10 Best Fractional CMO Companies
- Sophie Ricci
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You’re stuck. Revenue’s plateaued. Your marketing feels scattered. And hiring a full-time chief marketing officer? That’s a $500,000+ commitment you’re not ready for.
Here’s the thing: 40% of companies waste nearly half their marketing budget on strategies that don’t work. Not because their teams are bad—but because there’s no one steering the ship with a clear vision.
That’s where fractional CMOs come in. Think of them as your part-time marketing genius—someone who’s done this a hundred times before, knows exactly what works, and costs 70% less than a full-time hire.
But here’s the problem: there are dozens of fractional CMO companies out there. Some are incredible. Others? Complete waste of money.
So I spent weeks digging through case studies, client reviews, and actual results to find the 10 best options. Whether you need lead generation help, digital strategy, or someone to fix your broken funnel—this list has you covered.
Let’s dive in.
SalesSo – Best for Outbound Lead Generation & Revenue Growth
Here’s what nobody tells you: most fractional CMOs focus on brand and content, but forget the thing that actually pays the bills—qualified leads walking through your door.
That’s where SalesSo is different.
SalesSo isn’t your typical fractional CMO service. They’re a lead generation engine that combines strategic marketing leadership with hands-on outbound execution across cold email, LinkedIn, and calling.
What makes them stand out:
Complete outbound strategy, not just advice. Most consultants give you a 50-page deck and disappear. SalesSo builds your entire ideal customer profile, designs your campaigns, and handles the scaling—soup to nuts.
Real results, fast. Companies using targeted outbound see 15-25% response rates compared to traditional cold email’s 1-5%. That’s not a typo. When you nail targeting and messaging, meetings start booking within days, not months.
No hiring headaches. Forget recruiting SDRs, training them, buying tools, and crossing your fingers. SalesSo gives you a team that’s already running campaigns for dozens of clients—they know what works.
Who should use SalesSo:
B2B companies between $2M-$50M in revenue who need pipeline yesterday. If your sales team is hungry for meetings but marketing isn’t feeding them—this is your answer.
Pricing: Starts at $5,000/month for done-for-you lead generation. Way cheaper than hiring even one SDR (average salary: $68,000 + benefits).
Bottom line: If you need leads more than you need a blog redesign, start here. Most fractional CMOs will eventually tell you to invest in outbound anyway—SalesSo just cuts to the chase.
You’re stuck. Revenue’s plateaued. Your marketing feels scattered. And hiring a full-time chief marketing officer? That’s a $500,000+ commitment you’re not ready for.
Here’s the thing: 40% of companies waste nearly half their marketing budget on strategies that don’t work. Not because their teams are bad—but because there’s no one steering the ship with a clear vision.
That’s where fractional CMOs come in. Think of them as your part-time marketing genius—someone who’s done this a hundred times before, knows exactly what works, and costs 70% less than a full-time hire.
But here’s the problem: there are dozens of fractional CMO companies out there. Some are incredible. Others? Complete waste of money.
So I spent weeks digging through case studies, client reviews, and actual results to find the 10 best options. Whether you need lead generation help, digital strategy, or someone to fix your broken funnel—this list has you covered.
Let’s dive in.
SalesSo – Best for Outbound Lead Generation & Revenue Growth
Here’s what nobody tells you: most fractional CMOs focus on brand and content, but forget the thing that actually pays the bills—qualified leads walking through your door.
That’s where SalesSo is different.
SalesSo isn’t your typical fractional CMO service. They’re a lead generation engine that combines strategic marketing leadership with hands-on outbound execution across cold email, LinkedIn, and calling.
What makes them stand out:
Complete outbound strategy, not just advice. Most consultants give you a 50-page deck and disappear. SalesSo builds your entire ideal customer profile, designs your campaigns, and handles the scaling—soup to nuts.
Real results, fast. Companies using targeted outbound see 15-25% response rates compared to traditional cold email’s 1-5%. That’s not a typo. When you nail targeting and messaging, meetings start booking within days, not months.
No hiring headaches. Forget recruiting SDRs, training them, buying tools, and crossing your fingers. SalesSo gives you a team that’s already running campaigns for dozens of clients—they know what works.
Who should use SalesSo:
B2B companies between $2M-$50M in revenue who need pipeline yesterday. If your sales team is hungry for meetings but marketing isn’t feeding them—this is your answer.
Pricing: Starts at $5,000/month for done-for-you lead generation. Way cheaper than hiring even one SDR (average salary: $68,000 + benefits).
