Fractional CMO: senior marketing leadership, without the full-time hire.
A fractional CMO gives your business a senior marketing lead who takes ownership of strategy, priorities and implementation, so marketing runs properly without adding a full-time role. At Infokus, we call this role a Fractional Marketing Manager.
Led by Tanya Duncan, Certified Practising Marketer with 30 years of marketing experience. Based in Mount Eliza on the Mornington Peninsula, working with businesses across Melbourne and Australia.
When marketing has no clear owner, it stalls
Most growing businesses do not need a full-time marketing director. They need someone who knows what to prioritise, what to ignore, and how to move things forward without constant direction.
Without that, marketing becomes fragmented. Activity continues, but momentum does not.
As your fractional CMO, Infokus steps in as that owner, bringing the experience, structure and accountability needed to make marketing decisions clear and execution consistent.
What a Fractional CMO looks like in practice
Here is what changes when your business has a senior marketer leading the function.
- Senior marketing leadership
You have one senior marketer responsible for direction, priorities, and decisions. Not a mix of inputs. Not a junior executing tasks. Clear ownership from someone who has operated at this level before.
- Strategy that stays active
Your marketing plan is a working document, reviewed and adjusted as results come in, not a strategy written once and filed.
- Implementation that moves
Campaigns are planned, executed, and followed through. Content is directed. Suppliers are managed. Deadlines are owned. Work does not stall between decisions.
- Campaign direction and performance clarity
Every campaign has a clear objective and is measured against it, so you know what is working, what is not, and what changes next.
- Channel alignment and consistency
Every channel is guided by the same positioning, messaging, and priorities. No mixed signals. No disconnected activity.
- Team and supplier leadership
Your internal team and external suppliers have clear direction, clear briefs, and clear accountability. You are not managing the detail.
- AI-enabled capability
AI is applied where it creates real leverage, improving output, consistency, and efficiency without compromising your brand or standards.
How it works
This is an embedded role, not an external service.
You stay across the decisions that matter. Infokus takes ownership of the marketing function, brings the strategic thinking, and ensures execution follows through.
The goal is not dependence. It is a marketing function that runs with clarity, builds momentum, and reflects the standard of your business without you carrying it.
Three ways to engage
- Monthly retainer
Ongoing fractional marketing leadership – the most common and effective model for businesses wanting consistent direction, implementation, and momentum. Scope and hours are agreed upfront and reviewed regularly as needs evolve. - Project-based engagement
Defined scope, clear outcomes, fixed timeline. Suited to businesses that need strategic direction for a specific initiative before moving into ongoing support. - Advisory and day rate
Strategic input and decision-making support on a session basis. For business owners who want senior marketing counsel without a structured retainer — useful for problem-solving, team alignment, or campaign review.
Strategy and execution in one engagement. No separation, no loss of context.
One senior lead who understands your business. No handoffs, no account layers.
Certified Practising Marketer with 30 years of experience across professional services, B2B, and SME sectors.
AI applied where it creates real leverage, guided by human strategic leadership and grounded in your brand standards.
Common questions about hiring a fractional CMO
Q. What does a fractional CMO actually do?
A fractional CMO owns the strategic direction and implementation of your marketing on a part-time basis. At Infokus, that means leading campaigns, setting priorities, managing channels, directing suppliers, and making marketing decisions aligned to your business goals – not just executing tasks as instructed.
Q. How is a fractional CMO different from a marketing coordinator?
A marketing coordinator executes tasks they are given. A fractional CMO decides what tasks matter, sets the strategy, owns the priorities, and is accountable for outcomes. The difference is the level of thinking, authority, and ownership – not just what gets done, but why.
Q. How is a fractional CMO different from a marketing agency?
A marketing agency manages tasks across departments, typically without ownership of strategic direction. A fractional CMO operates as an embedded senior lead – one person who owns strategy, decisions, and implementation simultaneously. Most clients find this produces clearer accountability and better-connected marketing than managing separate agency relationships.
Q. How much does a fractional CMO cost in Australia?
Fractional CMO costs vary depending on scope, hours, and engagement model. Infokus engagements are structured around an agreed retainer that reflects the scope of work. The discovery call provides a clear indication of what is appropriate for your stage and budget.
Q. What industries does Infokus work with?
Infokus has strong experience in professional services and works with service businesses across other sectors. The common thread is SME scale, lean teams, and a founder who wants marketing led properly rather than pieced together.
Q. Is a fractional CMO the same as a fractional marketing manager?
Yes. Both describe a senior marketer who leads your marketing on a part-time basis. Infokus uses “Fractional Marketing Manager” because the role combines strategic leadership with hands-on implementation, which is what an established small or mid-sized business needs.
Q. When does a business need a fractional CMO?
Usually when marketing has outgrown the founder’s spare time but a full-time senior hire is not yet justified. Signs include strategy that lives in one person’s head, campaigns that start without finishing, suppliers working without clear direction, and marketing decisions that keep getting deferred.
Q. Do you work with businesses outside Melbourne?
Yes. Infokus is based in Mount Eliza on the Mornington Peninsula and works in person across Melbourne. The fractional CMO role runs just as well remotely, and Infokus works with businesses across Australia.