If you’re a founder or CEO of a SaaS company that’s working 50+ hours a week – ask yourself what percentage of those hours were focused on marketing related activities that could should have been handed off to a CMO.
We get it – you thrive on wearing multiple hats and getting your hands on different things. You have tinkered running Google Ads, built audiences in LinkedIn, and launched half-baked campaigns to jumpstart your pipeline.
Your efforts were noble at the time, but as your SaaS has matured, your time is more valuable than running marketing campaigns. There comes a point where your attention should be focused on other important aspects of the business.
What if you could get 10 or more hours back to your week AND exceed your goals for the quarter?
One solution to freeing up some of your time while increasing your number of demos is to hire a Fractional CMO who can lead your marketing strategy and drive results.
But how do you know if it’s time to let go of marketing and entrust someone else to fill that important role?
5 Signs It’s Time to Hire a Fractional CMO
1. Slow Revenue Growth
One of the primary responsibilities of a Fractional CMO is to drive more demand for products/services that will lead to revenue growth. If your SaaS company’s revenue growth has been slow, inconsistent, or declining, it may be time to hire a Fractional CMO.
The Fractional CMO will quickly analyze the company’s marketing strategy and identify areas that need improvement. They can also develop and implement new marketing campaigns that will drive revenue growth.
2. Vague Go to Market (GTM) Strategy
If a guest at a dinner party asked you to clearly describe your go to market strategy, would you have a clear and succinct answer? Or would you fumble through it?
If you can’t clearly explain with full confidence how you’re addressing your target market, the proper personas, and the channels that are bringing in the best, most qualified leads, then chances are, nobody else in your organization can either.
And that is a problem.
A Fractional CMO will work with you to develop a marketing strategy that aligns with your company’s goals and objectives. They will assess previous performance, what channels, audiences, and messages have worked well in the past (and not so well), and will help you form realistic goals to move the needle by crafting a GTM strategy that everyone in the organization can get behind.
3. Poor Brand Awareness
If no one has heard of your company, or does not know your solution exists, then they are considered “not in market”. To complicate matters, they are the most difficult to reach.
When you have little to no awareness of your brand, it is time to bring in an experienced CMO who will be responsible for developing and implementing a branding strategy. They will also work to maintain the company’s reputation and ensure that the brand is consistent across all marketing channels.
A Fractional CMO will lead a team that analyzes where your product fits across the competitive landscape, identify the best channel(s) to bolster the pipeline and clarify your message so your solution goes beyond awareness, and turns into interest, and ultimately more SQLs and demos.
4. Ineffective Lead Generation
Have your lead gen efforts been falling flat? Does the thought of your competition eating into your market share keep you up at night? Has too much time slipped by without the traction you expected by now?
The Fractional CMO will help you get laser focused on your ideal customer profile (ICP) and develop an inbound and/or outbound lead generation strategy that will identify and target the accounts that are the best fits for your solution. They will also work to improve your lead nurturing process to stay top of mind and convert leads into customers.
5. Limited Marketing Resources (or Marketing Team Needs More Direction)
Do you lack sophisticated SaaS copywriters, analysts, and PPC experts on your team? Are your current marketing resources constantly needing oversight or tug on you for help?
The SaaS Fractional CMO can refer (and work alongside with) a high performing agency and/or specialists who are primed and ready to help you build compelling collateral and get the campaigns up and running to a strong start.
Via a proven framework, the chief of marketing will provide the direction the team has been longing for, and provide a healthy dose of accountability.
Time to Hire a SaaS Fractional CMO
If you’re feeling the growing pains of running a SaaS company, or you keep telling yourself your growth could be (and should be) even better, then consider hiring a Fractional CMO who can bring their expertise to develop and execute a marketing strategy that will help take your company to the next level.
If you’re serious about building more awareness of your SaaS that will lead to more demos, schedule a brief call with the B2B SaaS CMO.
