How to Grow Your Business When You Can't Afford a Marketing Department | Treefrog Marketing
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February 15, 2025

How to Grow Your Business When You Can’t Afford a Marketing Department


It’s no secret that marketing is essential for business growth. But, if you’re a small business owner, hiring a full-time marketing team might feel out of reach financially. The good news? Outsourcing your marketing can be a cost-effective and impactful way to grow your business without the expense of a full internal team.

In this blog, we’ll explore why outsourcing your marketing is a smart move to grow your business when you can’t afford a marketing department.

 

Why Outsourcing Marketing Works

One of the most effective ways to grow your business when you can’t afford a marketing department is to outsource your marketing. This gives you access to experienced professionals and proven strategies without the high cost of hiring and training a full-time team.

Now, you may be thinking that if you can’t afford an internal team, you also can’t afford to outsource your marketing—which couldn’t be farther from the truth. With an internal marketing department, you’re hiring a number of employees, often with full-time salaries and benefits, to work with your business at all times.

Meanwhile, when you choose the right fractional marketing partner, you only pay for the services you need, whether it’s strategy development, campaign execution, or ongoing support. This allows you to scale your marketing efforts as your business grows without committing to full-time salaries and wasting money on elements you don’t need—giving your marketing a boost without the high price tag.

Additionally, fractional marketing provides access to cutting-edge strategies and tools without requiring you to spend time and money keeping up with the latest trends. Marketing professionals stay current on industry best practices and have the resources to execute campaigns effectively. This allows you to focus on what you do best—running your business—while your marketing team focuses on driving growth.

Outsourcing is also highly scalable. As your business grows, your marketing needs may evolve. With an outsourced team, you can easily adjust the level of support you receive without the hassle of hiring or laying off employees. Whether you need to scale up during a busy season or scale down to save costs, outsourcing gives you the flexibility to adapt quickly.

 

Outsourcing Marketing Options

When it comes to outsourcing your marketing, there are two primary options: fractional CMOs and marketing agencies. Each serves a different purpose and can complement one another.

 

Fractional CMO

A fractional CMO, or chief marketing officer, provides part-time executive leadership for your marketing efforts. They focus on the strategy behind your marketing efforts, giving your business a strategic direction that aligns your marketing with your overall business objectives.

By working closely with your leadership and internal team members, fractional CMOs help ensure all strategies and tactics align and are efficiently executed. However, they don’t handle the day-to-day implementation of marketing campaigns. Instead, they provide the vision and rely on your team or an outside agency to bring that vision to life.

 

Fractional Marketing Agency

Fractional marketing agencies, in contrast, specialize in executing marketing strategies. They provide your business with experts who handle tasks like graphic design, content creation, branding, SEO, social media management, and paid advertising. Agencies focus on implementing your marketing plan and tracking performance, but they typically don’t provide the high-level strategic guidance that a fractional CMO offers.

In the end, the main difference between these options is strategy versus implementation. A fractional CMO develops the roadmap, while a marketing agency executes the plan. Many small businesses find success by combining these services—using a fractional CMO to set the strategy and a marketing agency to handle the day-to-day execution.

 

Outsourcing your marketing is one of the most effective ways to grow your business without the high costs of building an internal team. By leveraging the expertise of fractional CMOs and fractional marketing agencies, you can create a winning strategy, execute impactful campaigns, and drive long-term growth without breaking the bank.

Bring structure, oversight, & growth with a fractional chief marketing officer. Explore Fractional CMO Services

 

Small businesses deserve to have a marketing strategy and partner that works as hard as they do.

Treefrog Marketing is a marketing agency for small businesses located in Lafayette, Indiana that builds effective marketing strategies and systems that help small business leaders take their companies to the next level. We specialize in marketing leadership, strategic marketing and advertising, digital marketing, graphic design, web design, SEO, and more. For more information, please visit our website. You can also connect with us on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram.

Why should you choose a fractional marketing agency?

Simply put, you get the expertise of a full marketing department without the extensive overhead.

At Treefrog, we help small businesses build effective marketing strategies and systems that streamline their efforts, use resources wisely, and reach business goals.

Explore these frequently asked questions regarding our fractional marketing agency partnerships.

 

How does a fractional marketing team fit into my business?

Why is a fractional marketing team better than hiring in-house?

How is a fractional marketing team more cost-effective?

How will I know if our fractional marketing team partnership is working?

How quickly can a fractional marketing team start delivering results?

How involved will I need to be?

Can a fractional team really understand my business like an in-house team?

Is a fractional marketing team a long-term solution?

Is outsourcing a marketing director something new?

What do fractional CMOs do?

Who needs a fractional CMO?

What are the benefits of hiring a part-time marketing director??

When should you partner with a fractional CMO?

Are there limitations to a fractional CMO?

How do I find a qualified fractional CMO?

How much does it cost to partner with a fractional CMO?

Leverage Kelly's 25 years of marketing leadership, to grow your business.

As the founder and chief marketing strategist at Treefrog Marketing, a co-host of the Priority Pursuit Podcast, a StoryBrand Certified Guide, and fractional chief marketing officer, Kelly Rice has spent more than two decades helping small businesses take their companies to the next level.

By providing trustworthy leadership, building strong marketing teams and systems, and implementing effective marketing strategies that drive results, she works along side of dedicated business leaders who want to make a difference for their companies, employees, and communities.

If you're ready to simplify your marekting life and take your company to next level, connect with Kelly by scheduling a discovery call today.

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