"A fractional CMO can be incredibly effective and can get you where you want to go far faster than going through the entire process of hiring a VP who you might fire in nine months anyway," says Shannon Curran, CMO & Advisor at SSC Consulting

In this episode of The Content Cocktail Hour, Shannon Curran, Fractional CMO & Advisor at SSC Consulting, shares what life as a fractional CMO looks like and how this growing trend is reshaping marketing for early-stage B2B companies. Shannon explains why more founders are turning to fractional CMOs to scale faster and make smarter marketing decisions. She also gets into strategies for founder storytelling and effective budgeting for your marketing campaigns.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

1. Why founders might want to hire fractional CMOs for more effective marketing strategies
2. Key marketing strategies for scaling early-stage companies  
3. The role of founder storytelling in brand growth

Resources:

Connect with Jonathan on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathan-gandolf/ 

Check out The Juice HQ: https://www.thejuicehq.com/ 

Connect with Shannon on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shannon-sweeny-curran-55332942/

Check out SSC Consulting: https://sscconsulting.io/

Timestamps

(00:00) Intro

(03:42) Current budgeting and planning trends in marketing

(10:12) Differentiating founder brand from company brand

(15:23) Aligning content strategies with your brand

(16:20) Corporate content strategy vs. Founder content strategy

(18:18) Transitioning to Fractional CMO

(21:12) Challenges of becoming a fractional CMO

(24:23) Fractional CMO vs. VP of Marketing