Senior marketing leadership

Fractional CMO

A senior marketing leader who sets the strategy and stays to see it through, without the handoff to an agency that wasn’t in the room. Strategy first, then the marketing built on it, by one senior team.

Leadership from $6,000/mo · three-month minimum, six recommended

Book a free fit call See the two tiers
Brian Murnion, founder of Let's Canoe, leading a marketing strategy session at a whiteboard
Brian Murnion, founder and chief strategist. Twenty years leading marketing strategy, and the person who’d be your fractional CMO.

The position

The fractional CMO who doesn’t hand you off

Most advice on hiring a fractional CMO ends in the same place: bring in a senior leader to set the strategy, then hand the execution to an agency underneath. It sounds reasonable until the strategy reaches people who weren’t in the room when it was set, and the work drifts back toward whatever the agency already knew how to make.

We’re built differently. Let’s Canoe is a brand agency that leads with strategy and keeps the same senior team from the plan through the work that ships. So a fractional CMO engagement with us is not a strategist who points at vendors. It’s the marketing leader and the team that executes, under one roof, accountable for both the thinking and whether it gets built. That is the Let’s Canoe Framework applied to a leadership seat.

If your growth has flattened, that gap between the strategy and the execution is often exactly where it stalled. Our growth gap calculator is a quick way to see the size of it before we ever talk.

Two ways to engage

Pick the level of support you need

Both start with a three-month minimum. We recommend six months, because that’s about how long it takes for the work to show up in the numbers.

Tier one

Fractional CMO: Leadership + Direction

$6,000 / month

Three-month minimum · six recommended

For companies that already have people to do the marketing, but no senior leader setting the direction.

  • Brand positioning and the marketing strategy that follows from it
  • A clear plan and priorities your team can run
  • Leadership of your existing people and any agencies you already use
  • A senior person in the room for the decisions that matter
  • Monthly direction, not a deck that gathers dust
Book a fit call

Tier two

Fractional CMO: Leadership + Direction + Team

$10,500 / month

Three-month minimum · six recommended

For companies that don’t have the bench, or want us running the marketing rather than directing someone else’s team.

  • Everything in Leadership + Direction
  • Our team executing the marketing underneath the strategy
  • Design, web, SEO, paid media, email, and content as the plan calls for
  • One senior group from strategy through production, no vendor handoff
  • The on-ramp to a full Let’s Canoe engagement when you’re ready
Book a fit call

What it is

What a fractional CMO actually does

A fractional CMO is a senior marketing leader who works with you part time, for a fraction of the cost of a full-time hire. The job is the same as a full-time CMO: own the marketing strategy, set the priorities, lead the people and the spend, and stay accountable for whether marketing actually moves the business. The difference is the hours and the price, not the seniority.

In practice that means deciding what the brand stands for and who it’s for, turning that into a plan the company can run, and leading the execution so the plan survives contact with reality. A good fractional CMO also tells you what not to do, which is often worth more than the next campaign. The point is direction from someone who has done it before, without a permanent six-figure seat on the payroll.

Illustration of a fractional CMO leading marketing strategy and direction

The math

A senior marketing mind, for a fraction of the seat

A full-time CMO is a major commitment before you know it’s working. A fractional one gives you the senior thinking now, at a fraction of the cost, with a three-month start instead of a multi-year contract.

$270K+

All-in cost of a full-time CMO once you add salary, bonus, and benefits, often closer to $320K.

50 to 75%

What companies typically save with a fractional CMO instead of a full-time hire.

3 months

Our minimum to start, with six recommended, since that’s about when the work shows in the numbers.

How it works

What the first few months look like

1

Your CMO finds the constraint

The first weeks are diagnosis. Your senior CMO looks at where growth is actually stuck, whether that’s the brand, the reach, or the offer, and names the one thing to fix first instead of fixing everything at once.

2

Your CMO sets the direction

Positioning decided and written down, then a marketing roadmap built on top of it, with clear priorities. You and your team leave with a direction you can defend, not a list of tactics.

3

Your CMO leads it month to month

Direction every month, leading your team or ours. By around month six the work starts to show in the numbers, which is why your CMO will recommend planning for at least that.

Brian Murnion, founder and chief strategist of Let's Canoe

Who you’d work with

The person setting the strategy is the one you talk to

I’ve been leading marketing strategy for twenty years. As your fractional CMO, I’m the one in the room, not an account manager relaying decisions from someone you never meet. We take a limited number of engagements at a time so it stays that way.

If the fit is right, the fastest start is a short call. If it isn’t, I’ll tell you that too, and point you somewhere useful.

More strategy, less marketing.

Brian Murnion, Founder & Chief Strategist

Questions

Fractional CMO FAQ

Common questions about what a fractional CMO is, what one costs, and when to hire. If yours isn’t here, book a free fit call and we’ll answer it.

