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Fractional CMO Services

C-suite marketing leadership,
without the full-time hire.

Your organization has outgrown ad-hoc marketing. O’Keeffe PR’s fractional CMO gives you a senior strategist at the leadership table — someone who sets direction, aligns your team and owns the results, whether our agency, your staff or other partners carry out the work.

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See How It Works

Plenty of activity. Not enough direction.

Many organizations reach a point where marketing is busy but not strategic. Campaigns launch, posts go out, vendors send invoices—yet no one is connecting the work to growth goals or speaking for marketing at the leadership table.

A full-time CMO can cost well into six figures before benefits, and it can take months to recruit the right one. A fractional CMO gives you that same senior judgment for a fraction of the time and cost.

You may need a fractional CMO if:

  • Your marketing is a collection of tactics without a clear strategy behind it.
  • You're entering a new market, launching a service or rebranding — and the stakes are high.
  • Your CEO or executive director is spending too much time managing marketing.
  • Your sales team struggles to get in front of the right buyers, and marketing isn't helping fill the pipeline.
  • Your leaders have deep expertise, but few people outside your organization know it.
  • You have a capable marketing coordinator or small team who needs senior leadership and mentoring.
  • You're juggling several agencies and freelancers with no one holding them accountable.
  • Your board or leadership wants clearer reporting on what marketing delivers.
  • Your CMO or marketing director has left, and you need steady leadership during the search.
  • You know your reputation, visibility and search presence should be stronger, but don't know where to start.

A strategic leader who sits on your side of the table.

Our fractional CMO works as a member of your leadership team, not as an outside vendor. We take ownership of your marketing and awareness strategy, then lead it from plan to measurable results.

Strategy & Planning

We build a marketing and communications plan tied directly to your business goals, with clear priorities, budgets and timelines.

Brand Positioning & Messaging

We sharpen how you describe who you are, who you serve and why it matters — so every audience hears one consistent story.

Leadership & Team Guidance

We join leadership meetings, advise your CEO and board, and coach your in-house marketing staff to work at a higher level.

Budget & Resource Management

We help you decide where to invest, which channels to cut, and whether work belongs in-house, with an agency or with specialists.

Vendor & Agency Oversight

We manage your outside partners—web developers, designers, ad buyers, SEO firms—and hold them to clear goals.

Reputation & Visibility

We bring our public relations, media relations, and crisis communications expertise to protect and grow your organization's credibility.

Thought Leadership

We position your executives as trusted voices in your industry through bylined articles, speaking opportunities, media interviews and LinkedIn content.

Pre-Sales & Sales Enablement

We connect marketing to your sales process — building the messaging, case studies, presentations and proposal content that warm up prospects before the first meeting and help your team close business.

AI & Search Readiness

We make sure your brand is discoverable in Google and in AI-powered search tools, where more buyers now begin their research.

Measurement & Reporting

We define the metrics that matter, track them, and report results in plain language your leadership and board can act on.

We lead the strategy. You choose who does the work.

A fractional CMO isn’t a sales pitch for agency services. Our job is to get the right work done by the right people — and that may or may not be us.

Our agency team

Need hands on deck? Our public relations, thought leadership, content marketing, social media, search visibility and pre-sales specialists can carry out the plan under one roof, with your CMO overseeing every step.

Your in-house team

Already have marketing staff? We give them direction, priorities and coaching, so they spend their time on the work that moves the needle.

Your other partners

Working with a web developer, ad agency or design firm you trust? We'll manage them, set clear expectations and make sure everyone is working from the same plan.

Flexible engagements built around your needs.

Engagement

Strategic Roadmap
Ongoing Fractional CMO

Interim CMO

Best for

Organizations that need a plan before committing to ongoing leadership

Growing organizations that need a consistent marketing leader
Organizations between marketing leaders or facing a major transition

What it looks like

A 60- to 90-day engagement ending in a marketing audit, positioning and a 12-month roadmap
A monthly retainer with set leadership hours, regular team meetings and executive reporting
Hands-on leadership for a defined period, including help hiring and onboarding a permanent leader

Our process

Step 1

Discover.

