sort of point out before we get half your face missing. Cool. So Lydia, in terms of where a CMO sits in your organization.

Lydia McClelland (12:24.87)

no.

me down for two.

Lydia McClelland (12:33.464)

Bye.

Paul Mills (12:49.585)

Are they really part of the senior leadership team or more of an advisor? How do you position where the fractional CMO sits?

Lydia McClelland (12:57.494)

Yeah, so although they may not be on payroll, I find that they operate at a very senior leadership level. We sit at a table where the decisions are being made, where commercial planning is taking place, where customer strategy is being discussed. We're involved in things like product development and budget decisions. We very much are embedded at that senior leadership level. We act as the bridge between board, if there is a board and an organization, and the marketing team, ensuring that the organization's ambitions translate into that practical action.

We're not just an external advisor. We are, I think we're very much integrated, we're accessible, we're embedded, even if that's only a few days a month that we're working with an organization.

Paul Mills (13:35.595)

And for those business leaders who are still slightly confused about what a fractional CMO is, I think there's a misconception out there that they're just a cheap form of marketing who can do a little bit more than a junior marketer or a social media person, something like that.

What are the expectations really? If you want to hire a fractional CMO thinking they're just going to be good to run your social media campaigns or run some advertising, is that the right thing to bring them in for?

Lydia McClelland (14:10.21)

Definitely not. We are responsible for setting the role marketing strategy. So everything must start with the strategy first before we get into marketing planning and execution. And again, the SOSTAC framework is a great framework to bring that structure to an organization. So it's about setting strategy first before we get into any of the details of the tactics or the actions that need to be done. We're helping to decide where the budgets need to go as well and also what not to invest in, which is really important as well.

Establishing KPIs and setting up dashboards and making sure that there's kind of relevant information and flow of information to board or SLT that senior leaders can trust as well. We might be responsible for looking at the positioning, the brand direction, customer segmentation and routes to market. So it's so much more than just social media. We're not there just to do the TikTok. That's what the marketing team or marketing agencies are there to support with. as well.

Paul Mills (15:03.531)

Fantastic. If you're listening to this, maybe you're a founder or a CEO and you're thinking about bringing a fractional CMO into the organization, what are some of the things that you need to be thinking about to prepare yourself to bring the fractional CMO on board?

Lydia McClelland (15:21.582)

So in terms of bringing a fractional CMO on board, I would be thinking at that sort of managing director level, what are the key strategic priorities for the year ahead and where is marketing going to support with that and how do we need that strategic support with it because there will be an element of obviously for the fractional to onboard with the organisation and get to grips with the kind of plan for the year ahead and what is then the right strategy. So as an MD you need to consider

what are our key business priorities for the year ahead and then the marketing, the fractional CMO will be able to support with the marketing strategy very quickly if the business priorities are clear.

Paul Mills (15:58.623)

Yeah, fantastic stuff. I think that gives us a solid grounding. Hopefully that's been useful just to ground the term itself and also highlights why the role is sometimes misunderstood. I want to think about some of the misconceptions about the role. As soon as people hear the word fractional, and I've heard it in conversations myself with potential clients, there's a whole set of myths start to surface.

Is it diluted value? Is it part-time thinking? Is it consultancy by another name? Or is fractional CMOs, are they only really reserved for small firms or startups? So I want to tackle some of these misconceptions head on. So Lydia, when you're out and about, when you're speaking with prospects, what are the biggest misconceptions you come across when people first explore the fractional CMO model?

Lydia McClelland (16:53.774)

Yes, one of the first ones is really around fractional means fraction of the value. But really the value comes from that senior thinking, not necessarily the senior presence five days a week within an organisation. So although I might be only working with a company so many days per month, I am always thinking about them and it doesn't matter whether that's evenings or weekends. They're always in my mind in terms of my contribution

to the organisation and what I'm doing. So the values, as I comes from that senior thinking. It's not about being present or sitting at a desk five days a week within an organisation. Most businesses don't necessarily need a full-time CMO. They just need that expertise that's really focused, that's got really, you know, a sharp decision making and sort of sense of direction that eliminates any waste within the organisation. So a fractional CMO certainly delivers, I feel, the same calibre of leadership

but in a much more efficient way because of the time spent on those really high impact priorities rather than internal noise. Just to make it clear, you're not buying hours, you're buying better choices, you're buying a clearer strategy and fewer costly mistakes. So that's one of the myths, as I say, fractional does not necessarily mean a fraction of the value.

