Fractional marketing leadership from a senior marketer, not an agency
Bring in a senior marketing leader one to three days a week to set the strategy, own the budget and direct the people and vendors who execute it, for a fraction of a full-time executive salary.
Why fractional marketing is different from hiring an agency
An agency sells execution hours: ads, content, design, campaigns. A fractional marketing leader sits on your side of the table and decides what should be executed, by whom and with what budget. The leader can hire and brief agencies, hold them to targets and replace them when results slip. You keep ownership of the plan, the data and the relationships, and you avoid the 20 to 40 percent markup agencies typically add on top of the people doing the work.
- Strategy and positioning are owned by one senior person who reports to you
- Budgets are allocated across channels by someone with no incentive to sell more hours
- Agencies and freelancers become vendors managed against clear targets
- Knowledge stays in your company when the engagement ends
What a fractional marketing leader does for you
- 01 Audits your current funnel, channels, messaging and spend in the first weeks
- 02 Defines the ideal customer profile, positioning and core messaging
- 03 Builds a quarterly marketing plan with goals, budget and owners
- 04 Sets up reporting that ties marketing spend to pipeline and revenue
- 05 Hires, coaches and manages in-house marketers and outside vendors
- 06 Aligns marketing with sales on lead definitions, handoffs and follow-up
- 07 Runs launches, pricing pages and campaigns with the team instead of for it
- 08 Prepares the job description and interview loop when it is time for a full-time head of marketing
For a formal C-level seat with board reporting, see the fractional CMO page. Fractional marketing is the broader option: senior leadership sized to a company that needs direction more than a title.
Typical fractional marketing engagements
- 01 Expert call of 30, 60 or 90 minutes to pressure test a plan, a budget or an agency proposal
- 02 Fractional retainer of 1 to 3 days a week for six to twelve months, with weekly priorities and timesheets in your workspace
- 03 Strategy project with a fixed scope, for example positioning plus a go-to-market plan for a new product
- 04 Bridge engagement while you recruit a permanent marketing head, often moving to an interim CMO arrangement if the seat is empty
How we verify marketing leaders
Anyone can call themselves a growth expert. Every marketing leader matched on ExpertMatcher has passed the same checks first.
- Identity check before the profile can be matched
- Work history reviewed, including team size managed and budget owned
- References from previous companies or founders checked
- Certifications verified where the expert lists them
- A rate card with hourly, daily and monthly retainer pricing
- An availability calendar that shows real days per week, not a promise
What fractional marketing leadership costs
As a general US market range, senior fractional marketing leaders charge roughly $150 to $300 per hour, and retainers for one to three days a week typically run from $5,000 to $15,000 per month. Rates are set by each expert and shown on the profile before you talk. On ExpertMatcher you pay the expert's rate plus the platform fee of your plan, from 12 percent on Starter to 4 percent on Enterprise, as listed on pricing. For a deeper breakdown, read our guide to fractional CMO cost.
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$150 to $300
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$5,000 to $15,000
Signs you need fractional marketing leadership
- Marketing is a list of activities with no plan behind it
- You pay one or more agencies and cannot tell which spend drives pipeline
- Your marketers are capable but junior and nobody senior sets direction
- Sales says leads are poor and marketing says sales does not follow up
- You are preparing a launch, a new market or a fundraising round that needs a growth story
- A full-time marketing executive is not in the budget for another year
How it works for marketing roles on ExpertMatcher
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01
Brief: describe your stage, market, current team and the goal in a sentence or two
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02
Match brief: ExpertMatcher structures it into role, industry, weighted competencies such as demand generation, product marketing or brand, plus seniority, format, budget band and timeline
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03
Shortlist: review verified marketing leaders with a fit score per criterion and a stated reason for each match
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04
Call or project: send an NDA, book a paid intro call, then agree a retainer or project with a SOW
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05
Payment and rating: pay by card or ACH, receive one invoice, and rate the engagement after it is complete
The full flow is explained on how it works, and other part-time leadership roles sit under fractional executives. New to the model? Start with what a fractional CMO is.
Is fractional marketing the same as outsourcing marketing to an agency?
No. An agency executes work and bills for hours. A fractional marketing leader is a senior individual who sets strategy, owns the budget and manages the people and agencies who execute. Many companies use both, with the fractional leader directing the agency.
How is fractional marketing different from a fractional CMO?
A fractional CMO usually holds the formal executive seat, reports to the board and leads a larger team. Fractional marketing is the broader category of senior part-time marketing leadership, often a head of marketing or VP level role for a company that needs direction before it needs a C-level title.
How many days a week does a fractional marketing leader work?
Most engagements run 1 to 3 days a week. Early weeks are often heavier during the audit and planning phase, then settle into a steady weekly rhythm of priorities, reviews and team management.
Will the fractional leader do hands-on execution?
Some do, especially at smaller companies. Mention it in your brief and ExpertMatcher weights experts who combine strategy with hands-on work in the channels you need, such as paid acquisition, lifecycle email or content.
How long does a fractional marketing engagement last?
Six to twelve months is common. Many engagements end with the leader hiring and onboarding a full-time marketing head, while others continue at a lower number of days once the plan and team are in place.
Who owns the marketing plan, accounts and assets?
Your company does. Contracts on ExpertMatcher include IP assignment, and ad accounts, analytics and content should sit in your own accounts with the leader added as a user.
Put a senior marketer in charge this month
Describe what marketing needs to deliver and see the leader profile that fits, with rates and availability up front.