“Jacqui, do you actually want to be a runner?”
My strength coach asked me that the other week. Well… yes. But also no.
I want to run. But I also want to swim, surf, lift heavy, practise bar muscle-ups, nail a handstand walk, and say yes when someone suggests we go hike something.
His point was pretty simple. You can't focus on everything.
Funny thing is, I tell business owners exactly the same thing.
Marketing activity isn’t marketing strategy
Social media. Email. Website. SEO. Events. PR. Advertising. Content. Lead generation.
It's quite possible to be doing all of them and still have no bloody idea whether your marketing is working. Because those are activities. They're not the goal.
I don't actually want to become a runner. I want to be strong, fit and capable enough to say yes to the things I enjoy doing. Running is one way I get there.
Marketing is no different. The social post isn't the goal. Neither is sending the email, updating the website or running another campaign. The question is: what are all those activities trying to achieve?
And that's where a lot of growing businesses come unstuck. When the business owner or GM is still wearing the marketing hat, marketing is just one of many things competing for their attention. It gets done when there's time. Then operations needs them, someone resigns, a customer problem blows up or cash flow needs attention. Marketing stops.
Then someone remembers they haven't posted on LinkedIn for three weeks and off we go again.
More activity doesn't fix that. The problem isn't necessarily a shortage of marketing. It's a shortage of focus and strategic ownership.
What changes when someone owns the marketing function?
This is where I see my role as a Fractional CMO very clearly. I own the marketing function, not every task.
I set the direction, help determine what matters, lead the people and suppliers doing the work, and make sure the activity is actually moving towards a commercial goal.
One of the disciplines I use in my own business is the One Metric That Matters. That doesn't mean there's literally only one number worth watching. Of course there isn't. It means being really clear about what we are trying to move right now.
What's the primary goal? What matters this quarter? What are we actually trying to achieve?
Because when everything is important, nothing really is. Once you know what you're aiming at, deciding what deserves attention – and what doesn't – becomes a whole lot easier.
But there's another part of Fractional CMO work that I think is just as important.
A good Fractional CMO should make your business better at marketing while they're there.
Wildwire: building capability inside the business
I've been working with Wildwire in Wānaka as their Fractional CMO. My job isn't to turn up every fortnight with a list of marketing jobs I've completed.
Yes, I get stuff done. Absolutely. But I'm also looking for the things we can put in place that make marketing easier, more consistent and less dependent on everything living inside one person's head.
Take campaigns. Instead of someone having to remember everything that should happen every time Wildwire runs a promotion, we've been developing a repeatable campaign process.
What's the offer? Who are we targeting? Which channels are relevant? Mailchimp? Website? Social? Local channels? Have we actually activated the promotion properly before we decide whether or not it worked?
Next campaign, we don't start again. We use the process.
Same with content. We were recently talking about one of the team, a visiting guide, who knows the mountain inside out. Rather than me becoming the person who has to dream up and write every article forever, why not create a process that draws the expertise out of the people who already have it?
The idea, get him talking. Capture what he knows. Turn that into useful content. Suddenly we're not just creating another social post that disappears down the feed by Friday. We're capturing knowledge that already exists inside the business and turning it into an asset.
And then there's social media. Not long ago, Laurel was thinking she would need to pay someone externally to do it. Now she's identifying people within the team who naturally create good content, learning what works and becoming increasingly confident doing things herself.
One of her comments recently really stuck with me:
“A lot of that stuff I was blocked on, I can actually do now.”
THAT is a result.
Not because it means Wildwire won't need senior marketing leadership. It means the business itself is getting better at marketing.
So, how long do you actually need a Fractional CMO?
There isn't a magic number of months. It depends on where your business is when they arrive, what capability already exists, how much needs untangling and where you're trying to go.
For some businesses, Fractional CMO support becomes an ongoing strategic partnership. I have clients I've worked alongside for years. The value hasn't disappeared because we've built good systems. My role continues to evolve as the business evolves – new opportunities, new problems, new markets, new goals. They still benefit from having senior marketing thinking at the table.
For another business, the role might change over time. The internal team gets stronger, someone takes ownership of more of the day-to-day work, the systems are running and the rhythm is established. Maybe the Fractional CMO moves to a lighter strategic role. Maybe the business reaches the point where it needs a full-time marketing leader. Maybe eventually it doesn't need fractional support at all.
All of those can be successful outcomes.
The measure isn't how long I can make a client need me. It's whether I continue to create value. That means setting direction, bringing focus, building capability, challenging thinking, driving execution and making sure marketing keeps contributing to where the business is trying to go.
Anything less and I'm just another task on the owner's list.
Which brings me back to running
I still haven't decided what my next training goal is. And that's probably because I don't actually want to choose between being a runner, swimmer, surfer or someone who likes lifting heavy things.
I want all of it. But I know what it's all for.
I want to be strong, fit and capable enough to say yes to the things I love doing.
That's the goal. The activities serve it.
Business should be no different. Get clear on where you're trying to go, then make damn sure the things you're spending your time and money on are actually helping you get there.
And once you know you're focused on the right things, you've got to actually do them. That's where accountability comes in.
Jacqui Gage-Brown
Jacqui Gage-Brown is a Fractional CMO for New Zealand business owners still wearing the marketing hat. She sets the strategy, leads the work, and makes sure it gets done.
20+ years in marketing and business leadership, an award-winning agency co-founded and exited before LifeWOD. Working On Dreams, from Tairua and wherever else the year takes her.
Connect on LinkedIn · Work with Jacqui
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📷 Beaten off the couch by my teenage son at the Whangamatā 10km. But I achieved my goal!
