AI Proficiency: A Must-Have for Fractional CMOs
CMO AI Fluency
Fractional CMOs Can’t Afford to Ignore AI
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is no longer optional for marketing leadership—it’s now part of the job description. If you’re hiring a fractional CMO and they aren’t comfortable with how AI is shaping strategy and execution, you may be leaving results on the table.
What the data says about AI—and why it matters to your marketing strategy
The Marketing AI Institute’s 2025 State of Marketing AI Report, based on nearly 1,900 respondents, reinforces this point. The data shows that marketers are advancing quickly in their AI adoption, and those in leadership roles must do the same.
Access the 2025 State of Marketing AI Report: https://www.stateofmarketingai.com
“Marketing leaders who aren’t guiding their teams on how to use AI will soon find themselves led by those who are.”
— 2025 State of Marketing AI Report
Key Takeaways from the 2025 State of Marketing AI Report:
- 87% of respondents say AI is important or very important to their marketing success this year.
- 63% say their understanding and adoption of AI is intermediate or advanced—an 18-point jump from 2023.
- The top outcomes teams want from AI include: saving time, generating insights, increasing ROI, and personalizing customer experiences.
- 68% of companies still don’t provide AI training; 62% offer no prompt engineering education.
- Just 19% of marketing teams have a roadmap to prioritize AI initiatives—despite evidence that those who do are 2x more likely to have supporting infrastructure.
What This AI Data Means for Fractional CMOs
Fractional CMOs are brought in to drive strategy—but how they execute that strategy matters just as much. With AI reshaping how work gets done, the most effective ones are using it to make better decisions, improve efficiency, and focus on what moves the business forward.
Here’s how an AI-aware CMO creates business value:
- Smarter Decisions: Driven by AI Insights AI-powered tools can quickly analyze performance, segment audiences, and recommend actions. A capable CMO should know how to spot the signal in the data and translate it into smarter decisions.
For example: Using tools like HubSpot’s predictive lead scoring, a CMO can prioritize marketing efforts based on real user behavior—not assumptions. It’s how your CMO can zero in on what actually improves conversions—not just clicks or impressions.
- Better Personalization. Most teams don’t have the time, or the headcount, to personalize every touchpoint. AI makes it possible. A strong CMO knows how to use it to tailor messaging by audience, behavior, or timing, so your marketing is more efficient and more effective at the same time.
For example: A CMO using HubSpot can set up automated workflows and smart content rules that adjust emails and landing pages based on who’s engaging. It’s a simple way to deliver more relevant user experiences.
- More time for what actually moves the business
AI takes on the heavy lifting: drafting content briefs, summarizing performance and creating actionable to-do list, even pulling together first-pass decks—so your CMO can spend more time where it counts: making strategic descitions, not formatting slides and writing email copy.
For example: For example: A CMO might create a custom GPT trained on your brand voice to draft briefs, social posts, or email nurtures. They can also use tools like Beautiful.ai and Looker to prep decks and surface insights, so conversations shift from “what happened” to “what’s next.
SMB CEOs: Is Your Fractional CMO Thinking This Way?
AI has already changed how marketing gets done. Your CMO should know how to use it to improve outcomes, not just keep up.
You need someone who can:
- Spot where AI can improve the customer experience or marketing performance
- Choose tools based on business impact, not AI hype
- Help the team use AI in ways that are efficient, responsible, and grounded in strategy
Look for someone who:
- Can name specific tools they’ve used and what outcomes they achieved
- Has applied AI in real workflows, like campaign planning, content creation, and reporting
- Thinks practically about where AI belongs—and where it doesn’t
How to Assess AI Fluency in a Fractional CMO
Wade Foster, CEO of Zapier, uses a four-level framework to measure AI fluency. Small business CEOs can apply the same lens to fractional CMO hires:
1️⃣ Unacceptable: Resistant to AI tools and skeptical of their value.
Example of Unacceptable AI Skill: A CMO who avoids tools like ChatGPT or has not explored automation for basic tasks. May see AI as unnecessary and keep relying on the same manual tools and outdated tactics, like sending the same email to every contact or building reports by hand.
2️⃣ Capable: Uses the most popular tools, with less than a year of hands-on experience.
Example of Capable AI Skill: CMO knows how to use ChatGPT or Gemini for writing help, social posts, or brainstorming. May have dabbled in trying new tools. Confidence is growing, but they haven’t yet worked AI into their day-to-day workflow.
3️⃣ Adoptive: Embeds AI in daily workflows
Example of Adoptive AI Skill: CMO connects tools to move from insight to execution—like analyzing campaign performance in HubSpot, using ChatGPT to draft a refreshed content plan, then automating email or ad delivery through AI-powered workflows.
4️⃣ Transformative: Builds what didn’t exist before. Turns AI into breakthrough strategy that shifts thinking and drives next-level growth.
Example of Transformative AI Skill: This CMO doesn’t just use AI to speed things up—they use it to reimagine what’s possible. They rethink strategy, reshape how teams work, and build user-facing experiences that simply weren’t feasible two years ago. From dynamic onboarding flows to real-time personalization or predictive planning, they use AI to create value that sets the business apart.
This four-level framework can help you quickly identify whether your CMO is simply dabbling or truly integrating AI to move your business forward.
Tip: Put a Simple AI Use Policy in Place
Only 34% of companies have a generative AI policy. As you further implement AI in your business, it helps to define:
- What’s acceptable use of AI-generated content
- How you’ll maintain transparency with customers
- Your stance on accuracy, privacy, and data ethics
Want to go deeper on scaling AI inside your business?
The Marketing AI Institute offers free on-demand classes, including practical sessions on how to integrate and scale AI across your marketing team. Great starting point if you’re building buy-in or just getting your arms around the tech.
👉 Take me to Marketing AI Institute’s AI Academy Free Classes Page
The Bottom Line: Don’t Hire a CMO Who’s Behind on AI
AI has already reshaped how marketing gets done. Your CMO doesn’t need to chase every tool—but they do need to know what’s worth using, what to ignore, and how to lead the organization through it.
Need a part-time marketing leader who brings both strategic depth with AI fluency?
I help B2B small business CEOs set the right priorities, build marketing systems that scale, and use AI where it drives results.
Book a free 30-minute strategy conversation to see what modern, AI-aware marketing leadership could look like for business. We’ll talk about your goals, your concerns, and whether fractional marketing leadership is the right fit—with no pressure, no jargon, and no “selling.”
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About Jessica Kelley
Founder and CEO
Jessica Kelley has more than two decades of experience in marketing and finance, with a focus on B2B and B2C channels. She has worked extensively within the healthcare, consumer, commercial, and software industries in diverse environments ranging in size from a $200 billion corporation to a startup firm.
Jessica is the founder of HPZ Marketing, an interim CMO and fractional CMO company and is certified by the Women’s Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC) as a Women’s Business Enterprise and Women Owned Small Business (WOSB). They provide interim and fractional executive marketing services to help businesses achieve marketing ROI with executable strategy and a relentless focus on customer acquisition and retention. Learn more about hiring an interim or fractional CMO for your business.