Start interviewing fractional leaders this week for free!

Schedule a call →
8 Reasons You Should Use Fractional Marketing + How to Hire

8 Reasons You Should Use Fractional Marketing + How to Hire

Discover the benefits of fractional marketing and when to hire a team. Also, get a step-by-step guide to getting started — including the simplest way to find top talent.

Share on TwitterLast Updated
January 21st, 2025

Fractional marketing is a game-changer for businesses looking to scale without overextending their marketing budgets.

Instead of hiring expensive full-time employees, you work with part-time marketing professionals who have diverse expertise and can solve your challenges effectively.

This flexible, results-focused approach offers the expertise and agility you need to scale efficiently and drive results---whether you're a fast-growing small business or a larger enterprise launching new marketing initiatives.

We'll explain in detail what fractional marketing involves, how it can help your business thrive, when it's the right choice, and how to assemble a team that works for you.

Now, finding marketing professionals with the right expertise, cultural fit, and shared vision can be a real challenge. But we'll tell you how Go Fractional can help you hire pre-vetted fractional marketing experts who are ready to deliver results quickly.

Further Reading:

  • Discover the responsibilities of a Fractional CMO and the unique advantages they offer.
  • Uncover the two types of Outsourced CMOs you can hire and the easiest way to do this.

What Is Fractional Marketing?

A team creates a flow chart together at a conference table

Fractional marketing refers to hiring highly skilled, part-time marketing specialists to build your marketing strategy, or manage specific aspects of it — without committing to hefty full-time salaries and benefits.

For instance, if you're preparing to launch new products you might hire a fractional CMO to design the go-to-market strategy, and a fractional marketing director to oversee the execution of those strategies.

You may also assemble a team of specialists, including a fractional data analyst or a fractional SEO expert, for task-specific execution.

This way, you can build a team with specialized skills — like brand strategy, marketing automation, data analysis, or high-level strategy — but without a full-time commitment for each person..

How Is Fractional Marketing Different from Other Part-Time Engagements?

Reading the description of fractional marketing above, you might think we're describing part-time, freelance or even interim hires. And while these engagements have similarities, there are notable differences.

Here's how each option stacks up:

Fractional vs. Part-Time Marketers

Both fractional and part-time marketers work on a part-time contract, but fractional employees typically work for several companies at a time — typically up to 20hrs/week per employer. Part-time employees usually work under 35hrs/week for a single employer.

By working for multiple companies, fractional employees broaden their experience.

Fractional vs. Freelance Marketers

Fractional marketers typically commit to regular, ongoing hours (e.g., 10-20 hours/week) and integrate with the company's team, often in leadership roles.

Freelancers work on a project-by-project basis. They typically work independently and without long-term commitment. They usually focus on specific tasks or campaigns.

Fractional vs. Interim Marketers

Interim marketers are typically hired full-time to temporarily fill leadership gaps or during transitional periods. They typically stay only as long as the company needs to fill the position permanently or completes the transition.

Fractional marketers can be hired as part-time interim leaders, but may also take ongoing long-term commitments.

LeighAnna Sodac profile image
Instant Book
LeighAnna Sodac
  1. Strategic Vision & Leadership
  2. Customer Lifecycle Management
  3. Go-To-Market Strategies & Implementation
  4. Branding
Fractional CMO | Marketing Strategy & Implementation | Performance & Growth | Product & Lifecycle | Go-To-Market | Brand Development | | MBA | Voracious Reader

To sum it up:

Fractional hires typically work for multiple companies at a time, building a wider experience than part-time employees. But they offer a stronger commitment and more expertise than freelancers. And they can stay on longer than interim hires (though they can be hired on an interim basis as well).

How Do Businesses Benefit from Fractional Marketing?

A team member leads an analytics-focused meeting. She gestures toward a screen with charts and graphs.

These are the biggest perks of hiring a fractional marketing executive or team:

1. Cost-Effectiveness

With fractional hiring, businesses can access top-notch expertise without the hefty price tag of full-time hires.