Paul Mills (18:01.247)

Yeah, I think that's a really important point to make, Lydia I think that there's many fractional CMOs out there who, when they present their services, they'll say, you know, can hire me for one or two days a week. And I think what that introduces in the minds of someone potentially hiring that person is that you clock on at nine in the morning, you clock off at five and that's it. That's not the case at all, is it? You are constantly thinking, even though you might be supporting that company for a couple of nominated days a week.

You're always thinking about them. You're always available by phone, by email. It's not like a clock watching exercise, is it?

Lydia McClelland (18:36.854)

No, not at all. And just like to give example, know, managing director might be sending me voice notes on WhatsApp and they might be coming through at 11 o'clock at night. Obviously, it's up to me if I choose to respond there and then or I leave it to the next the next morning or pick up on it the next day. So as I say, you're very much present for the company, but not not present in the sense of being at a desk nine to five Monday to Friday.

Paul Mills (19:00.339)

Yeah, that's a good one. I think Another common question I hear often is whether a fractional CMO is just an expensive consultant with a new label. And I know a lot of people think that. How do you draw the distinction in practice?

Lydia McClelland (19:10.712)

here.

Lydia McClelland (19:15.246)

Yes, So for me, consultants, they very much advise whereas a fractional CMO owns the marketing agenda. So a consultant may deliver a report or a specific report, whereas a fractional CMO is accountable for the outcomes, for strategy, for budgets, for team leadership, for KPIs, I could go on. But as I say, very much ensuring that the marketing is agreed and aligned to the commercial approach and that it is at that senior level, whether that be at SLT or board level.

within the business. I find we're very much embedded within the organisation's rhythm. We're attending leadership meetings, we're shaping those planning cycles and we're influencing those cross-functional decisions.

Paul Mills (19:53.897)

Yeah, I think that's right. And I think, you know, for me personally, and this is probably where some of the confusion comes from, because At the end of the day, when you hire a fractional CMO, it's their expertise you are hiring. we need to be careful about how we label and badge someone. Now a fractional CMO, they may provide consultancy. They might come into the business initially at the early stage, you might have a marketing challenge and you may not retain them there and then.

What you might do is bring them in from some initial advisory. Maybe you've got a marketing challenge, a pricing problem or a brand issue, or maybe you're losing customers and you might engage a fractional CMO on that consultancy or advisory basis, maybe in a workshop scenario or a strategy workshop type engagement where you're just really leveraging their expertise. And I think sometimes that's where the terms get conflated. And actually, yes.

Fractional CMOs can consult, they can advise, but really where the value is, it's that retained leadership, isn't it? It's coming in, supporting two or three days a week, a month, over the long term to take that full accountability of the marketing function, of those KPIs, as you mentioned, and really ensure that any activities are delivered and embedded in the organization, isn't it?

Lydia McClelland (20:59.886)

Absolutely, yes.

Lydia McClelland (21:17.292)

Yeah, absolutely. You're there. You're there as part of that leadership team and you're there to deliver.

Paul Mills (21:22.783)

Yeah. And I think, I think One of the other common myths or confusions is that, and this may be because of how the fractional leadership movement evolved, because I think early stage SaaS businesses were hiring fractional CFOs to come in. And I think because of that, and because the CFO model is kind of grown up with the SaaS industry, I think a lot of people

apply the same logic to fractional CMOs that they're only good for early stage startups or early stage scale ups, which is not really the case, is it? They can add value at any stage of the life cycle. how, you know, What's your experience with the different types of businesses that fractional CMOs support?

