T65 Fractional CMO monthly review
Fractional CMO monthly review
What marketing delivered at Larkspur Cycles in September, read from one record against the agreed metric definitions, with one budget recommendation and one tracking question stated. Prepared by Ruth Adeyemi, fractional CMO at Lantern Row Advisory, for Tessa Lund, head of marketing. Marketing operations by Jamie Park. Status as of October 1, 2026.
Sample template: the firm, people, clients and figures are fictional.
Channel results
September against August, one line per channel. Movement badges show direction only; the reading says whether the movement can be trusted.
| Channel | Measure | August | September | Movement | Reading |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Web store | Orders | 412 | 449 | Orders are counted at checkout, so the tracking update does not touch them | |
| Dealer orders | Orders reported by dealers | 138 | 138 | Dealer reports arrive on a five-day lag, so late September may be understated | |
| Paid social | Cost per order | $164 | $200 | Conversions are counted differently from Sep 12, so this is not a performance finding | |
| Orders within 7 days of a click | 96 | 101 | Small base; read as steady, not as growth |
Figures are sample values for the template.
Live example from the Dashboards app, shown with Larkspur Cycles' demo data. Block dates move forward each week, so they can differ from the sample dates on this page.
Paid social is a tracking question, not a performance finding
The paid social conversion count changed after a tracking update on Sep 12, so September cannot be set against August. Ruth has kept the 22 percent rise in cost per order out of the budget recommendation. Jamie Park confirms the tracking change with the Larkspur web team by Friday, Oct 16, before the October review. Until then, no budget decision should lean on the paid social trend in either direction.
How far to trust each channel
Confidence is Ruth's rating of how safely the September reading can be used for a decision, from 1 (do not use) to 5 (use freely).
Budget recommendation
The recommendation covers November and December. Any extension into next year waits for dealer co-marketing results in the January review.
I would rather see the tracking question stated than a trend I have to defend to finance.
Actions from earlier reviews
Eight actions were accepted in the August and September reviews, all owned by the Larkspur marketing team. Six are complete with evidence, one is in progress and one has not started. At the September review it was five complete and two in progress; the post-purchase email series finished on Sep 30.
- Move the cart abandonment email to one hour after exit
- Add the dealer locator to every e-bike product page
- Publish the commuter fit guide
- Start a weekly dealer order report
- Tag the spring test landing pages consistently
- Rebuild the post-purchase email series (completed Sep 30)
- Collect dealer stock feedback each month (in progress)
- Send the dealer email sequence (not started after 24 days, waiting on product photos)
Live example from the Dashboards app, shown with Larkspur Cycles' demo data, as at the September review.
Dealer email sequence has not started after 24 days
The sequence is waiting on product photos the Larkspur team has not supplied. Ruth is not closing the action. Tessa reassigns the photo request to the Larkspur product team by Monday, Oct 5, and Ruth checks again on Thursday, Oct 8. If the photos are still missing, Ruth escalates to Tessa that day. While it waits, dealers get no sequence ahead of the spring launch.
What happens next month
%%{init: {"gantt": {"useWidth": 920}}}%%
gantt
title October at Larkspur Cycles
dateFormat YYYY-MM-DD
axisFormat %b %d
section Decisions
Budget shift decision by Tessa and finance lead :a1, 2026-10-02, 2026-10-09
section Tracking
Confirm tracking change with the web team :a2, 2026-10-05, 2026-10-16
section Actions
Photo request moved to product team :a3, 2026-10-05, 2026-10-08
Dealer email check and escalation :a4, 2026-10-08, 1d
section Spring launch
Brief handed to the creative partner :a5, 2026-10-12, 1d
section November review
Dealer co-marketing set up if approved :a6, 2026-10-19, 2026-10-30
Month end data close and review assembly :a7, 2026-10-30, 2026-11-03
Prepared and reviewed by
Metric definitions used in this review
| Measure | Definition |
|---|---|
| Web store orders | Completed checkouts in the calendar month |
| Dealer orders | Orders reported by independent dealers in the weekly report, by order date |
| Paid social cost per order | Paid social spend divided by orders in the paid social conversion count; the count changed on Sep 12 |
| Email orders | Orders placed within 7 days of an email click |
If a definition changes mid-month, the review says so beside the number and does not draw a trend from it.
How to use this template
Assemble one review per client per month from one record, against the agreed metric definitions. State one budget recommendation and any tracking caveat beside the number it affects.
| Variable | Meaning | Required |
|---|---|---|
{{client.name}} | Client company the review is for | Required |
{{review.month}} | Month the review covers | Required |
{{channel.results_rows}} | Channel results with previous month, current month and movement | Required |
{{tracking.caveat}} | Tracking or definition changes that affect comparison, with owner and date | Optional |
{{budget.recommendation}} | The one budget recommendation, with evidence, approvals and decision date | Required |
{{action.status_rows}} | Accepted actions with owner and status | Required |
{{review.release_date}} | Agreed delivery date for the review | Required |
If a required value is missing, show Needs review in its place and hold the review; never fill it with a guess. If the record is unavailable, show Unavailable instead of the channel results.
The live Dashboards blocks on this page show the Larkspur Cycles demo profile. Point each block at your own client's profile, or remove it, before you share the page.