For example, a full-time Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) in the US can cost around $656,815, including bonuses, benefits, and perks. 

A fractional chief marketing officer, by comparison, typically charges $150 — $500 per hour or a monthly retainer of $4,000 to $20,000. Assuming a commitment of 20 hours per week, this translates to an annual cost of $48,000 (based on the minimum monthly retainer) to $520,000 (based on the maximum hourly rate).

And unlike full-time hires, fractional staff don't require bonuses, benefits, or perks. 

This model allows companies to save 40 — 60% as compared to hiring a full-timer, especially if they only need 10 — 20 hours of strategic guidance per week.

Eric Wilkinson profile image
Instant Book
Eric Wilkinson
  1. Fractional CMO
  2. Brand Strategy
  3. Strategic Vision & Leadership
  4. Startups
🥇Brand Strategy | 🎯Marketing | 📱UI/UX

2. Access to Specialized Expertise

Fractional marketing lets businesses work with professionals who bring deep expertise in areas like SEO, public relations, and social media — specialized skills that generalists often lack.

For example, if your goal is to improve lead generation, you might hire a fractional CMO to set the overarching strategy and oversee the marketing effort. 

Meanwhile, a fractional marketing automation specialist would handle the technical side, such as building email workflows, and a fractional paid media specialist would focus on driving targeted traffic through optimized ads. 

Instead of relying on one person to juggle it all, you get the right talent for each role, delivering focused results without long-term commitments.

3. Leverage Diverse Industry Experience & Proven Solutions

Fractional marketing professionals bring a wealth of experience from working with clients across various industries.

This exposure means they've likely encountered and solved challenges similar to yours, allowing them to tackle issues quickly and effectively.

Additionally, what sets them apart is their ability to cross-pollinate ideas — adapting successful strategies from one sector to another.

For example, a fractional marketing director might take a B2B marketing strategy that helped a tech consultancy secure enterprise clients through LinkedIn and adapt it for a SaaS company.

By using LinkedIn's targeting tools to reach decision-makers in specific industries and pairing this with personalized follow-up emails, their marketing campaign could drive higher conversion rates for enterprise-level subscriptions.

4. Flexibility and Scalability

You can scale a fractional marketer's engagement up or down as needed, depending on workload.

For example, you can bring in a fractional marketing manager to streamline your content marketing efforts. They could oversee the creation of a content calendar, manage freelance writers, and confirm consistency across blog posts, emails, and social media.

Once the system is in place, you can reduce their hours to focus on periodic performance reviews and refining the strategy. This way, you only pay for what you need.

But that's not all.

If you're unsure about committing to a full-time hire, fractional marketing lets you trial specific roles or strategies with experienced professionals, helping you identify what works best for your business before making a long-term investment.

5. Faster Impact

Fractional marketers are pros at hitting the ground running, delivering results without the delays of traditional hiring or lengthy onboarding.

They quickly assess your marketing needs, identify gaps, and implement strategies that drive immediate impact.

For instance, fractional marketing directors might fast-track a product launch by creating a 4-week go-to-market strategy that includes defining a precise target audience, crafting high-converting ad copy, and executing a social media campaign that generated 5,000 sign-ups within the first month.

By focusing on quick wins and measurable ROI, they create early momentum that sets the stage for long-term success.

6. Unbiased Perspectives

Fractional marketers bring fresh eyes to your marketing strategy. 

Unburdened by internal politics or day-to-day marketing operations, they can objectively analyze what's working, what's not, and where your team is missing opportunities.

Their unbiased insights lead to smarter decisions, innovative solutions, and results that actually move the needle.

So, how do you know if fractional marketing is the right solution for your marketing needs?

We'll break that down next.

When Should You Leverage Fractional Marketing?

