Fractional CMO for Industrial

Ross Kernez is a digital marketer, community builder, mentor, and author. He is the founder of NYC-based SEO Meetup, a group of 2900 marketing professionals who meet monthly to network and discuss the latest trends and happenings in the industry.

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Published: 07.11.2024

As a Fractional CMO for Industrial, I bring over 15 years of proven expertise in driving business growth through innovative and strategic marketing initiatives. Whether you're a small business, start-up, or mid-sized company, my services are tailored to meet your unique needs without the commitment and cost of a full-time executive.Gain access to top-tier marketing leadership without the overhead of a full-time hire. My extensive experience spans various industries, ensuring your business benefits from the latest marketing trends and strategies.

Hiring a Fractional CMO for an industrial business provides specialized marketing expertise tailored to a complex and highly competitive sector. Industrial companies often rely on traditional sales-driven approaches but struggle with modern marketing strategies that generate quality leads and establish industry authority. A Fractional CMO brings experience in B2B marketing, demand generation, and digital transformation, ensuring that the business remains competitive in an evolving market.

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Fractional CMO for Industrial

"If you can work with Ross, make it happen — you won't regret it!"

— Jennifer Anderson

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Why Work With Fractional CMO for Industrial

By partnering with me, you gain access to top-tier marketing leadership, empowering your business to implement cutting-edge strategies specifically tailored to achieve your unique goals. With over 15 years of experience, I bring a wealth of knowledge across various industries, enabling me to adapt seamlessly to the distinct challenges and opportunities your business faces. My approach is comprehensive, incorporating omni-channel marketing, brand development, and demand generation to ensure your business not only stays competitive but also thrives in an ever-evolving marketplace.

In addition to core strategies like lead generation and customer acquisition, I focus on enhancing brand equity, fostering customer loyalty, and optimizing the customer journey across multiple channels. My process is data-driven, ensuring that every decision made is backed by actionable insights, maximizing return on investment (ROI) and streamlining resource allocation.

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What can I bring to your company when you hire me as Fractional CMO for Industrial

With a deep understanding of industrial supply chains, manufacturing processes, and technical audiences, a Fractional CMO crafts strategies that effectively position products and services. They implement targeted marketing efforts such as SEO, content marketing, account-based marketing (ABM), and lead nurturing campaigns that drive conversions. By leveraging data-driven insights, they optimize messaging, refine branding, and enhance digital marketing channels to attract high-value customers.

A major advantage of hiring a Fractional CMO is cost efficiency, allowing industrial businesses to access executive-level marketing leadership without committing to the high expenses of a full-time CMO. Their flexible engagement ensures that marketing strategies align with business growth objectives while maximizing return on investment. Whether launching new products, expanding into new markets, or strengthening customer relationships, a Fractional CMO provides the expertise needed to accelerate growth and stay ahead of the competition.

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Experienced Fractional CMO for Industrial

I have worked in numerous large enterprises within the marketing & SEO departments. Taking these businesses up the search engine result pages (SERPS), these roles formed the bases of my experience.

I have also been fortunate enough to advise & consult numerous smaller and medium businesses across a wide array of verticals and this also greatly enhanced my knowledge about the market and of course how to implement a ‘search’ strategy to garner visibility and generate revenue.

I have also been fortunate enough to participate in some more unique projects

Who is Ross Kernez?

With over 15+ years of experience, I specialize in building marketing systems that consistently attract and retain customers. My approach is rooted in meticulous processes, ensuring that every aspect of my work is efficient, scalable, and impactful. From complex tasks like SEO to comprehensive strategies, I design systems that minimize friction and cost while maximizing results.

Ross is deeply involved in the marketing and tech community, mentoring startups at organizations like Techstars and Starta. He is known for his expertise in search engine optimization, digital marketing, and leveraging data analytics for marketing success.

Here’s some feedback from someone who has worked with Ross

Our experience with a Fractional CMO for our industrial business has been outstanding. They brought a deep understanding of the complexities of the industrial sector, helping us refine our messaging to better connect with both technical buyers and decision-makers. Their approach was highly strategic, focusing on targeted campaigns that significantly improved our lead generation and online presence. We saw measurable improvements in our marketing efforts within the first few months. Their ability to integrate digital marketing with traditional methods made a real difference, and their data-driven insights allowed us to stay competitive in a tough market.

— Oscar T.