Lydia McClelland (22:10.422)

Yeah, so the model works, I feel it works across all stages of business. at scale up level, as you've mentioned, scale ups definitely need that senior expertise, but can't necessarily justify a full CMO salary at that stage. So certainly you can add value there. Mid-market firms often might have a marketing team, but no strategic leader to bring that cohesion or accountability or longer term direction. And even larger organizations will use fractional CMOs

to lead divisions, there might be a transformation project or even the act of interim cover without losing strategic momentum. So the model can be flexed to suit whatever size of company or structure of company and it is very much tailored to the client's needs and what they require. So we do find that it's a very bespoke offering in terms of what the solution is for that particular company depending on their needs.

Paul Mills (23:00.887)

And you mentioned there flexibility, and I think this is one of the core value propositions of the fractional model, not just for fractional CMOs, any form of fractional leadership. And is that flexibility to scale the service up or down as the business conditions evolve? If the business is going through a quieter time, you might want to scale back the engagement. If it's really busy, you might want to scale it up. How do you explain the difference between

Lydia McClelland (23:24.984)

Yeah.

Paul Mills (23:29.565)

offering a one day a week view of fractional versus more probably the better way that fractional CMO should present, which is more that outcomes based flexible engagement. How do you distinguish between those two models?

Lydia McClelland (23:40.751)

Yeah, so really the modern model of fractional leadership is around outcomes based, not time based. Although I know it's very hard for companies not to kind of equate your inputs in terms of what is the time input, but it should really be focused on the outcomes. And as you've mentioned, like some months may require sort of heavier lifting, heavy strategic work. There might be workshops, there might be team leadership planning, and then other times it might be slight light touch oversight. again, it absolutely depends on

what the business requires and the cadence and the rhythm of that business. But flexibility allows the business to scale up the support rent then really during key periods or key phases. So for example, there might be a product launch, there might be a rebrand and there's a lot of input required to get the relevant outcomes and outputs at that time. And then you can potentially scale back if you've got a marketing team or you've got marketing agencies delivering then on your behalf. Just to reiterate, it's not about clocking hours, it's about delivering, you

clarity, direction and results for the business. It's not about filling in a timesheet on a weekly or monthly basis.

Paul Mills (24:42.687)

That's great. Yeah, that's a really good definition and description there of how that works. Now we've cleaned up what a fractional CMO isn't. It's probably now a good moment to look at how the model works in practice. One of those myths fall away. Sorry, let me start that again.

What really matters to CEOs and investors is how the fractional CMO actually embeds, how time flexes and where the real commercial value shows up. So Lydia, let's talk about the engagement model. What does working with What does working with a fractional CMO really look like on a month to month basis?

Lydia McClelland (25:24.366)

Well, firstly, it starts with a clear plan at the outset and that's usually aligned to the business objectives, the commercial targets and the leadership rhythm, especially if there's regular senior leadership team meetings or board meetings that have to be attended. But each month, typically there could be sessions, could be strategic sessions with the CEO or the board or SLT to set priorities. There may be leadership of a marketing team if there's an in-house team shaping direction.

reviewing performance and supporting capability. There might be oversight of agencies to make sure that budgets are set and that the activities delivered and everything kind of stays aligned according to the plan. And then there could be those kind of, it could be practical support as well. So certainly things like rebrands or major campaigns where that leadership piece is needed at key points maybe during the year. So the cadence is it's structured, but it's flexible and that's the key thing it is about flexibility.

Some months could be really much heavier on planning and direction and others are lighter maybe as the team or your agency team execute on your behalf.

Paul Mills (26:25.759)

And in your own portfolio of clients, how do you balance being embedded in the leadership cadence whilst not physically being there full time?

Lydia McClelland (26:31.939)

Yeah.

