Fractional CMO
Senior marketing leadership, without a full-time hire.
PSM Marketing provides fractional CMO services for professional services firms. Terrie or Michelle Wheeler leads your marketing strategy part time, directing your internal team or vendors so the work your firm already pays for adds up to growth.
Reviewed by Terrie S. Wheeler, MBC.
Updated October, 2026
Your fractional CMO
- A partner-level strategist: Terrie or Michelle Wheeler
- A written marketing plan built on The Four Pillars of Marketing™
- Direction for your internal marketer or team
- Oversight of your agencies, freelancers and vendors
- Budget planning and priorities
- Monthly meetings and ROI reporting
Is a fractional CMO right for your firm?
It usually is when you already have people doing marketing, but no one senior deciding what they should do.
You have a marketer, but no marketing leader
A capable coordinator or manager needs direction, priorities and someone to answer to.
You work with several vendors who don't talk to each other
Your web firm, PR contact and social media freelancer each do their piece. Nobody connects the pieces to your goals.
You're spending on marketing without knowing what it returns
Invoices arrive every month, but no one can say which efforts bring in clients.
A full-time CMO isn't the right fit yet
You need executive-level thinking, but not an executive salary, benefits and a long search.
Fractional CMO vs. the alternatives
| PSM fractional CMO | Full-time CMO | PSM outsourced marketing department | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Senior strategy | Included, led by a partner | Included | Included, led by a partner |
| Who does the work | Your team and vendors, with PSM directing | Your team and vendors | PSM's team |
| Cost | A custom monthly fee | Executive salary, benefits and a recruiting search | A fixed monthly fee, typically $4,000 to $10,000+ |
| Time to start | Weeks | Months of recruiting | Weeks |
| Best for | Firms with marketing staff or vendors who need direction | Large firms ready for a permanent executive | Firms with no marketing staff, or staff who need more hands |
What your fractional CMO handles
The leadership work a marketing department needs, without adding a full-time executive.
Strategy
An annual marketing plan and quarterly priorities built on The Four Pillars of Marketing™
Team Direction
Goals, priorities and feedback for your internal marketer or team
Vendor management
One strategy across your web, SEO, PR and design partners
Budget
Where to spend, where to cut and what each investment should return
Brand and positioning
Clear messaging that sets your firm apart and stays consistent everywhere
Reporting
Monthly meetings and ROI reporting tied to new clients and revenue
Ways to work with PSM
Choose the level of support your firm needs now, and change it as you grow.
Fractional CMO
Part-time senior leadership for your internal team or vendors.
Outsourced marketing department
Your ongoing marketing team for a fixed monthly fee: strategy, execution and reporting.
Quickstart Package
A fixed set of services for solo practitioners, small firms and small businesses: strategy, branding, a website, SEO and ongoing support.
Marketing coaching
One-on-one business development coaching for attorneys and other professionals.
What the first months look like
Your fractional CMO starts by learning your firm, then sets the direction everyone follows.
See how engagements work, including pricing
Step 1: First Month
Assessment of your current marketing, team and vendors, and your strategic marketing plan.
Step 2: Months two and three
Roles, priorities and budgets set for your team and vendors, with the first projects underway.
Step 3: Ongoing
Monthly meetings, ROI reporting and quarterly strategy reviews.
“PSM has been our outside marketing firm since 2019 and they have been great partners. Our law firm has grown from six lawyers to 15 now, and PSM has kept pace with our growth. They are strategic, practical, knowledgeable, and enthusiastically helpful.”
— Todd T., Google review
“We have worked with several other outsourced marketing firms and it was always the same line: 'we will make your online marketing efforts easy.' We never saw results, progress, and the answer was always to throw more money at it. PSM is different, they have a strategy, experts, and walk you through the process. I am so glad we found PSM!!!”
— Jacob H., Google review
Fractional CMO questions
What is a fractional CMO?
A fractional CMO is a senior marketing executive who works with your firm part time. With PSM Marketing, that leader is Terrie or Michelle Wheeler, who sets your strategy and directs the people doing the work.
How much does a fractional CMO cost?
PSM Marketing quotes each fractional CMO engagement for a fixed monthly fee, based on your goals, team and vendors. Engagements run under a 12-month agreement.
What's the difference between a fractional CMO and an outsourced marketing department?
A fractional CMO provides part-time senior leadership for your existing team. An outsourced marketing department provides that leadership plus the team that does the work.
Will a fractional CMO replace our marketing staff?
No. Your fractional CMO works alongside your staff, giving them direction, priorities and someone senior to answer to.
Can we add more support later?
Yes. If your firm needs more hands, PSM can add writers, designers, web developers and SEO specialists and move you into an outsourced marketing engagement.
Do you work with firms outside Minnesota?
Yes. PSM Marketing is based in St. Paul and Rush City, Minnesota, and works with professional services firms nationwide.
Ready for a marketing leader?
A free marketing assessment with Terrie or Michelle Wheeler. You'll leave with ideas you can use, whether or not we work together.