The Fractional CMO we hired for our industrial company delivered excellent results. They quickly analyzed our existing marketing efforts and developed a tailored strategy that aligned with our business goals. Their industry expertise was evident, as they helped us fine-tune our messaging to better appeal to our target audience. Their focus on combining digital strategies with industry-specific platforms resulted in increased visibility and stronger lead generation. We also appreciated their collaborative approach with our sales team, ensuring marketing and sales worked together seamlessly. The flexibility of having an expert without a full-time commitment made it a great fit for us.

— George A.

We brought on a Fractional CMO for our industrial business, and the impact was immediate. They helped us revamp our marketing strategy, from SEO to content marketing, all while keeping in mind the unique needs of the industrial sector. Their campaigns generated more qualified leads and improved our overall market positioning. What stood out was their ability to balance digital marketing tactics with traditional approaches, ensuring we reached both modern buyers and more traditional customers. Their leadership and attention to detail were invaluable, and the flexibility of their role allowed us to benefit from top-level marketing without the full-time expense.

— James L.

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My Process

Let's Collaborate

1. Describe your project

2.Schedule a Call

3. Develop Strategic High Level Plan

4. Accountability on both sides

What should you expect from your Fractional CMO for Industrial

When working with a Fractional CMO for an industrial company, you can expect a strategic partner who understands the complexities and technical nuances of the industrial sector. They will begin by thoroughly evaluating your current marketing strategies, identifying gaps in market positioning, lead generation, and customer retention. With their deep knowledge of the industry, they will help refine your messaging to effectively communicate your value proposition to both B2B and B2C audiences, ensuring your marketing speaks directly to decision-makers and technical buyers.

You can also expect them to focus on improving your digital presence, integrating traditional marketing methods with modern digital strategies such as SEO, content marketing, and paid advertising. They will prioritize lead generation efforts through targeted campaigns, often leveraging industry-specific platforms, trade publications, and events. Their approach will be highly data-driven, tracking key metrics to measure the effectiveness of each campaign and making adjustments as needed to optimize ROI.

In addition, they will work closely with your internal sales and product teams to ensure that marketing efforts align with your business goals and product offerings. Their leadership and experience will allow your marketing initiatives to remain scalable and adaptable, helping you stay competitive in the ever-evolving industrial market while keeping a flexible, cost-effective arrangement.

Topics that I can cover

Programmatic Marketing

Growth Marketing

Paid Search Marketing

Paid Social Marketing

Marketing Strategy

Digital PR

SEO Marketing

Social Media Marketing

FAQs

What is a Fractional CMO, and how does this role apply to industrial companies?

A Fractional Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) is a senior marketing leader who works on a part-time, project-based, or temporary basis to provide high-level strategic marketing expertise without the long-term financial commitment of a full-time executive hire. For industrial companies, a fractional CMO offers invaluable guidance in developing and executing marketing strategies tailored to the unique demands of the industrial sector, where products and services often involve complex technologies, longer sales cycles, and highly specialized audiences. Industrial companies operate in a competitive global marketplace, where effective marketing can be the key to distinguishing a company from competitors, driving business growth, and solidifying long-term customer relationships.

In an industrial setting, the role of the fractional CMO is particularly important because many industrial companies have traditionally relied on more conservative marketing strategies. As markets become more competitive and digital tools play an increasingly important role in business, industrial companies need to modernize their marketing approaches to remain competitive. A fractional CMO helps industrial firms navigate this transition, providing strategic oversight for branding, lead generation, digital marketing, and sales enablement efforts.

One of the first tasks a fractional CMO undertakes when working with an industrial company is to conduct a comprehensive audit of the company’s existing marketing efforts. This includes evaluating how well the company’s brand is positioned in the marketplace, assessing the effectiveness of its digital marketing strategies, reviewing sales and marketing alignment, and examining how effectively the company’s products or services are being promoted to the target audience. Based on this analysis, the CMO develops a tailored marketing strategy that aligns with the company’s overall business goals, whether those goals involve expanding market share, increasing sales, or improving brand visibility.

Branding is a critical component of any marketing strategy, and a fractional CMO helps industrial companies refine and strengthen their brand identity. In industries where companies often compete on factors like product quality, innovation, and customer service, having a strong, recognizable brand is essential. The CMO works with the company to define its brand values, tone of voice, and visual identity, ensuring that these elements are consistently communicated across all marketing channels, from the company’s website and social media platforms to its sales materials and trade show exhibits. A strong brand helps build credibility with customers, differentiates the company from competitors, and creates a lasting impression in the minds of potential buyers.