Yeah, it's a good question because you're obviously not there Monday to Friday, nine to five as such. I think the key for me is about being present at the right conversations rather than every conversation. So again, it's about being really plugged into that sort of rhythm of the senior leadership team. If there's board packs or commercial updates or there's weekly team meetings, you so that you're tapping in and you know what's happening and you're obviously reporting and updating when appropriate. So

Communication is so important as part of this. is very much continuous. And they say that can be from the WhatsApp messages to the emails, whatever the company uses. Companies use Slack and all sorts of of channels as well. So it's important that you're accessible to the team. You're responsive to the chief executive, the managing director, and that you're part of the organization's decision-making flow. The aim is really to feel...

integrated but delivering really with that clarity, with the focus and just having really clear objectives without really being caught up in the day to day noise that can happen a lot within organisations.

Paul Mills (27:36.675)

And I think, you know, and I totally seal that in my own portfolio of clients. And I think that There was some interesting thought leadership discussion on LinkedIn the other day, where an in-house senior marketing leader was kind of challenging the fractional CMO model. And they were saying effectively that

actually all marketers operate in a fractional way, even if you're in-house, because you're dealing with multiple stakeholders, you're dealing with multiple conflicting priorities, so on and so forth. Which is true from one point of view, but the fractional CMO multiplies that by doing all that over multiple clients simultaneously. And I think one of the, I guess, personal attributes that either...

makes you or breaks you as a fractional CMO is your ability to manage time, but at an elevated level. It's about planning, prioritizing, fitting things in. And it is a completely different look and feel to operating as an in-house marketer. What's your reflection on that? Is that something you sort of buy into or not?

Lydia McClelland (28:47.434)

Yes, absolutely. Time management and prioritization of tasks is very key. So I would consider myself to really good on my time management. I would probably pack quite a bit into any given day, but it's just really important to be structured and organized. And if I need to block out time to work on a particular piece of work, then I hold that time, but also then I'm

holding time for relevant meetings and attending those. So there is bit of juggling in terms of making sure you can fit everything in and that you're servicing and delivering for that client when they need. So yeah, time management is definitely key.

Paul Mills (29:22.195)

And on reflection of how you operate it as a fractional CMO and the clients you work with and the feedback you get from them, where do you see the biggest value uplift? Is it in strategies, in team capabilities, aligning agencies, or is it something else?

Lydia McClelland (29:41.583)

It can be a mix of everything. I think the first thing is about clarity of direction. the businesses have, you know, they stop wasting time and money on potentially disconnected activity. You know, so there might be lots of tactical stuff going on within the business, but we're not joining the dots between what does that mean in terms of the commercial success? So being very clear on the kind of strategic direction is important. If there's a team in-house, and again, I've worked with organizations where there is a marketing team and I've come in as that fractional leader.

I find as well there's a bit of a capability uplift so the team become more confident because they've got a clear strategy and a plan to work to you so they become more confident, they're more structured and become more commercially aware so you are very much that link between the SLT or board and then the marketing team that are doing the implementation. If there's agencies involved then normally there's better alignment. because again you're

I would refer to myself as the conductor of the orchestra at times. So you're liaising with the agencies, you're making sure they've got very clear, brief, very clear direction. And that really we're all starting to kind row in the same direction. Also uplift really around prioritization. know, again, sometimes it's knowing what to say no to and making the right decisions in terms of what to say yes to as well and not wasting time on things that aren't the right fit for the organization. But the strategy by far is probably one of the

best things I think because it sets that credible commercial roadmap and really the whole organisation. you've got even, when we talk about strategy it can be a plan on a page, know strategy on a page, it's not about a 50 page document but that people have a really clear understanding of the direction of travel and where they fit in and what they need to do to support the delivery of that strategy for the business. So for me that's always the key thing.

Paul Mills (31:25.879)

And you mentioned that a moment ago, you mentioned the commercial signals or the commercial value. When you think about success, what are the commercial signals you look for that tell a fractional CMO engagement is working? So I might be a CEO, I've hired a fractional CMO, how do I know that is a successful engagement?

Lydia McClelland (31:31.842)

Yeah.