Fractional CMO basics

What is a fractional CMO?
A fractional CMO is a senior marketing leader who works with your company part time instead of as a full-time hire. You get chief marketing officer experience, setting strategy, leading the team, and owning results, for a fraction of the cost and hours of a permanent executive. It’s a common choice for companies that need senior direction but don’t yet need, or can’t yet justify, a full-time CMO.
What does a fractional CMO do?
A fractional CMO owns your marketing strategy and leadership. That means defining your brand positioning and audience, turning it into a plan with clear priorities, leading the people and agencies who execute, managing the budget, and staying accountable for whether marketing moves the business. A good one also tells you what to stop doing, which often matters more than the next campaign.
What is the difference between a fractional CMO and a full-time CMO?
The role is the same, the commitment is not. A full-time CMO is a permanent executive on your payroll, usually $270,000 or more all in. A fractional CMO does the same strategic job part time, for a fraction of the cost, on a short minimum instead of a long-term contract. You trade hours per week for flexibility and a much lower commitment while you prove the value.
What is the difference between a fractional CMO and a marketing consultant?
A consultant usually diagnoses and advises, then hands you a report to act on. A fractional CMO takes ownership: they set the strategy and then lead it month to month, including the team and the execution. Think of a consultant as someone who tells you what to do, and a fractional CMO as someone who stays and makes sure it happens.
What is the difference between a fractional CMO and a marketing agency?
An agency executes campaigns. A fractional CMO sets the direction the campaigns should follow and decides whether they’re working. Most companies eventually need both, which is usually where the handoff problems start. Let’s Canoe is unusual because we provide the leadership and the execution team together, so the strategy and the work stay with one senior group.
Is a fractional CMO the same as an interim CMO?
Not quite. An interim CMO is a full-time, temporary placeholder while you search for a permanent hire, usually for a set number of months. A fractional CMO is an ongoing, part-time arrangement that can last as long as it’s useful. Interim is a stopgap; fractional is a deliberate way to get senior leadership without a full-time seat.
How many hours a week does a fractional CMO work?
It varies with the engagement, but strategic fractional CMO work commonly runs around 10 to 15 hours a week, or a few days a month. The hours matter less than the seniority of the decisions. You’re paying for judgment and direction, not for a seat filled forty hours a week.
What does CMO stand for?
CMO stands for chief marketing officer, the executive responsible for a company’s entire marketing function: strategy, brand, demand, team, and budget. A fractional CMO holds that same responsibility on a part-time basis.

Cost and engagement

How much does a fractional CMO cost?
In 2026, fractional CMO rates generally run from about $5,000 to $20,000 a month, with most mid-market engagements landing between $7,000 and $12,000. Strategy-only arrangements sit at the lower end, and rates rise when an execution team comes with the leadership. Hourly arrangements, when offered, tend to run $200 to $350 an hour.
How much does a fractional CMO cost at Let’s Canoe?
Two tiers. Leadership and Direction is $6,000 a month: strategy, priorities, and leadership of your existing team. Leadership, Direction, and Team is $10,500 a month: the same leadership plus our team executing the marketing underneath it. Both run on a three-month minimum, and we recommend planning for six. Both price below what the same leadership and execution cost when hired separately.
Why is there a three-month minimum?
Because anything shorter is a setup for failure. The first few weeks go to diagnosis and setting direction, which means real momentum doesn’t arrive until after that. Three months is the floor where the work can actually start to compound rather than stopping right as it begins.
Why do you recommend six months?
Six months is roughly how long it takes for strategic marketing work to show up in the numbers. Positioning, a rebuilt plan, and the execution that follows need a few cycles to land. Three months proves the fit and the direction; six is where you tend to see it in results. You’re never locked into six, but it’s the honest planning horizon.
Is a fractional CMO cheaper than a full-time CMO?
Yes, significantly. A full-time CMO costs $270,000 or more once you include salary, bonus, and benefits. A fractional CMO delivers the same strategic leadership for 50 to 75% less, because you’re paying for senior judgment part time rather than a permanent executive seat. For most companies under $50M in revenue, the math strongly favors fractional.
What is included in the monthly rate?
At the Leadership and Direction tier, you get the strategy, the plan, the priorities, and senior leadership of your existing team and agencies. At the Leadership, Direction, and Team tier, you also get our team executing the marketing, across design, web, SEO, paid media, email, and content as the plan calls for. There are no per-deliverable surprises inside the retainer.
Do you require a long contract?
No. The minimum is three months, and after that it continues month to month for as long as it’s useful. We’d rather earn the next month than lock you into a year. We recommend planning for six months because that’s when results tend to show, but the commitment itself stays short.
How is a fractional CMO billed?
We bill a flat monthly retainer, so the cost is predictable and you’re not watching a clock. You know the number before you start, and it doesn’t move with the hours in a given week. That keeps the focus on outcomes and direction rather than time sheets.
What is the ROI of a fractional CMO?
The return shows up in two places: money you don’t spend and growth you don’t miss. You avoid a six-figure full-time salary while still getting senior direction, and you stop wasting marketing budget on tactics that were never going to work without a strategy underneath them. The clearest ROI is usually the campaigns and hires a fractional CMO talks you out of.

