What does a fractional CMO for HR tech actually do?
I set your marketing direction and do the work, so there’s no handover to an account team and no junior learning your market on your budget. In practice, the work falls into four areas:
- Get clear on the market. Positioning, messaging and a practical go-to-market plan, built around how CHROs and HR leaders in Asia actually evaluate software.
- Give sales something useful to work with. Campaigns, content and sales-supporting assets designed to start relevant conversations with HR buyers, not just fill a marketing calendar.
- Build authority in the HR market. Whitepapers, articles, video and podcast-led content that helps your company sound like it belongs in the room.
- Reach an audience already interested in HR and work. When it makes sense, your message goes out through the LinkedIn, newsletter, podcast and event channels I’ve spent 12+ years building.
How does an engagement work?
Every engagement starts with the real problem, not a list of deliverables.
- Audit. We look at your market, message, funnel and current marketing. You get my honest read, whether we work together or not.
- Focus. We decide what needs fixing first: the story, the audience, the campaign plan, the content, or the handover between marketing and sales.
- Execute. I build the work with you. The person who sets the strategy also writes, creates, directs and launches it.
- Measure. We review what matters to your sales team: conversations started, sales feedback and pipeline created. We keep what works and cut what doesn’t.
For a VP Sales or revenue lead, that means marketing you can hold to the same standard as your own team: messaging your reps can use with HR buyers, campaigns aimed at the accounts you’re trying to open, and a regular review of what’s turning into conversations and pipeline.
How much does a fractional CMO cost?
S$7,500 a month for about two days a week. It runs month to month with no minimum term, and one month’s notice to end it.
Included: positioning, strategy and hands-on execution; content, campaigns and sales support; direct access to me.
Not included: ad spend; paid tools and software licences; external production such as video crews, designers, printing or event costs; and placements with my audience, which are priced separately.
Fractional CMO vs full-time CMO vs agency
| Fractional CMO (Marketing Sumo) | Full-time CMO | Marketing agency | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Commitment | Month to month, one month’s notice | Permanent hire, plus recruiting time | Retainer, often with a minimum term |
| Who does the work | The person who sets the strategy | A leader who then needs a team | Usually account managers and junior staff |
| HR tech market knowledge | Built in: former HR founder with an existing HR audience | Depends on the hire | Usually learned on your budget |
| Best for | Growth-stage HR tech vendors with a product and a sales motion | Companies ready to build a full marketing department | Companies that need volume production |
Why hire an HR tech specialist?
Because HR buyers are a small, connected community, and they can tell quickly whether a vendor understands them.
- I’ve sat on both sides of the table. Before Marketing Sumo, I spent a decade building HR businesses: more than 3,000 placements, S$30M in revenue and two HR Vendor of the Year awards.
- I already talk to your buyers. 49K+ LinkedIn followers in the HR and HR tech community, 18K+ LinkedIn newsletter subscribers and 2M+ views on future-of-work content over 12+ years.
- I interview HR leaders for a living. I host Rolling Stories, Rolling Arrays’ podcast with senior HR leaders from companies such as Singtel and Central Retail, and aTalent’s Trailblazer Podcast, with guests from Moët Hennessy and Kredivo Group.
- I’ve done this work for HR tech brands. A 2+ year content partnership with Rolling Arrays, the SAP SuccessFactors implementation firm; marketing partner for the launch of People Matters’ TechHR Singapore; and fractional work across people analytics, workforce optimisation, background screening, HRIS partners and HR membership bodies.
I’m also a Penguin Random House author and a top 5% HR influencer on Favikon.
Is this the right fit?
It’s a strong fit if:
- you sell HR technology in Singapore or across Asia;
- you already have a product and a sales motion;
- your CEO, founder or sales leader is still carrying too much of the marketing burden;
- you need senior marketing judgement and hands-on execution;
- you want someone who already understands HR buyers.
It’s probably not the right fit if you only need a cheap content factory, a social-media posting schedule or a large agency team.
Frequently asked questions
What is a fractional CMO?
A fractional CMO is an experienced chief marketing officer who works for your company part-time, usually a set number of days a week. You get senior marketing leadership (strategy, positioning, campaign direction and accountability for results) without the cost and commitment of a full-time executive hire.
How many hours does a fractional CMO work?
A Marketing Sumo engagement is about two days a week. That time goes to the work that moves pipeline: setting direction, writing and creating, reviewing with sales and launching campaigns. It isn't spent on status meetings.
How much does a fractional CMO cost in Singapore?
Marketing Sumo's fractional CMO engagement is S$7,500 a month, pay as you go. It covers positioning, strategy and hands-on execution of content, campaigns and sales support. Ad spend, paid tools, external production and audience placements are billed separately.
Is there a minimum contract?
No minimum term. The engagement runs month to month, and you can end it with one month's notice, as set out in the statement of work. I take on one new fractional client per quarter so each one gets real attention.
Do you only work with HR tech companies?
Yes, for fractional CMO engagements. I work with vendors selling HR technology in Singapore and across Asia, including people analytics, workforce optimisation, background screening, HRIS partners and HR membership bodies. That focus is the point: you don't pay for me to learn your market.
Can you help an HR tech vendor entering Asia?
Yes. If you have a product and a sales motion and you want to win HR buyers in Singapore or the wider region, I can help you adapt your positioning and message to how CHROs and HR leaders here evaluate software, and bring the HR audience I've built in the region.
What happens on the first call?
It's a free 30-minute call with no commitment. You tell me what you sell, where you are and where you're stuck, and I give you my honest read on what I'd fix first, whether or not we end up working together.
Can I just buy access to your audience?
Yes. Newsletter ads, sponsored LinkedIn posts, articles, videos, whitepapers, webinars and keynotes are available as separate one-off services, starting from S$1,200. They're not a substitute for a fractional engagement, but they work well alongside one.