A Fractional CMO for your Swiss SME
Add senior marketing leadership without a full-time hire. We set the strategy, lead your team and agencies, and turn priorities into measurable execution.
The problem
Your SME has marketing activity, but no one leading it
A Fractional CMO gives Swiss SMEs one senior owner for strategy, people, budgets and performance.
No marketing leader
You need senior direction, but a full-time CMO is too costly or premature for your SME.
Disconnected channels
Your website, campaigns, content and sales activity run separately, without one commercial plan.
Founder-led marketing
The CEO is still setting priorities, briefing providers and reviewing results alongside everything else.
Unclear performance
Budget is being spent, but ownership, reporting and the link to qualified opportunities remain unclear.
What is a Fractional CMO?
A Fractional CMO is a senior marketing director who works part-time in your company. You benefit from high-level expertise without the cost of a full-time position.
At Birdy, outsourced marketing leadership means joining your management rhythm, aligning marketing with sales, leading internal and external specialists, and taking responsibility for execution.
What Birdy concretely delivers
- Complete audit of your positioning and existing channels
- Structured marketing plan with clear priorities and measurable KPIs
- Management of your internal teams, freelancers and partner agencies
- Operational execution on key levers (SEO, Ads, content, CRM)
- Transparent monthly reporting and optimization recommendations
What is a Fractional CMO, concretely?
A Fractional CMO is a senior marketing director who splits their time across several companies, typically 1 to 5 days per month each. Born in the US startup ecosystem in the early 2010s, the model has become a pragmatic answer in Europe and Switzerland for SMEs and scale-ups that need a real marketing leader without paying a six-figure salary.
Unlike a consultant who delivers a report and disappears, a Fractional CMO joins your team, sits on the leadership committee, manages your vendors and owns the results. They act as a part-time member of the executive team · with access to your data, CRM and people.
For a Swiss SME with CHF 1M to 20M in revenue, this is often the best compromise between an agency (execution without long-term strategy) and a salaried CMO (CHF 150K+ per year plus benefits). You get 20 years of experience for the cost of a junior hire.
In short
Engagement length
3 to 12 months on average, renewable as your needs evolve.
Volume
1 to 8 days per month, adjustable quarter by quarter.
Involvement
Strategic decisions, operational steering and CEO-level reporting.
Typical deliverables
Marketing plan, KPIs, vendor governance, monthly committee.
Fractional CMO vs in-house CMO vs Agency vs Freelancer
Which model to pick depending on your stage, budget and challenges?
| Criterion | Fractional CMO | In-house CMO | Agency | Freelancer |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Monthly cost | CHF 2'000 to 6,000 | CHF 13,000 to 18,000 | CHF 5'000 to 25,000 | CHF 1'500 to 6,000 |
| Seniority | 10 to 20 years | Depends on hiring | Mixed (junior to senior) | Often specialised |
| Strategic vision | Yes, client-side | Yes, full-time | Limited to its scope | Rarely cross-functional |
| Operational execution | Steering + selection | Delegates to team | Yes (production) | Yes (on their scope) |
| Minimum engagement | 3 to 6 months | Permanent contract | 6 to 12 months | Project-based |
| Ideal for | SMEs and scale-ups CHF 1 to 20M | Companies > CHF 20M | Heavy execution needs | Punctual skill |
Fractional CMO
- Monthly costCHF 2'000 to 6,000
- Seniority10 to 20 years
- Strategic visionYes, client-side
- Operational executionSteering + selection
- Minimum engagement3 to 6 months
- Ideal forSMEs and scale-ups CHF 1 to 20M
In-house CMO
- Monthly costCHF 13,000 to 18,000
- SeniorityDepends on hiring
- Strategic visionYes, full-time
- Operational executionDelegates to team
- Minimum engagementPermanent contract
- Ideal forCompanies > CHF 20M
Agency
- Monthly costCHF 5'000 to 25,000
- SeniorityMixed (junior to senior)
- Strategic visionLimited to its scope
- Operational executionYes (production)
- Minimum engagement6 to 12 months
- Ideal forHeavy execution needs
Freelancer
- Monthly costCHF 1'500 to 6,000
- SeniorityOften specialised
- Strategic visionRarely cross-functional
- Operational executionYes (on their scope)
- Minimum engagementProject-based
- Ideal forPunctual skill
For a growing Swiss SME, a Fractional CMO combines seniority, client-side vision and controlled cost · the three criteria no other model brings together at the same time.
Our offers
3 levels of engagement based on your needs
From one-time diagnostics to ongoing marketing leadership · choose the intensity that suits you.
Flash Mission
Audit & roadmap
A complete marketing diagnostic in 2 weeks. You leave with a prioritized action plan, quick wins and a 6-month roadmap.
- 360° marketing audit
- Competitive analysis
- Prioritized action plan
- Operational recommendations
Monthly Support
1 to 2 days per month
A strategic sparring partner on a daily basis. Coaching your teams, managing vendors and continuous campaign optimization.
- Monthly strategic sessions
- Vendor management
- Reporting & KPIs
- Continuous email support
Part-Time CMO
3 to 4 days per month
A true marketing director integrated into your team. Strategy, management, execution and daily operational leadership.
- Complete marketing leadership
- Team management
- Operational execution
- Board participation
Average leads generated
To structure your marketing
Renewal rate
SMEs supported in Switzerland
Use cases
When does a Swiss SME need a Fractional CMO?
Product or service launch
Clarify positioning, build the go-to-market plan and coordinate every launch channel.
Growing Swiss SME
Move from founder-led marketing to clear ownership, priorities and measurable commercial outcomes.
Marketing restructuring
Align scattered teams, agencies and campaigns behind one plan and one set of KPIs.
Expansion across Switzerland
Adapt your message, channels and acquisition plan for multilingual Swiss regions or new markets.
Leadership gap
Maintain strategic and operational continuity while recruiting or between senior marketing hires.
Everything you want to know about Fractional CMOs
Let's discuss your marketing strategy
A first 20-minute exchange to understand your challenges, no commitment.