What's a Fractional Marketing Director, and does your small business need one in 2024?

A fractional Marketing Director is a part-time marketing professional who can help ambitious small businesses plan, develop, and execute marketing campaigns, to help you scale up & grow.

With businesses being squeezed on all sides now, one of the solutions more businesses are considering, to help save costs, is part-time expertise rather than full time.

Some of the benefits of hiring a fractional Marketing Director are:

• Cost savings, as the business only pays for the services when needed, rather than a full-time salary and benefits.

• Provide flexibility, as the business can hire the fractional marketing director for a specific project or period of time, and end the engagement when the work is done.

• Bring expertise, objectivity, and a fresh perspective to the marketing strategy, as the fractional marketing director will have ample experience in the field and can identify the strengths and weaknesses of the current marketing activities.

• Marketing leadership, as the fractional marketing director can help train and mentor the internal marketing team, and collaborate with other departments to achieve the marketing goals.

What are the differences between a fractional marketing director and full time one?

Some of the main differences between a fractional marketing director and a full-time one are:

• Cost: A fractional marketing director can save costs for a small business, as they only pay for the services when needed, rather than a full-time salary and benefits. A full-time marketing director can be a significant expense for a startup or a company with a tight budget.

• Flexibility: A fractional marketing director can provide flexibility for a small business, as they can hire them for a specific project or period of time, and end the engagement when the work is done. A full-time marketing director can be more committed and consistent, but also less adaptable to changing needs or goals.

• Expertise: A fractional marketing director can bring expertise, objectivity, and a fresh perspective to the marketing strategy, as they have ample experience in the field and can identify the strengths and weaknesses of the current marketing efforts. A full-time marketing director can have more in-depth knowledge of the industry and the company, but also more bias or blind spots.

• Leadership: A fractional marketing director can foster leadership, as they can help train and mentor the internal marketing team, and collaborate with other departments to achieve the marketing goals. A full-time marketing director can have more authority and influence, but also more responsibility and pressure.

What tasks can a fractional Marketing Director do for your business?

A fractional marketing director is likely to wear many hats and be an experienced marketing generalist. They can do various strategic and tactical tasks, related to planning, developing, and executing marketing campaigns. Some examples include:

• Implement marketing goals and define a marketing budget

• Perform market research and develop marketing strategies

• Set marketing campaign goals and key performance indicators

• Launch campaigns and analyse the results, tweaking as necessary.

• Optimise the results, to improve marketing effectiveness

• Oversee and manage any 3rd party agencies such as PPC, SEO, Web Dev etc.

• Create Content plans & write quality content, based on your key strategic pillars

• Create key messages and value propositions that resonate with your audience.

• Implement and maintain email and newletter communications

• Develop social media strategies and create content, with a strategic use of hashtags.

• Develop, train, and mentor a junior, internal marketing team, if required

Should you hire a fractional Marketing Director?

When deciding which one fits your company's needs better, here are some top reasons to consider hiring a fractional marketing professional

• Cost-Effective Expertise. A fractional Marketing Director provides marketing leadership without the expense of a full-time executive salary and benefits. You pay only for the hours you need. This on-demand model allows small businesses to afford senior-level strategic marketing talent.

• Objective Outside Perspective. An experienced fractional marketing director brings an objective view of your brand, target audience, and growth opportunities. This outside perspective can aid in identifying blind spots and enhance decision making.

• Proven Strategic Planning. With decades of real-world marketing management expertise, a fractional marketing professional can assess your current efforts and structure an integrated strategic marketing plan tailored for your organisation and target audience.

• Faster Implementation. An accomplished fractional marketing professional appreciates the fast pace of small business. They can quickly build consensus around strategic priorities and a tactical plan to drive timely results.

• Latest Marketing Methods. A fractional Marketing Director stays current on the latest data-driven marketing techniques in areas like social media, SEM, local SEO, and conversion optimisation. This can bring innovative and cost-efficient tactics into your marketing mix.

DIY marketing may work initially, but, if you have a small business that you'd like to scale up, and want professional marketing expertise, without the cost of a full-time salary, an experienced fractional Marketing Director provides you with leadership, along with flexibility and affordability.