As a CEO or business owner, you’ve likely faced the daunting decision of whether to hire a full-time Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) and build an internal marketing team. On the surface, it seems like the logical choice—a dedicated team under one roof, ready to tackle every marketing challenge. But as someone who has been in the trenches for years, let me tell you the truth: the traditional model of an internal CMO and marketing team is rapidly losing its viability.
Companies are realizing that marketing has become too complex, too fast-paced, and too expensive to rely on the old playbook. A full-time CMO, while valuable, can inadvertently create inefficiencies, and the cost of building and sustaining an in-house marketing team is astronomical. Worse, when a great CMO does their job well, they often work themselves out of a role, leading to turnover, wasted resources, and leadership gaps.
This is why companies are increasingly turning to fractional CMOs like me and agencies like Boken. Our approach saves businesses 60–70% or more of the cost of a full-time team while delivering better, more agile results. Let’s dive into why the old model is broken, what the data says, and how the Boken Value Framework (BVF) can transform your marketing strategy.
The Problem with the Internal CMO Model
Hiring a full-time CMO and building an internal marketing team comes with significant challenges:
1. High Costs
The average annual salary for a CMO in the U.S. is approximately $175,000, and that’s before factoring in bonuses, benefits, and equity. Add to that the costs of hiring a full marketing team—social media managers, content creators, PPC specialists, designers, and analysts—and you’re looking at a significant investment.
According to Glassdoor, the average salary for a marketing team member is around $65,000. If you need even a modest five-person team, your payroll alone can exceed $500,000 annually, not including software, tools, and training expenses.
2. Turnover and Role Burnout
Marketing leadership roles are notoriously short-lived. Research from Spencer Stuart shows that the average tenure of a CMO is just 40 months, the shortest of all C-suite roles. Why? When a CMO succeeds in building a high-performing strategy and team, their role often becomes redundant. They either leave voluntarily or are let go, leading to costly turnover.
3. Skill Gaps
No single person or even an internal team can master every aspect of modern marketing. From SEO to social media, content creation to performance analytics, marketing requires a broad and ever-changing skill set. Internal teams often struggle to keep up with new trends and tools, creating inefficiencies.
4. Slow Adaptation
Internal teams can become siloed, resistant to change, and slow to adapt. In a world where marketing trends evolve rapidly, this rigidity can cost you valuable market share.
The Rise of Fractional CMOs and Outsourced Marketing
The decline of internal CMOs and marketing teams has paved the way for a more agile, cost-effective solution: fractional CMOs and outsourced marketing teams. Companies are increasingly realizing the benefits of this model, which combines leadership expertise, flexibility, and lower costs.
Cost Savings
Hiring a fractional CMO can save your company 60–70% or more compared to a full-time CMO and team. With a fractional approach, you only pay for the expertise you need, without the overhead of salaries, benefits, and ongoing training. At Boken, we provide high-level strategy and execution at a fraction of the cost.
Access to a Broader Skill Set
When you work with a fractional CMO and their team, you gain access to specialists across all areas of marketing—without having to hire them individually. At Boken, for example, our team includes experts in branding, digital advertising, content strategy, analytics, and more. This ensures your marketing strategy is comprehensive and up-to-date.
Faster Results
Outsourced teams are built for agility. We can quickly assess your needs, deploy resources, and execute campaigns with precision. At Boken, our proprietary Boken Value Framework (BVF) allows us to align strategy with execution seamlessly, so you see results faster.
Lower Risk
When you hire a fractional CMO, there’s no long-term commitment or risk of turnover disrupting your operations. This flexibility allows you to scale your marketing efforts up or down based on your business needs.
Why Boken Is the Right Partner for Your Business
At Boken, we specialize in helping companies redefine their marketing strategies with our BVF, a proven process that drives results while saving you money. Here’s how we do it:
1. Strategy First
As your fractional CMO, I focus on aligning your marketing strategy with your overall business goals. Whether you need to build brand awareness, generate leads, or drive sales, we start with a clear plan that eliminates guesswork.
2. Expertise Across the Board
Our team of specialists brings expertise in every facet of marketing, from digital advertising to content creation to analytics. You’ll never need to hire multiple people to cover all your bases—we’ve got you covered.
3. Cost Efficiency
With Boken, you get the equivalent of a full marketing department at a fraction of the cost. We leverage tools, processes, and expertise to maximize your ROI and minimize waste.
4. Agile Execution
Marketing is fast-paced, and we know how to adapt. Our team uses data and analytics to make real-time adjustments, ensuring your campaigns stay on track and deliver results.
5. Measurable Outcomes
Everything we do is tied to measurable goals. We provide clear reporting and insights, so you know exactly how your marketing investment is performing.
The Data Speaks for Itself
Still not convinced? Consider these statistics:
- Fractional CMOs save companies up to 75% on marketing costs while delivering the same level of strategic guidance and leadership as a full-time CMO.
- Outsourced marketing teams generate 33% more leads on average compared to in-house teams, according to a report by HubSpot.
- 62% of businesses using fractional marketing services report improved ROI, according to a survey by Clutch.
What’s at Stake If You Don’t Make the Shift
The cost of maintaining an outdated internal model is more than just financial—it’s strategic. By clinging to the old way of doing things, you risk falling behind competitors who are already leveraging more agile, efficient models. You may waste money on inefficiencies, struggle to adapt to market changes, or miss out on opportunities to capture customer attention.
Why Fractional Marketing Is the Future
Marketing isn’t getting any simpler. It’s evolving faster than ever, and businesses need flexible, cost-effective solutions to keep up. Fractional CMOs and outsourced teams offer a way to navigate this complexity without breaking the bank.
At Boken, we believe in helping businesses like yours escape the high-cost, low-impact trap of traditional marketing. Our approach is designed to save you money, deliver better outcomes, and position your company for long-term success.
If you’re ready to take your marketing strategy to the next level, let’s talk. Together, we can create a roadmap that saves you time, money, and stress—while driving results that truly matter. Let’s build something extraordinary.
