Why Marketing Leadership Should Start with Strategy—And a Fractional CMO

Too often, marketing is treated as a nice-to-have—a supporting act, an afterthought, or worse, a reactionary fix when sales dip. But any business owner who’s lived through aggressive growth, expansion, or the unpredictability of franchising knows the truth:

Marketing isn’t an accessory to the business. It is the business driver.
Brand awareness, lead generation, franchisee support, customer loyalty, digital presence—it all runs through marketing.

And yet, many growing businesses still struggle with how to structure marketing leadership in a way that’s both strategic and sustainable. That’s where the fractional marketing model comes in.

Start With a Fractional CMO, Grow from There

Hiring a Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) can feel like a huge leap—one that many growing companies hesitate to make. But here’s the reframe:

You don’t have to start with a full-time, executive-level salary.
You can start with a fractional marketing leader—someone who brings CMO-level thinking, builds the strategy, and guides execution from day one.

This role isn't about outsourcing your marketing—it’s about owning it at a high level without the overhead. It's having a senior leader in your corner who aligns with leadership, brings clarity, and ensures everything marketing touches has a purpose tied to growth.

Especially in Franchising, Alignment is Everything

Franchise systems face a unique challenge:
You need consistent branding across multiple locations—yet each location has its own local needs, goals, and personalities.

A strong marketing foundation must:

• Develop systems that scale

• Support franchisees with marketing toolkits and localized campaigns

• Balance corporate control with local autonomy

• Align with sales and operations—not sit siloed from them

This is exactly the kind of marketing leadership a fractional CMO delivers. Not only are they developing the playbook—they’re also training the players, managing the field, and ensuring the score reflects the effort.

The Role Evolves

The beauty of starting with a fractional CMO is that the role is built to evolve.

As your internal team grows, as processes become repeatable, and as your business scales, that fractional leader can help you transition to a full-time CMO or build an in-house team—intentionally, and with the right structure from the start.

What you’re avoiding is chaos. You’re skipping the trial-and-error stage of hiring the wrong people or investing in scattered efforts. You’re putting in a system that works, then handing off a well-oiled machine when the time is right.

This Is Exactly What We Do at Rise Above It Marketing

At Rise Above It Marketing, we’ve worked with franchises, small to mid-sized brands, and multi-location businesses to do just that.

We step in as fractional marketing leaders, bringing strategy, structure, and hands-on oversight to:

• Paid media (Google, Meta, LinkedIn, display)

• Local and national campaign strategy

• SEO and content planning

• Email marketing and CRM integration

• Brand messaging and creative oversight

• Franchisee marketing support systems
  

We don’t just build plans—we drive them forward. We partner with sales and leadership. We bring decades of experience—and we’re there until your internal team is ready to take the reins.

If you’re building a franchise brand, scaling a regional business, or simply tired of treating marketing like a guessing game, a fractional model might be your smartest first step.

You don’t have to figure it all out alone.
You just have to start with someone who can lead with clarity.

Interested in learning how Rise Above It Marketing could support your next chapter?
Visit riseaboveitmarketing.com or reach out directly for a conversation.

Why a Small, Always-On Google Performance Max Campaign Is a Smart Move for Any Marketing Budget

We believe in smart growth, strategic action, and building momentum—no matter where you start. When it comes to marketing, success doesn’t always come from the biggest budgets or flashiest launches. Often, it’s the small, consistent strategies that make the biggest impact over time.

One powerful move that perfectly reflects this mindset: always running a small Google Performance Max campaign. No matter how large or small your marketing budget may be, dedicating a small daily spend to a Performance Max campaign can help you stay consistent, visible, and resilient in any market.

Why Keep a Small Budget Running at All Times?

Google’s Performance Max campaigns are built for optimization and resilience—key values we stand behind at Rise Above It. Performance Max taps into all of Google's channels—Search, Display, YouTube, Gmail, and Maps—and dynamically shifts spend based on what’s working best in real time.

With a daily budget as low as $10 per day, you can maintain powerful brand visibility without draining your resources. A small, strategic move that rises above the noise and delivers real value.

Key benefits include:

• Sustained Brand Visibility: Stay top-of-mind, always present for your customers even when they’re not actively searching.

• Smart Support for High-Intent Moments: Consistency pays off when buyers are ready to act.

