Overcome Growth Plateaus With a Fractional CMO
This article was published on March 5, 2021
Categorized in: Digital Marketing
Every company intent on growing eventually hits a plateau where results seem to have stabilized. This can be frustrating, especially if the intent is to continue growing and generate more profits. It can be demoralizing when this plateau happens because as sales flatten, departments like marketing find it increasingly difficult to become inspired by their work.
Once the plateau begins, it can be difficult to break out of it, especially if what had been working in the past is no longer working. It’s not easy to find the flaws in the current system and in order to break out of this stagnation, having outside help is the only way. That is where a Fractional CMO can come in particularly handy. The right partner can give marketing and the company as a whole strategic direction, pivoting in a way that will push results back into a pattern of growth.
Having a Fresh Perspective Breaks Stagnation
Sometimes, all that is needed to break through this period of stagnation is a fresh perspective. Sometimes, even the simplest tweaks are the most effective. The issue is that when in the routine of implementation, it is incredibly difficult to identify what needs to change. Being too close to the issue is the culprit here. Getting outside help might be the only chance there is in order to break out of it.
What a third-party brings to the situation is a fresh perspective. This is important. Especially since the goal likely is to make changes in a strategic way while also honoring the budget. The Fractional CMO should start with an auditing period, looking at data to see what is working and what isn’t, and then going from there. Often, the best solutions become obvious in this stage, because the Fractional CMO will be able to look at the data with a seasoned eye.
Gain Strategic Clarity without the Large Investment
It’s the c-suite’s job to hone and refine the strategic direction of the company, either through the CEO, who oversees the company as a whole, or through the c-suite in other departments. For marketing, it’s usually a CMO, but hiring one in-house is an expensive play for most companies, so many choose to forego having this position represented in their work force.
The repercussion of this is that it leaves marketing without strategic clarity. Perhaps if a CMO had been on staff from the beginning, they could have identified some red flags that meant that the marketing strategy wasn’t working as well as it could. Whatever the reason, it’s never too late to bring in this kind of leadership.
A Fractional CMO is the best of both words – offering strategic direction at a fraction of the cost from an in-house hire. Not only that, but you don’t have to work with a Fractional CMO permanently. You can hire one temporarily and give them the task of overhauling the strategy in order to break through the plateau and turn the company around.
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About the Author: Brick Marketing President, Nick Stamoulis
Nick Stamoulis is President of Brick Marketing and has over 25 of years digital marketing experience. He specializes in solving complex digital marketing challenges through SEO, content marketing, social media, PPC, email marketing, SEO for AI (GEO) and conversion optimization.
Listen to Nick Stamoulis speak at the AI Marketing webinar on 12/10/25
