There are many situations that could benefit from the hiring of an interim CMO. This type of experienced marketing leader is available for hire on a short-term, contractual basis, potentially closing a marketing leadership gap in your organization.
What are the full strategic benefits of hiring an interim CMO? And is it always the right decision?
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What Is an Interim CMO?
An interim CMO is, as you might expect, fairly similar to a traditional Chief Marketing Officer (CMO). However, they typically work on an interim basis. For example, they might fill in for an active CMO when that CMO is on vacation, or after a CMO is fired.
That said, an interim CMO doesn’t exclusively work when there is a gap in existing marketing leadership. Interim CMOs are sometimes called fractional CMOs because you can hire them and work with them in a much more flexible, dynamic capacity. For example, you might hire an interim CMO to work with your existing CMO as a way to augment their efforts and give them more reach. You can also bring them in to tap into their niche expertise or help them train, educate, or motivate your marketing staff members.
Because there are so many different types of interim CMO candidates, and so many different ways you can use them, there isn’t a standard formula or recipe for this role. This gives you practically unlimited flexibility to find exactly the candidate you need for exactly the type of arrangement that you’re looking for.
Strategic Benefits of Hiring an Interim CMO
With that context in mind, these are some of the top strategic benefits of hiring an interim CMO.
1. Closing the leadership gap
Bad leadership can devastate a business, but having no leadership at all is arguably worse. Your marketing department can likely survive without a traditional CMO, provided it was used to one, for a few weeks or even a few months. But if you’re going to last longer than that and still see decent results, you’re going to need some kind of leader in place. It’s not always wise to rush into hiring a new traditional, full-time CMO, but you can always use an interim CMO to close the gap in your leadership on a temporary basis.
2. Tapping into knowledge and experience.
Many organizations also choose to hire an interim CMO and they need to tap into that candidate’s knowledge and experience. This is especially valuable if the interim CMO candidate is a niche expert in a given topic or field. They can collaborate with you to solve a specific problem, introduce you to new processes or resources, or even train your staff to be more effective in a particular area.
3. Gaining external perspective
Organizations, especially when large and bureaucratic, suffer from chronic blind spots as a result of groupthink and silo mentality. Hiring an outsider, even on a temporary basis, can give you the external perspective you need to break out of these trappings. An interim CMO might be able to see things that you simply can’t.
4. Motivating and empowering your marketing team
Even your best marketers may sometimes grow fatigued and stagnant, especially if they face chronic pressure. Although you probably have systems and policies in place to deal with this internally, you can also address it with motivation and direction from external, interim CMO.
5. Improving your brand reputation
An interim CMO may be able to help improve your brand reputation as well, especially if you’re undergoing a massive change in your organization. They can identify ways that your brand can improve, and lead your marketing department effectively as you work to finalize your most important adjustments.
6. Ensuring seamless cross-departmental collaboration
Good marketers aren’t reluctant to collaborate with teams in other departments. However, it can still be challenging to break down communication barriers and get departments to truly collaborate. An interim CMO may excel at this, in part because of their marketing and leadership experience, and in part because they may have an advantage as an outsider.
7. Facilitating the search for a permanent CMO
Finally, a good interim CMO can also facilitate the search for a permanent CMO, assuming you don’t already have one. They may know other expert marketers in the industry who are looking for a new role, or they may be able to make recommendations for how to find a candidate who would thrive in this environment. They can even help you promote from within.
Not every business needs to have an interim CMO. Not every business needs to have a permanent CMO, for that matter. But if you’re in a position where you need additional marketing support, or temporary marketing leadership, it’s a good idea to recruit an interim CMO for your team, even if it’s only on a short-term basis.
