Education CMO—On Demand
Executive-level marketing leadership that drives growth without the cost of a full-time hire.
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What Is a Fractional CMO?
A Fractional CMO (Chief Marketing Officer) is a senior marketing leader who works part-time with your institution to set strategy, lead execution, and build a sustainable system for enrollment and revenue growth.
Why It Matters (now more than ever)
Schools are facing shifting demographics, policy changes, heavy competition, and tighter budgets. Enrollment growth is harder to achieve, and what may have worked previously is just not enough. What's needed now is strategic thinking and marketing leadership that removes the noise, aligns teams, and directs strategies and resources toward what truly drives enrollment.
Here’s what that looks like in practice:
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Strategic Clarity. One unified strategy and performance visibility that eliminates noise and shows what is actually driving results.
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Accountable Leadership. Executive-level guidance that aligns strategies, people, budgets, and partners to stay on plan and deliver.
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Funnel Optimization. From awareness to enrollment, every step of the student journey is optimized to convert interest into action.
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Enduring Capability. Playbooks, systems, and dashboards that strengthen teams and keep growth sustainable beyond any single campaign.
Blending Creativity & Strategy
Sonority Group's Fractional CMO & Advisory practice is led by co-founder Chris Davie. He has spent over two decades helping schools grow. With a background in music production and education leadership, he brings a unique mix of creativity and clarity to guiding institutions. His focus is on aligning strategies, teams, and execution to build long-term growth enginees.
What We Do
We deliver strategy and execution under one roof. Whether leading your staff and vendors or executing directly through our in-house team, we maximize the effectiveness of your entire enrollment marketing system.
Create Clear Direction
Through market analysis, competitor insight, and positioning work, we provide a strategic roadmap that prioritizes resources and sets a clear course for sustainable enrollment growth.
Provide Hands-on Leadership
We take ownership of the strategic plan, align staff and vendors, and establish a cadence of accountability so teams stay focused and execution doesn’t stall.
Build Stronger Funnels
From first click to application, we diagnose friction points, redesign student journeys, and apply conversion strategies that consistently builds interest into inquiries and enrollments.
Provide Actionable Reporting
We build dashboards and run regular performance reviews that reduce data overload, highlight what’s working, and guide fast, confident decision-making.
Build Lasting Capability
We provide playbooks, templates, and coaching that build institutional marketing strength, so your results continue well beyond our engagement.
Provide Agency Support
When needed, our in-house agency steps in to deliver across paid media, content, SEO/SEM, marketing automation, and web/UX. We ensure strategy is not only planned but fully supported.
Schedule Strategy Review with Our CMO
Let’s start growing enrollments!
Our Engagement Models
Each engagement model is fully integrated with your institution. At every level, you gain a marketing leader who brings clarity, builds alignment, and helps steer growth priorities as part of your executive team.
Strategic Advisor
Clarity & Counsel
When you need clarity and direction and already have staff to execute.
- Independent perspective on your marketing and enrollment strategy
- Quarterly roadmap and KPI reviews to keep leadership aligned
- Board-ready updates and on-call counsel for critical decisions
CMO Oversight
Alignment & Accountability
When you need steady leadership to align your team and vendors with growth priorities.
- Comprehensive growth plan and channel strategy
- Weekly priorities and executive dashboard for visibility
- Vendor coordination and campaign oversight to ensure alignment and ROI
CMO Partner
Steering & Full Ownership
When you need embedded leadership and agency support to drive growth end-to-end.
- Interim CMO leadership that is part of your executive team, helping steer the institution’s growth priorities and long-term direction
- Direct ownership of the marketing plan, including team management and partner integration
- Strategy-driven execution delivered by our in-house agency, with KPIs tied to enrollment and revenue outcomes
Example Timeline
Weeks 1-2
Audit & clarity (funnel, messaging, media, martech, quick wins list).
Weeks 3–6
Roadmap & rebuild (prioritized plan, dashboards).
Weeks 3–6
Weeks 7–12
Launch & optimize (campaigns live, weekly sprints, measurable lift).
Weeks 13+
Scale (Ongoing strategy, campaign, and performance optimizations).
Weeks 13+
Growth!
What Clients Say
Partnering with Sonority Group has been a game-changer for Kable Academy. Their expert guidance in lead generation, SEO strategy, and overall marketing advising has helped us scale from a regional presence to a national one with confidence. They act as true strategic partners, constantly optimizing performance and aligning with our goals to deliver results.
Chris Ellison
President - Kable Academy
Working with the Sonority Group has been transformative for our school. Their expertise in digital marketing and lead generation has significantly increased our inbound opportunities, while supporting our CRM implementation and streamlining our internal processes. The redesign and rebuild of our website not only elevated our brand but also improved user experience and conversion rates. We couldn’t be happier with the results!
Helen Chamoun
Owner/Director - Technology Learning Center
I have had the pleasure of working closely with Chris Davie and the Sonority Group team for nearly 2 decades. Knowledgable, seasoned, and reliable, defines thier model. Any organization who chooses to work with Chris and his team will be in good hands, and will undoubtably yield positive results from their professionalism and extensive edu expertise.
Dr. Joshua Grau
Vice President of Academic Affairs - AIMM
Sonority Group has been instrumental in helping us engage with prospective students. Their strategic and creative work has allowed us to communicate our values in ways that feel authentic, relevant, and inspiring.
Cathy Baird
President - Dark Horse Institute
Frequent Questions
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How is this different from an agency retainer?
We lead the entire marketing system as your CMO, unifying internal teams and outside vendors under one strategy, execution plan, and performance dashboard. When execution support is needed, our in-house agency team can step in and deliver across the enrollment marketing journey.
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Can Sonority Group also handle execution?
Yes. We’re a CMO-led firm with an in-house agency. We can lead your internal team and vendors or deliver the work directly (SEO/SEM, social, content, marketing automation, web/UX). Our agency team can augment yours or be your team. One plan, one dashboard, accountable outcomes.
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Are there minimum engagement requirements?
Yes. Three months to establish the baseline, build your marketing ecosystem, and define the unified strategy. Most engagements last six months to multiple years.
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Do you replace staff if we have a marketing team?
No. We support and empower your team while filling gaps where necessary. We provide best-in-class strategy, leadership, and expert marketing execution so everyone wins.
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Can you work with our current agency?
Yes. Our purpose is to achieve your goals regardless of who executes the day to day. We align all partners to one strategic plan and measure performance against shared KPIs.
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What about pricing?
Our fees are scaled to the engagement level and scope. The best way to understand what cost might look like for your organization is to submit an information request. Next we will schedule an initial call at no cost to you and together decide how best to proceed.
About Sonority Group
We’re a team of marketing, technology, and education management experts dedicated to helping schools grow. As former school leaders, we bring a unique perspective and a deep understanding of the complexities of running institutions and the recruitment strategies needed to succeed.
Our approach combines human expertise with the power of technology to design and execute enrollment growth initiatives. From building conversion-focused websites to implementing targeted advertising, SEO, and marketing automation, we create solutions tailored to the unique needs of each school.
Every institution has its own story to tell, and we're here to make sure it's told.