Harness the power of a Fractional CMO plus a Collective of top marketing talent.

In my previous article, I defined the “Fractional CMO,” why B2B start-ups need this role to meet their aggressive growth targets post-Series A funding, and how they can get better ROI on their marketing efforts.

By hiring a Fractional CMO, you get the best of both worlds from a marketing perspective. This role is responsible for both building an executive-level, strategic marketing plan and executing against said plan to deliver results quickly. But getting the best of both worlds – strategy plus execution – calls for backup.

High-performing Fractional CMOs build the strategy and bring in the right marketing talent to execute against the plan they build.

How do Fractional CMOs “bring in” the right talent? Successful Fractional CMOs tap into their network of the brightest and best marketers. They harness the power of a Collective.

Keep reading to learn some of the common mistakes B2B start-ups make when it comes to hiring marketing, what a Collective of marketing talent is, and how start-ups can hit growth targets by hiring a Fractional CMO plus a Collective. 

The 3 Marketing Hire Mistakes Start-ups Make

Before we get into what a Collective of marketing talent is, let’s go over the common mistakes many B2B start-up companies make when it comes to hiring for marketing roles.

1. Place high expectations on current junior marketers.

I have seen many start-up executives make this mistake. You hire a marketing manager or maybe a more specialized role, like a growth hacker and expect them to get your company from Series A to Series B. Those are some high expectations!

At this point, most start-up companies have invested some spend into marketing. But oftentimes your leadership team doesn’t know how marketing is performing, what marketing is producing, and if you’re getting any return on investment. A junior marketing generalist, with just a few years of working experience, is simply not yet capable of building a comprehensive, executive-level strategy and executing against it.

To this end, it’s fair for start-up executives to get frustrated when their marketer isn’t delivering the results they need.

1. Hire a senior executive that is great at strategy but doesn’t execute.

By hiring a senior-level executive (think VP of Marketing or CMO) you will get years of experience, guidance and mentorship for your team, executive sponsorship, and high level strategy.

What you most likely will not get is someone who can roll up their sleeves to execute on the plan they build. Senior marketing talent is typically really great at building strategy and empowering teams but not so great at doing the nitty gritty, tactical work.

Post-Series A is the time for start-ups to deliver results. So while it’s imperative to build a sound marketing plan, you’re also on the hook to deliver.

1. Hire a highly specialized role.

Over the last decade the role of marketing has shifted into many specialized disciplines. And each discipline – everything from field marketing to social media to brand to product strategy – requires a highly specialized skill set and years of experience.

The mistake I see start-up executives make is they hiring for a specific role, let’s say a growth hacker, and expect them to wear many hats. In this example, your growth hacker will be really good at optimizing your funnel, building attribution models, and tracking your lead to MQL performance. Even though they may be highly skilled at growth (aka what you hired them to do), they may not have the chops to revamp your website messaging and copy, product sales enablement materials, design graphics, or produce a webinar.

The commonality across all three hiring mistakes is the disconnect between leadership’s expectations and the employee’s specialities. You have already invested money and time into each of your full-time hires yet, you may need to hire additional support in the form of expensive agencies or consultants.

Post-Series A funding is a time to align, focus, and execute. That’s exactly why hiring a Fractional CMO plus a Collective of marketing talent is the best way to get the fast results your business needs.

What is a Collective of Marketing Talent?

At a high level, a Fractional CMO is a part-time, dedicated senior-level executive that is driven by helping your company reach your aggressive growth goals. A Fractional CMO delivers everything you would expect from a seasoned marketing executive from a strategic perspective. But the real value is found in everything else you get — a Collective of top marketing talent.

Successful Fractional CMOs have built a strong network of marketers they consistently work with. This network includes highly specialized, talented marketers across a myriad of disciplines. These marketers have diverse professional experiences across industries, company sizes, and geographies. This network of marketers can be tapped to work with your start-up in an “on-demand” manner so you get the specific results you need when you need them.

This network of top marketing talent is known as a Collective.

Fractional CMO develops the overall marketing roadmap while the Collective is the horsepower that is driving the marketing plan across the finish line. 