Bottom line: If you need leads more than you need a blog redesign, start here. Most fractional CMOs will eventually tell you to invest in outbound anyway—SalesSo just cuts to the chase.
Get Qualified Leads in 30 Days
We build your complete outbound engine—targeting, campaigns, and meetings that close
Chief Outsiders – Best for Mid-Market Companies Needing Immediate Scale
Chief Outsiders has been around since 2009 and maintains a roster of 125+ executives who previously held C-suite roles at Fortune 500 companies.
Their approach is straightforward: drop in an experienced leader who’s already navigated your exact challenges at a bigger company.
What they’re good at: Stabilizing chaotic growth. If you just raised funding, acquired a competitor, or launched in a new market—they’ve done it before.
Who should use them: Companies doing $10M-$100M who need someone to organize the chaos and build scalable systems.
The catch: They focus heavily on strategy and infrastructure. If you need hands-on execution or digital campaigns, you’ll still need an internal team or agency.
Pricing: Typically $12,000-$25,000/month depending on scope.
🎯 Skip the Strategy. Get Leads.
SalesSo builds your complete lead generation system with targeting, campaigns, and scaling—not just a plan
NoGood – Best for Venture-Backed Startups Needing Growth Hacking
NoGood specializes in aggressive growth acceleration for startups where every dollar needs to return 3X.
They blend fractional CMO guidance with a full execution team—designers, media buyers, copywriters—all focused on rapid testing and iteration.
What they’re good at: Running 20 experiments in 90 days and doubling down on what works. They’re particularly strong in paid acquisition and conversion optimization.
Who should use them: Tech startups post-Series A who need to prove unit economics before the next funding round.
The reality check: Their retainers start at $15,000/month and often require 6-month commitments. Great if you have the budget and velocity requirements.
310 Creative – Best for HubSpot Users & Inbound Marketing
If you live inside HubSpot and believe in the inbound methodology, 310 Creative is probably your best bet.
They focus on building self-sustaining marketing engines—SEO, content, automation—that generate leads while you sleep.
What they’re good at: Creating a cohesive B2B digital marketing funnel that nurtures prospects from stranger to customer without constant manual effort.
Who should use them: Service businesses with long sales cycles (6+ months) where education and trust-building are critical.
Typical engagement: $8,000-$18,000/month depending on whether you need just strategy or strategy + execution.
💼 Your Pipeline Needs Leads Now
Our targeted outreach delivers 15-25% response rates with complete strategy and execution
Kalungi – Best for B2B SaaS Companies
Kalungi built their entire methodology around one thing: subscription business models.
They use a proprietary “T2D3” framework (Triple, Triple, Double, Double, Double) designed specifically for SaaS revenue growth. Translation: triple your revenue in two years, then double it for three more.
What they’re good at: Understanding cohort economics, churn reduction, expansion revenue, and the specific marketing motions that work for SaaS.
Who should use them: SaaS companies post-product-market-fit looking to scale from $5M to $50M ARR.
Investment: Typically $10,000-$20,000/month with quarterly planning cycles.
CMOx – Best for Building Internal Marketing Teams
CMOx operates on the “Functional Marketing” framework—their goal isn’t just to be your fractional CMO, but to build a marketing department that eventually doesn’t need them.
They focus heavily on hiring, training, and process documentation so you can transition to an internal team.
What they’re good at: Reducing founder dependency on marketing decisions and creating predictable pipeline generation systems.
Who should use them: Companies hitting $10M+ who are ready to build a proper marketing function from scratch.
Typical scope: $15,000-$30,000/month including hiring support and team development.
Authentic Brand – Best for Brand-First Companies
If your differentiation is your brand story and values—not just features—Authentic Brand specializes in aligning internal teams around a cohesive brand narrative.
They go beyond typical CMO work by mentoring junior marketing staff and embedding themselves deeply in company culture.
What they’re good at: Market expansions, rebranding, and ensuring every customer touchpoint feels consistent.
Who should use them: Consumer brands, luxury B2B services, or companies where brand perception directly impacts deal size.
Engagement model: Custom scoped, typically $12,000-$25,000/month.
⚡ Brand Won't Fill Your Pipeline
Get meetings booked with strategic outbound—we handle targeting, campaigns, and scaling for predictable growth
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Marketri – Best for High-Authority B2B Services
Marketri’s “Momentum Model” is built for companies with complex sales cycles where authority and thought leadership drive deals.
Think consulting firms, agencies, professional services—anywhere a $250,000+ contract takes 9 months and three buying committee members.
What they’re good at: Building the content infrastructure (whitepapers, webinars, industry reports) that establishes you as the category expert.
