Your company needs to scale and you’re thinking of hiring a Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) on demond? Maybe you’re launching a new product, entering a new market, or trying to fix a plateau in growth. Whatever the reason, you need senior-level marketing expertise—but let’s be real: hiring a full-time Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) is expensive, time-consuming, and risky. So what about a CMO on demand or an external CMO?
Need to hire a CMO, what are your options?
- Hire internally—but that means a full salary, benefits, and a lengthy hiring process
- Try to handle it yourself—but marketing today is complex, and you’ve got a business to run
- Outsource to an agency—but not all agencies provide leadership-level strategy
- Bring in a CMO on demand—a flexible, high-impact solution that delivers senior expertise without long-term commitment
What is a CMO on demand?
A CMO on demand (also known as an external CMO or outsourced CMO) is a fractional executive who provides strategic marketing leadership without the overhead of a full-time hire. This means:
- You get an experienced marketing leader—without paying a six-figure salary
- They execute high-growth strategies—aligning marketing with your business goals
- They integrate with your team seamlessly—without disrupting your current operations
- You get results fast—because they know what works and what doesn’t
Internal vs. external: Can you execute a 3-month growth plan in-house?
When companies realize they need marketing leadership, the first instinct is to look internally. Let’s break down what that actually involves.
Hiring a full-time CMO: the reality
Bringing in a full-time CMO might seem like the ideal solution, but it comes with challenges:
- Cost: A senior CMO’s salary easily exceeds CHF 1500K per year
- Time: Finding the right candidate takes months
- Risk: If they don’t deliver, you’re stuck in a long-term commitment or you’ll need to do the process all over again
Using the existing team
Some businesses try to stretch their existing team to fill the gap. But ask yourself:
- Does anyone on your team have the experience to build and execute a full growth strategy?
- Do they have the bandwidth to take on senior-level strategic work?
- Will they know how to integrate marketing with sales and operations at a leadership level?
Often, the answer is no. That’s when an external CMO becomes the smartest move.
The external CMO model: DIFM (Do It For Me) vs. DIY (Do It Yourself)
Once you realize an internal solution won’t work, you need to decide how to outsource your marketing leadership. You have two primary options:
SaaS & DIY platforms
Let’s state the obvious first, SaaS and tools are not ideal for leadership-level strategies. Humans still have some value to bring here.
There are plenty of marketing automation tools that promise “growth at scale.” The problem? Tools don’t replace strategy, leadership, or execution.
- Platforms like HubSpot, Marketo, and Salesforce give you data, but you still need an expert to translate that into action
- SEO tools, email automation, and ad platforms help with execution, but without a strategy, they’re just tactics in the void
- A lack of strategic vision means your marketing will be reactive rather than proactive
CMO on demand
This is where an external CMO comes in. Instead of hiring a full-time executive or trying to DIY marketing leadership, you get:
- Senior-level marketing leadership from day one
- A fully integrated approach that aligns marketing, sales, and operations
- Fast execution on high-growth strategies
- Flexibility—you can scale up or down as needed
At ZDA, we offer CMO on demand services that provide executive-level strategy and execution without the long-term commitment. What can an external CMO do for you? Quite a lot, actually. From crafting and executing a robust Brand Strategy to building a complex Digital Strategy tailored to your business. To be it simply, it’s the go to solution to deliver rapid, results-driven marketing outcomes.
For a deeper dive into the benefits of outsourced / part-time CMOs, check out CMOx article exploring how beneficial CMO on demand can be for a business.
Can You Trust an External CMO?
Not all agencies can truly act as a CMO on demand. Here’s how to separate the experts from the amateurs:
- Do they have real executive-level experience? Look for a team that has worked at the CMO level, not just mid-level marketers. In other words, they need to have Seniors and not Juniors
- Can they show proven results? Ask for case studies or real-world success stories
- Do they integrate with your team? A real external CMO doesn’t just advise—they embed into your company’s strategy and execution
For example, at ZDA, we don’t just “consult.” We act as your marketing leadership team, driving execution and making sure you see real growth.
So if you’re looking for CMO on demand services that actually deliver, we should talk. At ZDA, we help companies like yours scale without the overhead of a full-time hire.
Get in touch with us to see how we can drive growth for your business—without the BS.