• Automated Retargeting: Let the platform find and re-engage those who already know your brand but haven’t converted yet.

• Influence Over Time: Intent is sparked through consistency. Especially for larger investments like home improvement or luxury purchases, consistent exposure builds trust and fuels future action.

Consistency Creates Opportunity

We understand that marketing isn’t just about waiting for customers to find you during high-intent moments—it’s about being visible enough to spark intent before it even fully forms.

When customers see your brand consistently—through workwear promotions, home project ideas, or seasonal offers—you aren't just reacting to demand, you're influencing it. You’re shaping their perception, building authority, and creating an advantage long before they begin the buying process.

“A small, steady campaign helps you rise above the competition in subtle, meaningful ways.”

Real-World Proof

At Rise Above It, we’ve seen firsthand how consistent campaigns deliver consistent results:
A local home renovation company invested just $10 per day in Performance Max while running larger seasonal pushes. Over six months:

• Website traffic grew by 22%.

• Retargeting click-through rates doubled.

• The Performance Max campaign achieved a 3.4x Return on Ad Spend (ROAS).

Small steps. Big impact. That’s how you rise.

Keeping a small Google Performance Max campaign running isn't just a budget decision—it’s a strategic move rooted in consistency, resilience, and influence.

By staying visible, engaging potential buyers early, and using data to optimize every move, you can rise above your competitors—and above market noise—to create real, lasting connections with your audience.

At Rise Above It, we champion smart, sustainable strategies. And a small, steady Performance Max campaign? It’s one of the smartest ways to support your brand’s growth.

BEGIN TODAY!

How to Check Your Website’s SEO Health—and Why Ongoing Optimization Matters

When’s the last time you gave your website a check-up?

Just like your health, your website’s performance and visibility need regular monitoring—and not just a couple times a month. At Rise Above It Marketing, we believe SEO and performance optimization isn’t something you “set and forget.” It’s something we touch weekly—if not daily—to keep our clients at the top of their game.

Whether you’re a business owner trying to understand where you stand or a marketing manager doing a quick diagnostic, these tools will give you a clear picture of what’s working—and what needs help.

Top Tools to Grade Your Website SEO & Performance

Here are some powerful (and mostly free) tools you can use to quickly assess your digital presence:

1. SEMrush Site Audit

This powerhouse tool does more than scan your site—it uncovers technical issues, crawl errors, duplicate content, missing meta data, and gives you a health score. Bonus: You can also track keywords, backlinks, and competitor activity.

Rise Above It Fix: We go beyond the report and actually resolve the errors that affect your rankings—weekly.

2. SpyFu

SpyFu is like having a peek into your competitors’ playbooks. It shows you what keywords they rank for, how much they spend on ads, and which backlinks help them perform.

Rise Above It Fix: We use these insights to position your brand ahead in the SEO game with smarter content and ad strategies.

3. GTmetrix

Site speed impacts both SEO and user experience. GTmetrix evaluates load times, page structure, image sizing, and gives performance scores. A slow website can kill your conversion rate.

Rise Above It Fix: We optimize everything from image compression and code structure to plug-in performance, ensuring your website is lightning fast.

Check how we scored here: GTmetrix Report

4. Pingdom Website Speed Test

Another excellent site speed tool with a global testing network. It measures how fast your site loads from various regions and breaks down what’s slowing it down.

Rise Above It Fix: We ensure optimal load times for users wherever they are—and monitor it weekly.

5. HubSpot’s Website Grader

Perfect for a high-level snapshot. It evaluates SEO, mobile responsiveness, performance, and security in seconds.

Take your website for a spin: Website Grader

Rise Above It Fix: After reviewing the grades, we implement structured changes—from metadata to site architecture—to improve scores quickly.

Bonus: Social Media Check-Up Tools

Your website is only part of the equation. Strong digital brands also have aligned, optimized, and consistent social media.

• Metricool – Track engagement, follower growth, post-performance, and optimize content timing.

• Later’s Instagram Analyzer – Helps uncover what types of content and hashtags are actually working.

• [Canva Pro Brand Kit Audit] – Use your Brand Kit to maintain visual consistency and analyze what’s being used (or not).

Rise Above It Fix: We audit your brand presence across all channels and standardize design, tone, and performance to improve consistency and credibility.