Is a fractional CMO right for you

When should I hire a fractional CMO?
Hire one when you need senior marketing direction but don’t need, or can’t yet justify, a full-time CMO. Common triggers: growth has stalled, marketing feels scattered and reactive, you’re spending on tactics with no strategy underneath, or your team is capable but has no senior leader. If marketing is happening but not compounding, that’s usually the moment.
What are the signs I need a fractional CMO?
A few common ones: campaigns feel disconnected, more spend isn’t moving the trajectory, your team is busy without a clear direction, sales and marketing aren’t aligned, or you can’t say in one sentence what makes you different. Any of these usually points to a missing strategic leader rather than a missing tactic.
What size company needs a fractional CMO?
Most fractional CMO engagements sit between roughly $2M and $50M in revenue. Below that, a strong marketing manager often covers it. Above that, a full-time CMO usually makes sense. In between is the range where you need senior strategy but a permanent executive is hard to justify, which is exactly who a fractional CMO is built for.
Do small businesses need a fractional CMO?
Some do. A founder-led company doing a few million in revenue with no senior marketing leader is a strong fit, because the owner is usually making marketing calls between everything else. A fractional CMO takes that off their plate and brings direction the business has never had. Very early or pre-revenue companies are usually better served by a capable marketer first.
Can a fractional CMO help a company whose growth has stalled?
Yes, and that’s one of the most common reasons companies call. A plateau is usually a strategy problem wearing a tactics costume: the levers got pulled, the spend went up, and the line stayed flat. A fractional CMO finds the actual constraint, whether it’s the brand, the reach, or the offer, and rebuilds the plan around it. Our growth gap calculator is a fast first look.
Does a fractional CMO work for B2B companies?
Yes. B2B is one of the most common settings for fractional marketing leadership, because the sales cycles are long, the positioning is subtle, and the cost of an unclear message is high. A fractional CMO brings the senior judgment to align marketing with how your buyers actually decide.
Does a fractional CMO work for ecommerce and consumer brands?
Yes. Ecommerce and consumer brands benefit from a fractional CMO when the brand needs to stand for something beyond price and the channels need a strategy tying them together. The work covers positioning, retention, and the full funnel rather than chasing one more ad platform.
Do I need a fractional CMO if I already have a marketing team?
Often, yes. A capable team without senior direction tends to stay busy without compounding, because nobody is setting the strategy or saying no to the wrong work. A fractional CMO gives that team a leader, which usually makes the people you already have more effective rather than replacing them.
Should I hire a fractional CMO or a marketing manager?
They solve different problems. A marketing manager executes the plan; a fractional CMO decides what the plan should be. If you have people who can do the work but no one setting the direction, you need the CMO. If you have a clear strategy and need hands to run it, you need a manager. Many companies need the strategist first, then hire the manager to run what the strategist set up.

Working with Let’s Canoe

What are your two fractional CMO tiers?
Leadership and Direction at $6,000 a month is strategy, priorities, and leadership of your existing team. Leadership, Direction, and Team at $10,500 a month adds our team executing the marketing underneath the strategy. The first is for companies with people to lead; the second is for companies that want it both directed and run.
Will my fractional CMO also handle execution?
That’s the choice between our two tiers. At Leadership and Direction, we set and lead the strategy and your team executes. At Leadership, Direction, and Team, our group executes the marketing too, so the strategy and the work stay under one roof with no vendor handoff. Most companies whose growth has stalled choose the second.
What if I only need strategy, not execution?
Then the Leadership and Direction tier is the fit. You get the positioning, the plan, the priorities, and a senior leader for your existing team and agencies, without paying for execution you don’t need. If the work later calls for more hands, moving up a tier is straightforward.
What happens in the first 30 days?
Diagnosis first. We look at where growth is actually stuck and name the single most important thing to fix, rather than trying to fix everything. From there we set the positioning and the early priorities, so by the end of the first month you have a direction you can defend, not just a list of tasks.
Who will I actually work with?
Brian Murnion, our founder and chief strategist, leads the engagement directly. There’s no account manager relaying decisions from someone you never meet. We take a limited number of engagements at a time so the senior person stays on the work from start to finish.
How is Let’s Canoe’s fractional CMO different?
Two things. We’re founder-led, so the person setting your strategy is the one you talk to. And we’re a brand agency that leads with strategy, so we can provide the leadership and the execution team together instead of pointing you to outside vendors. The strategy and the work stay with one senior group, which is where most fractional arrangements break down.
Do you work with clients outside Montana?
Yes. We’re based in Billings, Montana, and work with clients across the country. Engagements run remote-first, with on-site work when it makes sense. Where you’re located matters less than whether the marketing problem is one we’re the right team to lead.
How do we get started?
With a short, free fit call. We talk through where growth is stuck and whether a fractional CMO is the right answer for you right now. If it is, we’ll recommend a tier and a starting point. If it isn’t, we’ll say so. No pressure either way.

Senior marketing leadership, without the full-time seat

Start with a free fit call. We’ll tell you honestly whether a fractional CMO is the right move, and which tier fits.

Book a free fit call

A brand agency in Billings, Montana. We set the brand strategy, then build the marketing on top of it, with one senior team from strategy through production.

406-998-7901
team@letscanoe.com
119 N 29th St, Billings, MT 59101

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