Chief Outsiders breaks the mold of the typical marketing consultant company. A fractional CMO from Chief Outsiders becomes a key part of your executive team. Unlike what is typically found from marketing consulting services agencies, a Chief Outsiders CMO is prepared to take a holistic view of your business, working with your executive team to gather insights that will be used to formulate brand identity, content strategy, and marketing strategy development. And, beyond that of a typical traditional or digital marketing consultant, a Chief Outsiders CMO is prepared to direct all aspects of your marketing strategy – we have CMOs with experience in more than 70 industries, so you can select the right professional for the job.

Unlike many marketing consultants, the stable of Chief Outsiders CMOs are proud to deliver top-to-bottom consulting expertise – adept at formulating the type of business marketing strategy that integrates with your overall objectives and revenue goals. In their roles as business marketing consultants, our CMOs can help you with extensive market analysis, product development and placement strategies, target identification and demographic planning, communication and customer experience, market penetration, and marketing metrics and ROI. In short, our marketing consultants are there to secure your long-term growth with data-driven, cost-effective, and highly tailored marketing programs. Once the engagement has ended, we will leave you with the right tools, strategies, and resources to  continuously deliver marketing expertise.

The gig economy has given rise to an entire industry around independent and freelance marketing consultants, and it is not uncommon for such individuals to oversell and overpromise their capabilities, and undercut more experienced resources, as a means of getting your business. Though many of the independent and freelance marketing consultants can help you with one-off marketing projects, they tend to be overmatched when tasked with a big-picture marketing strategy that will lead to long-term, long-lasting results. When you work with a company like Chief Outsiders, you are assured that your needs will be matched with a top-tier, C-level marketing executive with experience in your industry. Our Fractional CMOs have decades of experience in your industry – delivering time-tested methodologies, processes, and a track record of success that provides the assurance that you are working with the best in the business. Plus, a Chief Outsiders CMO can call upon other experts as needed, from our large pool of experienced leaders, to ensure you are getting the best insights and experiences for the task at hand.

When you are choosing a marketing consultant to align with your C-suite and executive management, you’ll want to make sure you are choosing someone who has achieved excellence in marketing leadership, who has delivered proven results, and has walked in your same shoes. Each Chief Outsiders Fractional CMO is a highly-experienced industry marketing executive who is prepared to function as an integral part-time member of your senior leadership team. Going beyond the typical marketing consultant, a Chief Outsiders doesn’t just craft strategy or provide advice – they know how to be accountable to the C-suite, and are often tapped to oversee execution and deliver results. 

At some point in a company’s development, a deep dive examination of marketing strategy performance isn’t just a good idea, but necessary in order to move to the next milestones of growth. This is far too important of a task to entrust to a mid-level internal marketing manager, or an independent or freelance marketing consultant. There are many benefits to entrust your marketing strategy to an Outsourced Marketing Consultant – like the fractional CMOs available from Chief Outsiders. Each CMO is a highly experienced industry marketing expert who is adept at reviewing plans, leading market-driven insights gathering, motivating your in-house marketing team to focus and excel, and even overseeing outside marketing agencies that are better suited for tactical execution.

Marketing Consultant FAQs

Question: What should I expect from a marketing consultant?

Answer: When hiring a marketing consultant, you should expect a level of expertise and insights that is greater than what you currently have on your team. Look for a marketing growth strategist that understands your industry, with skills and experiences that align well with your business, and the industries and markets in which you compete.

Question: How does a marketing consultant work?

Answer: A marketing consultant serves at the direction of the CEO, and typically embeds with the executive management team that is running the business. We work very closely with stakeholders to lead the growth strategy, as well as the construction and execution of the marketing engine.

Question: Why do I need a marketing consultant?

Answer: You likely need a marketing consultant if your growth has stalled, your business is experiencing  growing pains, or if you are dealing with competitive pressure. Also, if you are entering a new market, you may find your existing marketing engine to be less productive. CEOs tend to hire marketing consultants when they reach an inflection point – realizing that they are spending a lot of money on marketing, but unsure of, or unable to measure, ROI.

Question: How much does it cost to hire a marketing consultant?

Answer: Many marketing consultants do not charge an upfront fee for leading a needs assessment or discovery process. If it is determined to be a fit, marketing consultants typically are compensated via monthly retainer, based on a percentage of the CMO’s time you are requiring and multiplied by the number of months they’ll be involved in the engagement.

Question: How do you get a marketing consultant?

Answer: Generally speaking, you can contact a marketing consultant or issue a request for proposal. Once you evaluate the marketing consultant’s background or suitability for the role, an initial conversation should serve to diagnose your needs and determine whether the particular marketing consultant would be a fit for your business challenge. 

Question: How many hours does a marketing consultant work?

Answer: The allocation of hours from your marketing consultant is dependent upon the services you need, and the percentage of time you are contracting for. Unlike CPAs or attorneys, marketing consultants don’t count hours down to the fraction. Instead, they dedicate themselves to your business in the same way that a full-time member of your executive team would – simply in a part-time format.

Question: What are the responsibilities of a chief marketing officer?

Answer: A chief marketing officer is responsible for the strategic growth plan of the company, and for the support of that growth roadmap through the marketing engine. They’re also charged with building that engine with the appropriate resources and tactics, overseeing the execution, and scaling the business for growth.

Question: What is a marketing consultant?

Answer: Generally, marketing consultants are for-hire resources that claim to have the skills and experiences you need to manage or improve aspects of your company’s strategic and tactical marketing approach. 

Question: When should I hire a marketing consultant?

Answer: You likely need a marketing consultant if you are experiencing growth, growing pains, or competitive pressure. Also, if you are entering a new market, you may find your existing marketing engine to be less productive. CEOs tend to hire marketing consultants when they reach an inflection point – realizing that they are spending a lot of money on marketing, but unsure of, or unable to measure, ROI.

Question: How do I find a good marketing consultant?

Answer: The best marketing consultants are able to achieve excellence no matter the phase of a business’ life cycle. 

Question: How long does it take to become a marketing consultant?

Answer: Though there are no specific qualifications for an individual to call themselves a marketing consultant, you ideally are looking for someone with a decade or more of experience in marketing, specifically for your market or industry. 

Question: What skills does a marketing consultant need?

Answer: Ideally a marketing consultant is what we would call a “Big M” - a marketing strategist, rather than someone who can just execute on tactics and plans. Additionally, the best qualified marketing consultants have a high level of curiosity and inquisitiveness, are data driven, and are results oriented so they can measure the outcomes of the strategies they implement. Also, they should be culturally flexible and sensitive to the environment in which they’re working.