Senior marketing leadership, without the full-time hire
Tietgen X gives owner-led businesses an experienced marketer who owns the strategy, the priorities, the budget and the agencies, and then proves the marketing is working.
You're growing, but marketing feels scattered
Most founders don't need another tool or agency. They need someone senior to set the direction, prioritise the budget and keep things moving.
Between your team and your agencies
Senior marketing leadership, part-time, without the commitment of a full-time executive.
A fractional CMO sits between internal teams and external agencies. Unlike an agency, the job is leadership, priorities and decisions, not delivering individual campaigns. Unlike a full-time hire, you get that judgement without the cost, the risk or the long commitment.
It works best when there is already activity underway, a team, agencies, tools and data, and what is missing is someone experienced to connect the dots, challenge the assumptions and concentrate the effort where it will matter most.
Where it sits
An agency
Delivers campaigns. Paid to keep delivering them.
A full-time CMO
Owns the outcome, at a full-time salary and a full-time risk.
A fractional CMO
Owns the outcome, for the days a month your business actually needs.
An experienced marketing leader in your corner
Led by Steve Tietgen · 20+ years of senior marketing leadership across retail, media and B2B, including Accent Group, Foxtel and Telstra. About Steve →
And not only direction. Most businesses don’t need another strategy deck, they need the work to move. Fractional CMO sets the direction and holds your team and agencies to it. Fractional CMO Plus adds the doing: email campaigns, website updates, CRM, SEO and paid ads, content and reporting.
Strategy & direction
A clear plan for where growth comes from, and what to do first with the budget you have.
Positioning & messaging
Say what you do clearly and stand out, so every marketing dollar works harder.
Lead generation, CRM & conversion
A repeatable way to generate enquiries, capture them in a CRM and a reliable process to follow them up.
Agency management
We brief, coordinate and hold your freelancers and agencies accountable to results.
Performance & reporting
Clear reporting against goals, so decisions are based on numbers, not guesswork.
Practical systems
Sensible tools and automation to cut manual admin, used selectively and with human oversight.
A straightforward way to get started
- 01
Assess
Take the free Marketing Check-Up so we understand where you stand. About 10 minutes.
- 02
Get a recommendation
Your answers are scored straight away against a framework Steve built, and you get a recommended level of support. The paid assessment adds his review of your answers and your website.
- 03
Start the engagement
Book a consultation, agree the plan, and get a senior marketer leading your marketing.
- 04
Lead and execute
Clear priorities, hands-on support and regular reviews, with progress visible in your portal.
The free Marketing Check-Up
Free, online, and no obligation. Answer a few questions about your strategy, marketing, leads and measurement. We score ten areas, show where your next growth will come from, and recommend the level of marketing support that fits.
- Marketing maturity score across ten areas
- Your priorities, ranked by impact
- A recommended level of support
- Instant results, nothing to wait for
Northbay Outdoor Co
Marketing plan · Q3
Marketing maturity
Leads (last 7 weeks)
+38% vs last quarter
This quarter's priorities
- 1Sharpen positioning & messagingIn progress
- 2Stand up lead follow-up processThis month
- 3Launch Q3 referral campaignPlanned
Fractional marketing, at your level
Fractional Marketing Advisor
Senior marketing guidance and accountability, every month.
Scale support up or down as you grow
Start with the free assessment, step into monthly advisory, or bring in a full Fractional CMO with execution as well. Three-month initial period, then month to month.
What it looks like when marketing is actually led
No magic numbers, just the shift most founders feel once someone senior owns the plan.
One clear plan
Scattered, stop-start activity becomes a single prioritised plan, with owners, timing and a reason behind each choice.
Fewer leads slipping away
Enquiries get followed up properly instead of going cold, so more of the demand you already create turns into work.
Your time back
You stop being the de facto marketing department. Direction, coordination and accountability sit with your marketing lead.
What clients say
“Steve has been leading our marketing for over 12 months and has become an invaluable part of our business. As our Fractional CMO, he has brought the strategic direction and leadership we needed, while working alongside our team to turn ideas into action. From redesigning our membership offering and developing our CRM and email engagement strategy to improving our website, SEO, social presence, and managing our digital agency, Steve has consistently delivered practical, commercially focused solutions that have strengthened our business and positioned us for future growth.”
“Working with Steve has made a real difference to Ross Tours. He quickly understood our business, our customers, and where the biggest opportunities for growth were. From helping shape our US expansion strategy and digital marketing to improving our customer experience, Steve brought clear strategic direction while also helping us execute. His commercial mindset and practical approach have been invaluable, and he's become a trusted adviser to our business.”
“Steve worked with us as a marketing consultant, supporting us across our digital strategy, customer journey, and broader marketing initiatives. He brought a fresh perspective to the business and encouraged us to think more strategically about our marketing and customer experience. His recommendations were practical, commercially focused and straightforward to implement, helping us bring greater structure and clarity to our marketing and decision-making.”
Senior support, priced for owner-led businesses
Transparent engagement levels. Pick the one that fits and adjust as you grow.
Fractional Marketing Advisor
$1,990
per month
Senior marketing guidance and accountability, every month.
Fractional CMO
Price on application
Scoped to your business
Active marketing leadership without the full-time cost.
Fractional CMO Plus
Price on application
Scoped to your business
Marketing leadership plus execution.
See where your next growth will come from
Take the free Marketing Check-Up: your marketing scored across ten areas, one opportunity identified, and one recommended next step. About ten minutes, no obligation.