How much does a fractional CMO cost?
Real price ranges for a full-time marketing director, an agency and a fractional CMO in Poland, and what each one actually buys you.
A full-time marketing director costs a Polish company roughly 27,000 to 35,000 zł a month. A B2B agency usually runs 6,000 to 20,000 zł. A fractional CMO starts at 8,000 zł net, plus a budget for the work itself.
Those three numbers buy three different things. Here is what sits inside each one and when it pays off.
Full-time: you pay for 160 hours, needed or not
The median salary of a marketing director in Poland is 21,470 zł gross a month. Half of them earn between 15,050 and 30,300 zł. Add employer social security (about 20 percent), benefits, equipment and a recruitment process that can take a quarter.
Real total cost: 27,000 to 35,000 zł a month. The risk of a bad hire is all yours. By the time you notice, half a year is gone.
Full-time makes sense when there is a full 160 hours of marketing work every month. In a manufacturing company with a turnover in the low tens of millions, there usually isn’t.
Agency: many hands, little ownership
A B2B agency typically charges 6,000 to 20,000 zł a month for a defined scope: SEO, campaigns, social media. It does what the contract says. Someone else owns sales.
In practice you still need a person on your side to tell the agency what to do and check whether it works. Often that person is the owner. In the evening.
Fractional CMO: one person from strategy to the edit
A fractional CMO is an experienced marketer who runs a company’s entire marketing a few days a month, without a full-time contract. At dabrowskimedia this starts at 8,000 zł net a month for strategy and management, plus a working budget from 5,000 zł net. One person owns the result, one invoice, one phone number.
That is what my three years with BWS Event Support look like. We started from almost nothing. Today marketing brings more than 500 people a year into the company, and the newsletter has an open rate of around 60 percent.
Side by side
| Model | Monthly cost | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Full-time | 27,000 to 35,000 zł (total cost) | Full availability, hiring risk on your side |
| Agency | 6,000 to 20,000 zł (execution only) | Production capacity across channels, strategy stays with you |
| Fractional CMO | from 8,000 zł net + budget from 5,000 zł net | Strategy and execution in one person, ownership of the result |
What drives the price
- Scope. Strategy alone costs differently from running all of marketing including content production.
- Pace. More campaigns and videos per month means a bigger working budget, in every model.
- Industry. Manufacturing adds shop-floor video and technical material. It costs more, and it shortens the path to an enquiry.
Full ranges are on the pricing page, and the scope of work on the fractional CMO page.
How much does a fractional CMO cost in Poland?
At dabrowskimedia from 8,000 zł net a month for strategy and management, plus a working budget from 5,000 zł net. The exact figure is set after the first call, because it depends on scope and pace. See pricing.
Is a fractional CMO cheaper than an agency?
Counting everything, usually yes. An agency bills for execution, and someone still has to add strategy and check the results. A fractional CMO covers both roles on one invoice.
What does the fee include?
The fixed fee covers strategy, planning and ownership of the result. The working budget goes into content, video and campaigns. Both are agreed at the start.
What does a full-time marketing director cost beyond salary?
On top of the 21,470 zł gross median come employer social security, benefits, equipment and recruitment. Realistically 27,000 to 35,000 zł a month.
Want to work out what pays off for you? Book a free online presence audit.