What is a fractional CMO?

A fractional CMO is a senior marketing executive who leads your marketing part-time, on a retainer, instead of as a full-time hire. They own the strategy, budget priorities and channel mix, direct the staff or agencies doing the execution, and report to the owner on leads, pipeline and revenue.

How much does a fractional CMO cost?

Cost depends on scope: how much senior time you need each month, how many channels are in play, and whether execution is included or handled by your team. Fractional engagements are usually billed as a monthly retainer and cost a fraction of a full-time executive's salary and benefits. CO Consulting quotes after a free consultation, once the scope is clear.

What is the difference between a fractional CMO and a marketing agency?

An agency executes specific services such as ads, SEO or content. A fractional CMO decides what should be executed, in what order and with what budget, then holds agencies and staff accountable to the numbers. Many firms keep their agency and add a fractional CMO to direct it; CO Consulting can also run execution through its own team.

Should I hire a fractional CMO or a full-time CMO?

A full-time CMO makes sense once you have a sizable in-house marketing team and enough work to fill an executive's week. A fractional CMO fits 7- and 8-figure businesses that need senior marketing judgment now but not a full-time executive salary. Many companies use a fractional CMO until a full-time hire is justified.

How fast can I expect results from a fractional CMO?

It depends on the channel and your starting point. Paid advertising can produce leads and useful data within weeks once tracking and the offer are in place, while SEO and AI search usually take months to compound. No honest consultant guarantees results; a realistic timeline is set during the planning step, based on your own numbers.

Which industries does CO Consulting work with?

Mainly trust-based service businesses: estate planning attorneys, financial advisors and RIAs, tax planning firms, CPA and accounting firms, business coaches and consultants, exit planning advisors, capital raisers and fund managers, and HVAC contractors.

Can you help my firm show up in ChatGPT, Claude and Perplexity?

Yes. AI search optimization, also called AEO or GEO, is part of the work. It covers the content structure, schema markup, third-party mentions and technical access that AI assistants rely on when choosing which sources to cite. See our Rank on AI service for how it works.

What happens on the free consultation call?

It is a 20-minute call. We look at your business, your current marketing and your growth target, and tell you honestly whether we think a fractional CMO engagement makes sense. If it does, we follow up with a proposal. You can book a time here.

Fractional CMO & Growth Consulting

Fractional CMO & Growth Consulting for 7-Figure Service Businesses

CO Consulting gives 7- and 8-figure service businesses senior marketing leadership without a full-time executive hire. As your fractional CMO, Christoph Olivier sets the strategy, chooses the channels and directs execution across paid ads, SEO, AI search, content and funnels, with every channel measured against booked consultations and revenue. Clients are primarily in tax, financial services, M&A, consulting, real estate investing and capital raising.

✓ Millions of dollars in ad spend managed ✓ 1M+ combined social following ✓ Original marketing research

Christoph Olivier, founder and fractional CMO

Christoph Olivier is the founder of CO Consulting and a fractional CMO who has managed millions of dollars in ad spend and built a combined audience of over a million followers across social platforms. He works with 7- and 8-figure businesses, primarily in tax, M&A, consulting, real estate investing, capital raising and financial services.

His edge is a practitioner’s command of every major marketing channel, theory and execution, backed by the original marketing data reports he publishes here on CO Consulting. The person setting your strategy has run the channels himself.