Lydia McClelland (31:46.931)

Yeah, well, for me, there's always definitely a better link from the fractional coming in and the commercial team, whatever that looks like. So it could be a commercial director or the sales team. So really linking the marketing activity to the revenue to the income generation. So having clear attribution, more predictable pipelines is all really some of the kind of benefits that you see, you know, because sometimes in companies you'll see the marketing team are kind of busy doing their own thing in their own little corner.

and they're not properly engaging with the commercial team. So joining the dots between the two is very important. So that's always good whenever that works well. Also things like improved decision making, so less firefighting, less reactivity, and it's much more about that longer term planning. And sometimes it is about taking a pause to reflect on what we're doing and getting the strategy obviously set and getting that

rolled out and delivered, know, so trying to move on to more proactivity than reactivity. I like to work to the 80-20 80-20 rules, so 80 percent 80-20 kind of 80 percent planned and 20 percent reactive, leaving space for obviously the acknowledgement that there is always reactive stuff. Other things that we see working is about agencies really, maybe agencies are performing better because

They've got the proper brief, they've got that clear direction, which sometimes they're crying out for because they might have been dealing with somebody who's not in that marketing space and they're not getting clear direction of travel or what they need. So when I come in as a fractional head of marketing, they welcome it because they see that there's much more clarity around what needs to be done and how they can be focused in their activity. So those are some of the some of the commercial signals that tell us it's working.

Paul Mills (33:26.313)

Yeah, I think, you know, particularly in smaller founder led organizations,  in my personal experience, what one of the big commercial, wins for the organization is actually taking that marketing accountability away from the founder because they often will be the one making all the marketing decisions and they're probably not marketing trained or qualified in the first place. They're probably doing the very best they can, but they'd rather be

running the business in other ways. I think certainly closing that leadership gap, bringing the fractional CMO in, filling that leadership gap, taking ownership of the marketing function, taking charge of the marketing P &L, it really does remove a heavy weight around the neck of the founder,

allowing them to do bigger and better things. And it's really that reassurance, that safe pair of hands that marketing is well taken care of, isn't it?

Lydia McClelland (34:23.468)

Yes, absolutely. And ultimately, the company should see better margins, they should see stronger customer acquisition, improved retention, and hopefully a marketing function if there's an in-house team that the board finally trusts. Because you do get a lot of, we don't know what marketing is doing, we don't understand. So that link between, at that senior level, that you're communicating what the team are doing, how they're delivering, what those results look like, is all really, important.

Paul Mills (34:49.931)

Yeah, and that's probably a good place to wrap the show up. I hope today has given a really clear picture of how the model operates and where the value is created. For anyone who's listening and maybe if you're considering fractional marketing leadership or if you're wondering whether this is the right model for your organization, I hope this discussion helps you assess your next steps. If this

conversation has helped you get a clearer understanding of what a fractional CMO really is, you can take our free marketing capability audit. It's online, it takes a few minutes to do, and it gives you a really clear picture of where your marketing gaps are and whether you need any marketing leadership to help you overcome those. We've also published the ultimate guide to hiring a fractional CMO, and you can download this for free. There's no obligation or consultation.

that comes with it, it gives you a lot of insights around the model in more detail. And if you are, know, if I'll start that bit again, so I can put you up. We've also published the ultimate guide to hiring a fractional CMO. So if you want to find out more about the disengagement model in more detail, do feel free to download that there's links in the show notes. Lydia,

Thank you again for sharing your insights today. It's been really, really helpful. And I hope that's given our listeners lots of clarity. And also thank you for everyone who's been listening, if you're still listening at this stage. Do join us again in the next episode. I'm joined again by Lydia. And in the next episode, we're digging into why fractional leadership exists and the forces that shape the way this mod... I'll do that bit again. Sorry. I finished at two this morning. I was a really late night.

Do join us in the next episode where Lydia and I dig into why fractional leadership exists and the forces that shaped this new way of accessing senior talent. Lydia, it's been a pleasure and look forward to you joining the next episode.

Lydia McClelland (36:44.482)

Thank you.

Paul Mills (36:47.507)

Right, I'm just going press the stop button.