I had a really honest conversation with a client recently that got me thinking about something we don't talk about enough: when fractional marketing leadership isn't the right answer.

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As much as I believe in the power of fractional CMOs (obviously!), there are definitely times when you need someone in the office, day in and day out, rolling up their sleeves and getting stuck into the detail.

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Let me share what I've learned about making this call correctly.

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When you absolutely need someone in-house

You've got established systems that need systematic change

If you're a business that's been running for years with established processes, systems, and ways of working - especially if they're not working brilliantly - you probably need someone full-time to untangle and rebuild everything.

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I was chatting to a client who's been running direct mail campaigns for years. They've got HubSpot that's "in a complete mess" (his words!), established relationships with agencies and designers, and processes that have evolved over time but aren't delivering the results they need.

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This isn't a "come in and set strategy" situation. This is a "someone needs to live and breathe this business for months to understand all the moving parts and systematically fix them" situation.

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You need someone to manage day-to-day execution AND strategy

If you don't have a marketing team underneath the leadership level, or you need your marketing leader to be hands-on with campaign execution, email marketing, social media scheduling, and the tactical stuff - that's an in-house role.

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Fractional CMOs are brilliant at setting strategy, creating frameworks, and guiding teams. But if you need someone to actually write all the emails, manage the social media calendar, and execute campaigns themselves, you need someone full-time.

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Your business is complex with lots of moving parts

Some businesses are just complicated. Multiple product lines, complex sales cycles, various stakeholder groups, intricate processes that have developed over years.

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In these cases, the learning curve is so steep and the context-switching so demanding that it really benefits from someone who can immerse themselves fully in your business.

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You need immediate, detailed responses to changing situations

If your business moves fast and you need your marketing leader available for urgent calls, last-minute campaign changes, or to jump on problems as they arise, fractional probably isn't right.

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Fractional CMOs work across multiple clients. We're deeply involved during our dedicated time, but we're not available for immediate responses throughout the day.

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When fractional works brilliantly

You need strategic direction and frameworks

If you've got a team (even a small one) but lack senior marketing expertise to guide them, fractional is perfect. We come in, assess where you are, create the strategy and frameworks, then train your team to execute.

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You're at an inflection point

Preparing for funding rounds, launching new products, entering new markets, or scaling after product-market fit - these are ideal fractional scenarios. You need experienced guidance through a specific growth phase.

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You want fresh perspective without long-term commitment

Sometimes businesses benefit enormously from outside eyes on their marketing. A fractional CMO can spot opportunities and problems that internal teams miss, without the commitment of a full-time hire.

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You need expertise you can't afford full-time

Senior marketing leaders with 15+ years of experience commanding £100k+ salaries become accessible through fractional arrangements. You get the expertise without the full-time cost.

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The honest conversation you need to have

Before deciding, ask yourself:

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• Do you need someone to execute campaigns or set the strategy for others to execute?
• How quickly does your business change and how available do you need your marketing leader to be?
• Is this a short-term strategic need or a long-term operational role?
• Do you have systems that work but need guidance, or systems that need rebuilding from scratch?

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A hybrid approach that works

Here's something we've seen work really well: start with fractional to get the strategy right, then transition to in-house for execution.

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Use a fractional CMO to:

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• Audit your current situation
• Develop the marketing strategy and positioning
• Create frameworks and processes
• Help you write the job spec for the full-time person

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Then hire in-house with much clearer direction on what you need and what success looks like.

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The bottom line

Neither approach is better than the other - they solve different problems.

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Fractional works when you need strategic expertise and guidance. In-house works when you need systematic change and hands-on execution.

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The key is being honest about which situation you're actually in, rather than choosing based on budget alone.

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What's your experience been? Have you tried fractional and found you needed someone in-house, or vice versa? Get in touch - I'd love to hear your thoughts.

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P.S. If you're wrestling with this decision, let's chat. Sometimes talking through your specific situation with someone who's seen both approaches work (and fail) can help clarify the right path forward.

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