Why Weekly Optimization Matters

Most agencies plug in your SEO settings, set up a couple pages, and circle back once or twice a month—if that.

At Rise Above It Marketing, we don’t take shortcuts. We believe SEO and performance are living, breathing functions of your business and should be treated as such. That’s why we:

• Monitor and fix errors weekly (sometimes daily)

• Update and optimize content regularly based on search trends

• Adjust backlinks and keyword focus as competition shifts

• Track social, traffic, and conversion data to make real-time improvements

Need Help Interpreting Your Results?

These tools can highlight what’s wrong—but not how to fix it. That’s where we come in.

Whether your site scored a C+ or is simply underperforming in search, Rise Above It Marketing can help you fix the root causes, create a stronger content strategy, and boost your visibility across all platforms.

Let’s elevate your brand, one audit at a time.

Explore Our Services |Book a Consultation

From Idea to Impact: How to Master Storytelling, Storyboarding & Scriptwriting for Video

Video content isn’t optional anymore — it’s essential. Whether you're launching a new product, introducing your brand, or educating your audience, a great video starts with one thing: a compelling story.

At Rise Above It Marketing, we know that strategy matters as much as style. That’s why our video creation process begins with storytelling and ends with a script and storyboard that connect emotionally, visually, and strategically.

Whether you’re creating a 15-second social teaser or a 5-minute brand film, here’s how we approach storytelling that sticks.

1. Start with the Story — Not the Shot List

Every powerful video starts with a clear, emotionally resonant message.
Ask:

• What do you want the viewer to feel?

• What should they remember?

• What action should they take after watching?
  

This is where brand strategy meets narrative structure. Your story should align with your core values, customer pain points, and ultimate goals — not just be pretty visuals on screen.

Our Process:
We help brands craft video narratives using classic storytelling frameworks (like problem > solution > transformation) to ensure a clear and memorable message.

2. Build a Visual Blueprint with Storyboarding

Once the message is locked, it’s time to bring it to life visually.

A storyboard is your video’s visual roadmap — a series of frames that outline how the script translates into on-screen moments. It helps clients (and production teams) visualize the sequence, pacing, transitions, and tone before the camera starts rolling.

Storyboarding also helps:

• Identify visual gaps early

• Align everyone on set design, motion, and mood

• Speed up production and avoid costly edits later
  

Tools We Use:
From pencil sketches to tools like Canva, Boords, or Frame.io, we storyboard based on the style and complexity of each project.

3. Write a Script That Speaks (and Converts)

Scriptwriting isn’t just about words — it’s about rhythm, tone, and call to action. A good script mirrors your brand voice while moving the story forward naturally.

Our scriptwriting strategy includes:

• Opening with a hook

• Breaking complex ideas into conversational bites

• Ending with a clear CTA (call to action)

• Matching pacing to platform (short-form for social, long-form for storytelling)
  

We script with the platform in mind:

• Short-form (0:15–0:60): TikTok, Instagram Reels, YouTube Shorts

• Mid-form (1–2 min): Product explainers, testimonials

• Long-form (2–5+ min): Brand videos, trade show loops, educational content
  
  

Bonus: We also prep for VO (voiceover), on-camera dialogue, and add direction for pacing, pauses, and tone in our annotated scripts.

4. Optimize Your Story for Each Platform

Not all platforms play by the same rules. What works for YouTube won’t always work on Instagram. A polished commercial may not connect in a lo-fi TikTok space.

That’s why we build stories with multi-format adaptability:

• Vertical vs. horizontal orientation

• Captions vs. audio-forward

• Silent scrolling vs. thumb-stopping first frames

We don’t just write for a screen — we write for every screen.

5. Create with Strategy and Soul

At Rise Above It Marketing, we combine creative direction with marketing precision. Every frame we storyboard and every script we write is designed to drive emotion and action.

Our video services include:

• Brand and promotional storytelling

• Product explainers

• Trade show loop videos

• Recruitment and culture spotlights

• Custom reels and shorts for social
  

Whether you’re pitching to investors, speaking to customers, or recruiting talent — your story deserves to be told with clarity and creativity.

Ready to Bring Your Brand to Life on Screen?

Let’s turn your message into a visual experience. We’ll help you script, storyboard, and produce video content that informs, inspires, and performs.