We learn your business, goals, audiences and competitors, and audit your current marketing, messaging and digital presence.

Step 2

Ideate.

We build your strategy: positioning, priorities, budget, channel plan and the metrics we’ll be measured against.

Step 3

Execute.

We lead the work — assigning it to our team, your staff or outside partners — and keep everyone on schedule.

Step 4

Analyze & Optimize.

We report on results, refine the plan and keep your marketing aligned with the business as it grows.

Senior leadership, sized to where you are today.

Strategic leadership
Seat at the leadership table
Cost
Time to start
Accountability for results
Flexibility to scale up or down

Full-time CMO

Yes
Yes
Full executive salary, benefits and bonus
Months of recruiting
One leader
Low

Fractional CMO

Yes
Yes
A predictable monthly fee
Weeks
One leader
High

Agency or freelancers alone

Rarely
No
Billed by project or task
Weeks
Spread across vendors
Moderate

Leadership from someone who has done the work.

Your engagement is led by Dan O’Keeffe, CEO and President of O’Keeffe PR. Dan has spent more than 30 years helping organizations tell their stories and position their brands, products and services — across technology, manufacturing, professional services, legal, finance, economic development, nonprofits, and restaurants and hospitality.


A former journalist and editor, Dan advises business and nonprofit leaders on strategy, reputation and media — in good times and in crisis.

Strategy grounded in communications.

Reputation-first thinking.

Most fractional CMOs come from sales or advertising. We come from content marketing and public relations, so your strategy is built on credibility, earned media and trust — not just ad spend.

A full team behind your CMO.

When you need execution, our specialists in PR, thought leadership, content, social media, search visibility and pre-sales support are ready to go.

Ready for how people search now.

We plan for Google and AI-powered search from day one.

Measurable results.

Every engagement starts with clear goals and ends each month with a report you can share with your board.

Who we work with:

Professional Services Firms

Nonprofits

Economic And Workforce Development Organizations

B2B Companies

Manufacturers And Technology Firms

The greatest benefit that O’Keeffe has brought to us is the support of the team. We hit a lot of people in a lot of different areas…they understand that and how to market to each segment individually…. All of the things that are important for marketing to, and communicating with, my customer base are being done.

FAQ’s

What is a fractional CMO?

A fractional CMO is an experienced marketing executive who works with your organization part time or on a defined schedule. You get C-suite strategy and leadership without the cost of a full-time hire.

An agency typically executes campaigns. A fractional CMO sets the strategy, makes the big decisions and holds every resource accountable — including agencies. With O’Keeffe PR, you can have both, but you’re never required to use our team for execution.
No. We’ll recommend the best mix of resources for your goals and budget, whether that’s our team, your staff or other partners you already trust.
It depends on your needs. Most engagements include regular leadership meetings, team check-ins and monthly reporting, and the level of involvement can scale up or down as priorities change.
A Strategic Roadmap engagement typically runs 60 to 90 days. Ongoing and interim engagements are monthly, and many clients work with us for a year or more. Our average client tenure is five years, with some client relationships lasting a dozen or more years.
Most clients have a clear strategy and early priorities in place within the first 90 days. Results from earned media, thought leadership, content and search visibility build over the following months.
Yes. We can define the role, help evaluate candidates, and hand off a documented strategy so your new leader starts strong.
We typically work with growing companies, professional services firms and nonprofits that are ready for strategic marketing leadership but don’t need, or aren’t ready for, a full-time executive.

Ready to put a marketing leader at your table?

Let’s talk about where your organization is headed and what it will take to get there. In one conversation, we’ll identify your biggest marketing gaps and whether a fractional CMO is the right fit.
Schedule a Strategy Conversation
Not ready yet? Request a complimentary Marketing Analysis.