Marketing Strategy & Roadmap
A written plan for where you’re going, how marketing gets you there, and what happens first.
You’ve outgrown doing marketing yourself, and a full-time CMO costs more than the business can justify. A fractional CMO (a fractional chief marketing officer, sometimes called an outsourced or part-time CMO) fills that gap: a senior marketing executive who owns your strategy, runs the work and sits at the table for every marketing decision, part-time and ongoing. I build a marketing engine that brings in customers now and makes the business worth more when you sell.
Book a Strategy CallRead the transcript
Most fractional CMOs grow your revenue. I grow your multiple.
Here’s the difference. Revenue is what you earn this year. The multiple is what a buyer will pay for every dollar of it, someday.
Two companies can post the same revenue and sell for very different prices. The gap is almost never the number. It’s whether a buyer believes that number will keep coming without the founder.
That belief comes from marketing you can see. Lead sources you can trace. A pipeline someone else can run. Playbooks that are written down, not stored in your head.
I’m a fractional CMO who also runs an M&A firm. So I build the marketing engine that grows your pipeline today and your valuation tomorrow.
If you’re running a $1 to $10 million owner-led business and quietly wondering what it’s worth, let’s talk.
Ronin Communications. Built for the business you’ll one day sell.
What a Fractional CMO Does
A fractional CMO is the architect, not the contractor. They decide what you sell, who you sell it to and why anyone should choose you. They build the systems that turn strangers into customers. They lead the people doing the work, whether that’s your team, your agencies or both. And they own the numbers: what’s working, what to cut, and where the next dollar goes.
You get an experienced CMO for about the price of a social media manager, without $300,000 in salary and benefits.
| Compare | Fractional CMO | Full-time CMO | Marketing agency |
|---|---|---|---|
| Owns strategy | Yes, at the leadership table | Yes | Rarely; executes a brief |
| Does the work | Strategy plus hands-on execution, and directs your vendors | Leads a team you also have to hire | Runs its own campaigns |
| Cost | $2,500–$10,000 a month | $300,000+ in salary and benefits | Varies by scope |
| Best fit | Owner-led businesses doing $1M–$10M | Larger companies, usually past $10M | Businesses that already have a strategy |
Is a Fractional CMO Right for Your Business?
Fractional CMO services fit a specific kind of business. I work with owner-led businesses doing $1 million to $10 million a year, mostly in:
- Home services: roofing, concrete, flooring, painting, remodeling and other trades
- Legal and professional services: law firms, accounting, consulting and advisory
- Businesses planning a sale in the next one to five years, in any industry
The signs you’re ready usually look like this. Revenue has flattened and you can’t say why. Most new work still comes from you, your referrals or one channel. You’ve tried agencies and freelancers, and the work never added up to a plan. You’re wondering what the business is worth, and you suspect marketing is part of the answer.
It’s probably not the right fit if:
- You’re under $1 million in revenue. The budget usually isn’t there yet, and you likely have the time to do more yourself.
- You’re well past $10 million. At that size, a full-time CMO often makes more sense.
- You only want ads run or leads bought. That’s a vendor, not a CMO.
What I Own as Your Fractional CMO
Every engagement covers the full marketing function. These are the core pieces:
Demand Generation Strategy
Building awareness and demand with the buyers who are ready to purchase, not just collecting leads.
Go-to-Market Execution
Launching new offers, new markets and new locations with the right message, channels and sales process.
Marketing Tech Stack & Operations
A CRM, reporting and automation that track every lead from first click to closed deal.
Vendor & Agency Management
Hiring, directing and holding your agencies and freelancers accountable, so you stop managing them yourself.
Marketing Org Design & Hiring
The right marketing roles, the right hires and the processes that let marketing run without you.
I also do much of the hands-on work in-house: local SEO, SEO and AI search, websites, paid media, and Google Business Profile and review management. No overseas vendors and no white-labeled work.
The Ronin Method: Map, Build, Grow, Multiply
A fractional CMO without a framework is an expensive opinion. Every engagement follows the same four stages.
Map
Strategy first. Your ideal customer, your offer, your competitors, and an honest look at what’s working. You finish with a written plan.
Build
The foundation: brand, offer, a website that converts, SEO and AI search, and the systems that capture and track leads.
Grow
Turning on the channels that fit: paid ads, LinkedIn, email and outbound, backed by the strategy and systems underneath.
Multiply
Turning up what works, cutting what doesn’t, and building assets that compound: brand, organic search, reviews, referrals and recurring revenue.
Most agencies skip straight to Multiply and spend your money before the foundation exists. I do the blocking and tackling first. That’s why it works.