Digital marketing is increasingly important in the industrial sector, where traditional marketing methods such as print advertising, trade shows, and direct mail are giving way to digital tools like websites, social media, and online advertising. A fractional CMO helps industrial companies develop and execute a digital marketing strategy that positions the company for growth in a digital-first world. This often involves optimizing the company’s website to ensure that it is user-friendly, informative, and designed to convert visitors into leads or customers. The CMO also works to improve the company’s search engine optimization (SEO), ensuring that the website ranks highly in search engine results when potential customers search for products or services that the company offers.

SEO is a key component of digital marketing, and a fractional CMO oversees efforts to improve the company’s visibility in search engines like Google. This involves conducting keyword research to identify the terms and phrases that potential customers are using to search for products or services in the industrial sector. The CMO works with the company’s marketing team to incorporate these keywords into website content, product descriptions, blog posts, and meta tags to improve the company’s search engine rankings. SEO is a long-term strategy that helps industrial companies attract more organic traffic to their websites, ultimately generating more leads and driving business growth.

In addition to SEO, a fractional CMO helps industrial companies develop and manage paid advertising campaigns. Pay-per-click (PPC) advertising is an effective way for industrial companies to target specific audiences, such as procurement professionals, engineers, or industrial buyers, who are actively searching for products or services in the market. The CMO creates and manages paid advertising campaigns on platforms like Google Ads, LinkedIn, and industry-specific websites to reach the right audience at the right time. By carefully monitoring the performance of these campaigns and adjusting targeting, messaging, and budget as needed, the CMO ensures that the company’s advertising spend delivers a strong return on investment (ROI).

Content marketing is another key area where a fractional CMO adds value. In the industrial sector, where products are often technical and complex, educational content plays a crucial role in building trust with potential customers. A fractional CMO helps industrial companies develop a content marketing strategy that positions the company as a thought leader in its industry. This might involve creating blog posts, whitepapers, technical guides, case studies, or videos that provide valuable information to the target audience. By producing high-quality content that demonstrates the company’s expertise and solves problems for potential buyers, the company can attract and engage its target audience, ultimately driving lead generation and sales.

Social media marketing is another important aspect of digital marketing for industrial companies, although it is often underutilized in this sector. A fractional CMO helps companies develop a social media strategy that builds brand awareness and engages with potential customers. Platforms like LinkedIn, YouTube, and Twitter offer opportunities for industrial companies to share updates about their products, highlight success stories, promote upcoming events, and engage in conversations with industry professionals. The CMO ensures that social media marketing efforts are aligned with the company’s overall marketing strategy and that social media platforms are used to drive traffic to the company’s website or generate leads.

Lead generation is a central focus of any marketing strategy, and a fractional CMO helps industrial companies develop and optimize lead generation efforts. In industrial markets, the sales cycle can be long and complex, and generating high-quality leads is essential to sustaining growth. The CMO works to create lead generation campaigns that target decision-makers within the company’s ideal customer profile, such as procurement officers, engineers, or plant managers. This might involve creating targeted email marketing campaigns, running digital ads that drive traffic to landing pages with lead magnets like downloadable guides or webinars, or attending industry trade shows to connect with potential customers. The CMO also ensures that leads are properly qualified before they are passed on to the sales team, improving the efficiency of the sales process.

Sales and marketing alignment is another key area where a fractional CMO provides strategic guidance. For industrial companies, the relationship between sales and marketing is critical to success. The sales team relies on marketing to generate leads, create sales enablement materials, and promote the company’s products or services to potential customers. The CMO ensures that both teams are aligned on their goals, processes, and metrics, so that marketing efforts are effectively supporting the sales team’s objectives. This might involve creating sales collateral, such as product brochures, technical data sheets, or case studies that the sales team can use in customer presentations. The CMO also ensures that marketing automation tools and customer relationship management (CRM) systems are properly integrated to streamline lead tracking and communication between marketing and sales.

Data analysis and performance measurement are critical components of a successful marketing strategy, and a fractional CMO helps industrial companies track and analyze key performance indicators (KPIs) to measure the effectiveness of marketing campaigns. This includes tracking metrics such as website traffic, lead generation, conversion rates, and the ROI of digital advertising campaigns. By analyzing this data, the CMO can identify which marketing strategies are delivering the best results and make data-driven decisions to optimize future campaigns. The CMO also provides regular reports to the company’s leadership team, ensuring that they have visibility into the impact of marketing efforts on business outcomes.

For industrial companies that are expanding into new markets, a fractional CMO plays a critical role in developing market entry strategies. Whether the company is looking to expand into new geographic regions or target new customer segments, the CMO helps develop a marketing strategy that supports these growth initiatives. This might involve conducting market research to identify opportunities and risks, developing localized marketing campaigns to resonate with the target audience, and adapting the company’s messaging to appeal to the specific needs of the new market. By carefully planning the market entry strategy, the CMO helps ensure that the company’s expansion efforts are successful.