Who should use them: Professional services firms with average deal sizes over $100K.
Commitment: Usually $10,000-$18,000/month with 6-month minimum engagements.
Digital Authority Partners – Best for Regulated Industries
Healthcare, legal, fintech—industries where compliance isn’t optional and one wrong move costs millions.
Digital Authority Partners specializes in navigating these constraints while still driving growth.
What they’re good at: Funnel optimization and conversion rate improvements within heavily regulated environments.
Who should use them: Any B2B company in healthcare, legal, or financial services needing digital growth.
Pricing: Typically $15,000-$28,000/month depending on industry complexity.
First Page Sage – Best for Technical B2B Companies
If you sell to engineers, scientists, or highly technical buyers—First Page Sage understands that your marketing needs to be as sophisticated as your product.
They combine fractional CMO strategy with deep SEO and content expertise specifically for technical audiences.
What they’re good at: Creating content that actually answers the complex questions your buyers are Googling at 2am.
Who should use them: Enterprise software, biotech, advanced manufacturing—anywhere the buyer needs serious education before purchase.
Investment: $8,000-$16,000/month focused heavily on organic search and thought leadership.
Moving Minds – Best for Enterprise-Grade Methodology on Mid-Market Budget
Moving Minds brings Fortune 500 playbooks to companies that can’t afford Fortune 500 consulting fees.
They provide integrated “growth squads”—not just a fractional CMO, but a small execution team aligned under one strategy.
What they’re good at: Ensuring strategy translates to immediate action with clear deliverables hitting your desk every week.
Who should use them: Companies between $15M-$75M who need both strategic direction and tactical support.
Pricing: $18,000-$35,000/month for full squad model.
The Real Cost of Not Having Marketing Leadership
Here’s a stat that should terrify you: companies without strategic marketing leadership waste an average of 42% of their budget on ineffective channels.
Let that sink in. If you’re spending $20,000/month on marketing—$8,400 is just burning cash.
The problem isn’t effort. Your team is working hard. The problem is no one’s connecting the dots between what marketing does and what actually closes deals.
According to recent data, businesses with fractional marketing leadership see results 40-60% faster than those navigating traditional hiring cycles. Even better: companies using sales tools for startups alongside strategic guidance reduce their sales cycle by 20-40%.
Here’s the math:
A full-time CMO costs $465,000-$855,000 in year one (salary, benefits, bonus, equity, recruiting fees, overhead). A fractional CMO runs $36,000-$180,000 annually.
That’s 50-90% savings while accessing the same strategic caliber.
Even better? The risk is way lower. About 42% of full-time executive hires fail within 18 months. With a fractional engagement, you can scale up, scale down, or walk away with 30 days notice.
How to Choose the Right Fractional CMO for Your Business
Okay, you’ve seen the options. Now what?
Here’s your decision framework:
Start with your biggest pain point:
- Need leads immediately? → SalesSo
- Need infrastructure and process? → Chief Outsiders or CMOx
- In healthcare/legal/fintech? → Digital Authority Partners
- Building a brand story? → Authentic Brand
- Running a SaaS company? → Kalungi
- All-in on HubSpot? → 310 Creative
Ask these three questions in your first call:
- “What companies like mine have you worked with, and what were the results?” (Demand specifics—”increased revenue” isn’t good enough. You want “grew from $8M to $15M in 14 months.”)
- “What will the first 90 days look like?” (If they can’t articulate a clear plan, run. Good fractional CMOs have playbooks ready to deploy.)
- “How do you measure success?” (If they talk about impressions, traffic, or engagement—warning sign. You want pipeline, revenue, and deal velocity.)
Red flags to watch for:
- They promise guaranteed results (no one can guarantee business outcomes)
- They won’t give you client references
- Their team seems like they’re juggling 50 clients (quality drops fast)
- Everything is “custom” with zero proven frameworks
Conclusion
Look, hiring a fractional CMO is one of the smartest moves you can make if you’re serious about growth.
You get Fortune 500-level strategy at a fraction of the cost. You avoid the 18-month nightmare of a bad executive hire. And most importantly—you finally get someone who connects your marketing spend directly to closed revenue.
For most B2B companies, the fastest path to growth isn’t more content or a prettier website. It’s systematic outbound targeting the exact companies that need what you sell right now.
That’s why starting a fractional CMO business or working with one has become so popular—it works.
If you need qualified meetings in the next 30 days, start with SalesSo. If you need broader marketing leadership, pick from the list based on your industry and stage.
Either way, stop burning budget without a strategic mind running the show.
FAQs
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