The questions people ask before hiring us.

A Fractional CMO is a senior marketing leader on a part-time retainer. Same experience, same accountability, and same seat at the leadership table as a full-time CMO - a fraction of the time, and a fraction of the cost.

At MarketingHQ, we're embedded in your business as the person who owns the marketing strategy, runs the plan, manages any marketing resources you already have, and reports back on what's working. Monthly retainer, typically $5K–$15K per month depending on scope.

Businesses turning over roughly $2M to $20M a year, usually with 5–20 staff. That's the sweet spot where marketing clearly needs a senior lens - but a full-time CMO salary doesn't yet make financial sense.

If you're launching a new product, entering a new market, trying to shift away from referral-only growth, or just need someone accountable for marketing that isn't you - that's who this is for.

A consultant gives you advice and leaves. You still have to figure out who executes.

An agency runs a channel. Great if you know what you want them to do - not great if the problem is that no one has set the strategy yet.

A Fractional CMO sits in your leadership team and owns the whole marketing function - strategy, team, suppliers, measurement, and the number at the end of the year. We're accountable, not just advisory.

Our Fractional CMO engagements typically run $5,000 to $15,000 per month, depending on scope. Everything is a flat monthly retainer.  No hourly billing, no project surcharges, no mystery line items.

For context: a full-time CMO in Sydney costs $250K+ a year once you add super, benefits and recruitment fees. The fractional model gives you the same strategic lens for a fraction of that, and typically pays for itself inside the first year through better marketing efficiency.

No. The first conversation - 30 minutes, in person, Zoom, or Teams, whatever suits, is free. If we're not the right fit, we'll say so and point you somewhere better. No pressure, no pitch deck, no hourly rate kicking in behind the scenes.

Marketing needs a runway. Six months is the shortest honest window to complete a full strategic cycle - month 1 is workshop and strategy, months 2–4 are implementation, and months 5–6 are measurement and refinement.

Anything less and we're just running tactics. The minimum keeps us honest about what we can realistically deliver, and keeps you from paying for a strategy that never got the chance to prove itself.

Everything rolls to month-to-month. Cancel anytime with reasonable notice. No lock-in, no renewal fees, no surprise price jumps.

Most clients stay but it depends . Our average engagement runs 5+ years, with 80% client retention - because when the number keeps moving in the right direction, there's no reason to stop.

Over the last 25 years, we've delivered work across  Restructuring & Insolvency, Financial Services, Migration Services, Events, Sports, Education, Accounting, Retail, Hospitality, Workplace Training, and Enterprise Payments Technology. There's a decent chance we've seen a version of your category before.

When we haven't, the discovery workshop is designed to close that gap quickly - we're not pretending to know your market on day one, we're built to understand it fast. The strategic frameworks are what we bring; the market context comes from you.

Chris Dale, founder of MarketingHQ. 25+ years of sales and marketing experience, 15+ years running this practice. You're not getting a senior pitching you and a junior running your account - you're getting Chris in the chair for the full engagement.  If Chris doesn't have capacity or feels he's not the best fit, he will help you find someone more suitable for your needs.

Where specialist capability is needed (design, dev, paid media, PR), we bring in trusted partners we've worked with for years. You see the invoice; there's no mark-up.

If you're pre-revenue or under $500K, a Fractional CMO isn't yet the right investment. If you want someone to run one campaign and leave, you want an agency. If you want someone to nod along with a plan that isn't working, you want neither of us.

Honest filters save everyone money. If this doesn't sound like you, download the free 3-Step Framework - it's the same thinking, self-served.

Our documented case studies show 30%+ year-over-year revenue growth for clients once the strategy is in and running. Our baseline target when we start a new engagement is 20% inside the first full strategic cycle.

That said - your results depend on where you're starting from, how competitive your market is, and how committed you are to the plan once we've built it. We'll give you an honest view of what's possible after the discovery workshop, not before.

Our 90-day onboarding is built for momentum, not quick fixes.

• Day 30 — written strategy in your hands
• Day 60 — first campaigns and systems live
• Day 90 — first results review with measurable movement

Early wins usually show up in traffic, enquiries, and sales-pipeline quality. Revenue impact typically lands in months 4–6. Sustainable compounding growth comes in year two and beyond.

Every engagement runs on a marketing scoreboard - a single view showing the metrics that matter for your business. 

Typical lines on the scoreboard include:

• Revenue growth and marketing-contributed pipeline
• Website traffic and conversion rate
• Cost per acquisition and lead quality
• Search visibility on your core keywords
• Email engagement and nurture performance

Reported regularly, with clear ROI. If a channel isn't earning its spot, we kill it. If something's working, we double down. No vanity metrics, no PDF reports that nobody reads.