Another important role of a fractional CMO is managing the company’s presence at industry trade shows, conferences, and events. Trade shows are a key marketing channel for many industrial companies, offering opportunities to connect with potential customers, showcase new products, and build relationships with industry partners. The CMO works to ensure that the company’s presence at trade shows is well-planned and strategically aligned with its marketing goals. This might involve developing trade show booths and displays, coordinating product demonstrations, and creating promotional materials such as brochures or giveaway items. The CMO also helps ensure that the company’s follow-up process after the event is effective, capturing leads and turning them into opportunities for the sales team.

For industrial companies that rely heavily on distributors or resellers, a fractional CMO also plays a key role in developing channel marketing strategies. Channel marketing involves working with distributors, resellers, or partners to promote and sell the company’s products. The CMO works to build strong relationships with channel partners and develops marketing programs that support these partners in their efforts to sell the company’s products. This might involve creating co-branded marketing materials, providing training or sales support, or offering joint promotions or incentives to encourage channel partners to prioritize the company’s products. By strengthening relationships with channel partners and supporting their marketing efforts, the CMO helps expand the company’s reach and drive sales through indirect channels.

Customer retention is another important focus for a fractional CMO in the industrial sector. While attracting new customers is essential, retaining existing customers and building long-term relationships is equally important for sustained business growth. A fractional CMO helps industrial companies develop customer retention strategies that keep customers engaged and loyal to the brand. This might involve creating loyalty programs, offering ongoing support and training, or providing regular updates on product innovations and industry trends. By focusing on retention, the CMO helps ensure that the company maintains strong relationships with its customers and continues to generate revenue from repeat business.

For companies that are undergoing significant changes, such as mergers, acquisitions, or rebranding efforts, a fractional CMO provides the leadership needed to manage these transitions smoothly. These types of changes can disrupt a company’s marketing efforts, but with the right strategic guidance, they can also present opportunities for growth. A fractional CMO helps industrial companies navigate these changes by developing a communication plan that keeps customers, employees, and other stakeholders informed and engaged. The CMO ensures that the company’s messaging is clear and consistent throughout the transition, helping to maintain trust and minimize disruption.

In addition to external marketing efforts, a fractional CMO also helps industrial companies align internal teams around the marketing strategy. Effective marketing requires collaboration between multiple departments, including sales, product development, engineering, and customer service. The CMO ensures that all departments are aligned with the company’s marketing goals and that everyone understands their role in executing the strategy. This might involve leading strategy meetings, communicating key performance indicators (KPIs), and setting clear expectations for how each department contributes to the overall marketing objectives.

A fractional CMO also plays a critical role in navigating the complexities of legal and regulatory compliance in industrial marketing. Depending on the industry, industrial companies may need to comply with specific regulations related to environmental impact, safety standards, or product certifications. The CMO works closely with the company’s legal and compliance teams to ensure that all marketing materials and product claims comply with relevant regulations. This is particularly important for companies operating in highly regulated industries such as chemicals, manufacturing, or energy, where non-compliance can result in legal penalties or damage to the company’s reputation.

Crisis management is another area where a fractional CMO can provide invaluable support. In the industrial sector, companies may face crises such as product recalls, accidents, supply chain disruptions, or negative media coverage. A fractional CMO helps companies develop crisis communication plans to ensure that they are prepared to respond effectively to these challenges. The CMO ensures that the company’s messaging is clear, transparent, and aligned with its values, helping to mitigate the impact of the crisis and protect the company’s reputation. By managing communication during a crisis, the CMO helps maintain trust with customers, employees, and stakeholders.

In conclusion, a Fractional Chief Marketing Officer for industrial companies provides the strategic leadership needed to develop and execute marketing strategies that drive business growth, improve brand recognition, and deliver measurable results. Whether the goal is to optimize digital marketing efforts, generate leads, expand into new markets, or build stronger relationships with customers and channel partners, a fractional CMO brings the expertise and flexibility needed to achieve success. Through a combination of data-driven insights, creative strategies, and industry knowledge, a fractional CMO helps industrial companies navigate the complexities of their market and position themselves for long-term success. With a focus on aligning marketing with business goals, building brand credibility, and driving sales, the fractional CMO plays a critical role in the overall success of industrial companies in an increasingly competitive and digital world.

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Fractional CMO for Industrial

Fractional CMO for Industrial