How does a Collective of Marketing Talent work?

The process of recruiting and hiring top marketing talent is difficult for any start-up company (you can re-read the top 3 mistakes listed above to give you an idea why). Executives don’t know what they don’t know when it comes to marketing support.

So how can your start-up tap into this network of talent? Hire a Fractional CMO that has a strong Collective.

The best Fractional CMOs have a Collective of marketers they can utilize “on-demand,” enlisting the right person for the job when it needs to get done. A marketing Collective is stacked with the best and brightest marketers that are at the top of their game.

Once you have brought on your Fractional CMO, their job is to assess the current capabilities of your marketing team, then they identify gaps and the skill sets required to deliver the results you need in your desired timeframe. Your Fractional CMO then brings in their Collective of marketing talent. “Plug and play” skill sets to projects while you deliver on your strategic goals.

The Power of A Marketing Collective

For many start-ups, you are under pressure to spend your investment money wisely. This means that every dollar you spend, including full-time salaries, should have a measurable return. Intelligent deployment of your capital is crucial.

The smartest, most cost-efficient deployment of your funds is the hiring combination of a Fractional CMO plus a Collective.

“The most effective formula for startup success: Fractional CMO + Collective = ROI.“

– Amanda Rabideau, CEO

Here’s why:

Domain expertise.

Match the work you need done with an expert. 

Plug in an email marketing specialist to build your subscriber list, segment and automate email drip campaigns, and improve user retention. Or, plug in a paid search marketer to drive website traffic, acquire quality leads, and optimize conversions to spend less budget. Or, plug in a product marketer to craft product datasheets, launch new product feature campaigns, and run competitive intelligence. Or, plug in a social media marketing expert to improve your brand awareness, build community, and generate leads. And the list goes on.

On-demand marketing team.

Get the right talent when you need it most.

When you hire a Fractional CMO plus a Collective, you can tap into specific marketing services any time your business needs. In this way you won’t be wasting money on costly agency retainers or full-time employees.

Eliminate the need for expensive hires.

Senior-level executives can eat up your investment dollars quickly.

Working with a Fractional CMO with a strong Collective is like getting 10 roles for the price of one. You no longer need to hire full-time, specialized marketers or expensive executives. Get the strategy and execution you need to meet your growth goals.

No more heavy lifting for recruiting and onboarding.

Recruiting can be a daunting task for start-ups.

By working with a Collective of marketing talent, start-ups remove the heavy burdens involved in hiring top talent – recruiting, interviewing, vetting, negotiating, onboarding training, and so on.

Diverse backgrounds and experiences.

Work with talent that have a wide range of experience across education, industries and verticals, marketing disciplines, company size and type, and location.

A diverse Collective fosters fresh ideas, new perspectives and can lead to improved efficiencies across your business.

Collaboration

I don’t have to come up with the best idea. I just want to use the best idea.

A way to interpret the above statement is that high-performing startups take a collaborative approach to getting stuff done. Working with a Collective of marketers naturally lends itself to collaboration. So many start-up executives overlook the power of collaboration but it’s one of the most efficient ways to use your funding dollars.

ROI

Smart deployment of your marketing dollars is essential.

By working with a Collective, you’ll burn less cash in making the wrong hiring decision. A Fractional CMO plus a Collective sets you up with strategy and execution without the commitment (or risk) of hiring full time employees. This approach ensures that you don’t spend too quickly and recklessly. Get a return on each dollar spent. 

Tying it all together

Most start-up founders and executives are really skilled at what they do. Starting a company from scratch is really hard. It takes years of hard work and experience, industry expertise, and stamina. With that being said, most start-up founders aren’t marketers. In fact, they often don’t know much about marketing.

My advice to post-Series A founders is pretty simple – continue to do what you do best and hire a Fractional CMO plus a Collective to handle the rest. That is the best way to get really powerful results.

If your B2B start-up is eager to meet your aggressive objectives, Arch Collective is here to help. We are purpose-built to help B2B start-ups thrive. Get in touch with us today.