Revenue vs. Enterprise Value
Two businesses can earn the same revenue and sell for very different prices. A buyer pays more when the revenue is predictable and repeatable and doesn’t depend on the owner. Each of those is a marketing question: where customers come from, whether the pipeline runs without you, and whether the numbers hold up when a buyer checks them.
Most fractional CMOs plan a year at a time. Because I also run an M&A advisory practice, I start every engagement with one question: what’s the end game? Then we work back from it, so the marketing that grows revenue this year also builds value for the day you sell.
If a sale is on the horizon, start with Marketing Due Diligence and Exit Readiness. It shows what a buyer would find in your marketing, and the fractional CMO engagement fixes it.
Fractional CMO Results: Measurable Growth and Client Wins
- Cybersecurity firm: from no consistent leads to 3–4 new booked clients a month, sustained, from organic search and cold email.
- IT services company: from obscurity to #1 for “IT support near me” in 5 of the 6 largest suburbs of a major metro.
Most clients see early results within 30 days. The bigger gains build over months. I won’t promise you a number of leads, but you’ll always know what’s working and why.
“He views marketing through the lens of enterprise value and M&A readiness, not just clicks or impressions. He builds transferable infrastructure that reduces founder dependency and actually compounds a business’s valuation multiple.”
Clayton Joyner, mastermind peer
Fractional CMO Pricing
Fractional CMO engagements run $2,500 to $10,000 a month. The price is set by scope and the outcomes we agree on, not by hours. A business that needs strategy and oversight sits at the lower end. A business that needs strategy plus hands-on execution across several channels sits higher.
Engagements typically run one to two years, because the work that compounds needs time to show up. You’ll get a clear proposal with the scope and price before anything starts.
Book a Strategy CallHow the Engagement Runs
- First 30 days: intake, the Map stage, and quick fixes to anything costing you leads right now.
- Days 30–90: a written strategy and roadmap, and the Build work starts.
- Ongoing: a weekly working rhythm, monthly reporting on the numbers that matter, and a quarterly reset of priorities.
This is ongoing marketing leadership, not a plan that gets handed over and forgotten. I stay at the table as the business grows.
Who You’ll Work With
I’m Justin Smith, founder of Ronin Communications. I spent more than 20 years in strategic communications and marketing for the federal government, and I hold an M.A. in Strategic Communications from American University. I also run an M&A advisory practice, which is why every Ronin plan is built around what the business will be worth, not just what it earns.
I’m based in Woodbridge, Virginia, and work with owners nationwide. In Prince William County? See Fractional CMO in Woodbridge, VA.
The Founder’s Guide to Fractional CMOs
Still deciding? Start here:
- Start hereWhat Is a Fractional CMO? A Plain-English Definition
- CostHow Much Does a Fractional CMO Cost?
- CompareFractional CMO vs. Full-Time CMO: A True Cost Comparison
- CompareFractional CMO vs. Marketing Agency: Which Solves Which Problem?
- Hiring15 Questions to Ask Before Hiring a Fractional CMO
- HiringWhat to Expect in Your First 90 Days With a Fractional CMO
Fractional CMO FAQ
What is a fractional CMO?
A senior marketing executive who works with your business part-time and ongoing. They own the strategy, lead the work and the people doing it, and answer for the results, for a fraction of a full-time CMO’s cost.
How much does a fractional CMO cost?
Ronin’s engagements run $2,500 to $10,000 a month, priced by scope and outcomes rather than hours. Across the market, prices vary widely depending on how much strategy and execution is included.
How is a fractional CMO different from a marketing agency?
An agency executes campaigns. A fractional CMO decides which campaigns should exist, sets the strategy, and directs the agencies and freelancers doing the work. If you already have an agency you like, keep it. I’ll make sure it’s working on the right things.
Do you only do strategy, or do you do the work too?
Both. I own the strategy, and I deliver much of the execution in-house: SEO, websites, paid media, and Google Business Profile and review management. Where a specialist fits better, I bring them in and manage them.
How soon will I see results?
Most clients see early results within 30 days, and the bigger gains build over months. I don’t promise a set number of leads; I promise a clear plan and honest reporting on what’s working.
Do you work with businesses outside Virginia?
Yes. Ronin is based in Woodbridge, Virginia, and works with owners nationwide. I can meet in person anywhere in Northern Virginia.
I’m planning to sell in a few years. Where should I start?
With the Marketing Diligence Snapshot. It shows how your marketing would hold up in a buyer’s review and what to fix first.
Ready to grow your multiple? Book a strategy call. We’ll talk through where the business is, where you want it to go, and whether a fractional CMO is the right next move.
Book a Strategy Call