A manager and college collaborate with a laptop

Adopt the fractional marketing model when:

  • You're launching a new product or testing a new marketing strategy and need expert support without the cost of full-time hires.
  • Your marketing team isn't performing well and you need experienced marketing leadership to turn things around.
  • You have temporary vacancies and need experienced fractional teams or an experienced marketing professional to step in while you look for permanent replacements.
  • You want to trial a marketing role before committing to a full-time hire.
  • Your campaigns aren't working, and you need experts to identify and fix the issues.
  • Your marketing workload isn't constant so you need flexible resources that let you scale up or down as needed.
  • Your marketing budget is tight, and you need expertise without the full-time costs.
  • You're still a small business and need help building a solid marketing foundation.
  • You're navigating economic uncertainty and need temporary high-level leadership to help steer your strategy.
Adrienne Uthe profile image
Adrienne Uthe
  1. Fractional CMO
  2. Public Relations
  3. Executive Communications
  4. Corporate communications
Strategic Communications Advisor, Fractional CCO & Crisis Expert

How to Assemble the Right Fractional Marketing Team 

A team celebrates by putting their hands together over a conference room table

Assembling the right fractional marketing team starts with understanding your goals, identifying skill gaps, and finding the expertise your business needs. Here are the steps to follow:

1. Define Your Business Goals and Marketing Objectives

Before hiring a fractional marketing team, start by outlining your broader business goals, the marketing objectives that will support them, and a clear marketing plan to guide their efforts.

For example, an established business planning to launch a new product may set a goal to grow market share. Supporting objectives could include capturing 10,000 leads within three months to build a strong customer base or increasing website traffic by 20% within six months to drive brand visibility.

2. Choose the Specific Tactics and Marketing Channels Needed to Meet your Goals

Once your goals are set, the next step is to identify the tactics and channels that will help you achieve them. 

For the same product marketing strategy, the business could use influencer partnerships and paid social media campaigns on LinkedIn and Instagram to boost brand awareness. To capture 10,000 leads within three months, tactics like PPC campaigns and targeted email marketing would work effectively.

3. Decide on the Expertise and Roles You Need

Start by identifying whether your internal marketing department has the skills needed to achieve these marketing goals --- or if there are gaps that need to be filled.

The marketing professionals you bring in should align directly with your marketing plan and bridge those missing capabilities.

For example, if you lack strategic leadership to guide the product launch, a fractional CMO can oversee your high-level strategy. If you lack staff specialized in social media marketing or paid advertising, you might bring in a fractional social media marketer and a fractional paid media specialist. 

Here are the various fractional marketer roles you can consider:

  • Fractional Chief Marketing Officer: Develops high-level strategy, aligns marketing operations with business goals, and oversees the allocation of the marketing budget.
  • Fractional Marketing Director: Executes marketing strategies developed by the CMO while managing the marketing department.
  • Fractional Digital Marketing Manager: Manages digital marketing campaigns across multiple channels.
  • Fractional Content Marketer: Develops content marketing strategies and creates written content, while coordinating visual elements with designers.
  • Fractional Graphic Designer/Visual Content Creator: Designs high-quality visual assets, such as graphics, logos, and marketing campaign visuals.
  • Fractional SEO Specialist: Improves website visibility by optimizing on-page, off-page, and technical SEO.
  • Fractional Paid Media Specialist: Designs, manages, and optimizes paid ad campaigns on platforms like Google, Facebook, and LinkedIn.
  • Fractional Public Relations Specialist: Builds media relationships and designs campaigns to increase brand credibility and secure positive press coverage.
  • Fractional Event Marketing Specialist: Plans and coordinates events, including webinars, trade shows, and product launches.
  • Fractional Marketing Analyst/Data Analyst: Monitors and analyzes marketing data, providing actionable insights to improve the marketing effort.
  • Fractional Social Media Manager: Develops and manages social media strategies to build brand awareness.
  • Fractional Marketing Automation Specialist: Sets up and manages tools to streamline marketing workflows.
  • Fractional Product Marketing Manager: Focuses on positioning, messaging, and go-to-market strategies for products for successful launches and market adoption.
  • Fractional Brand Strategist: Develops a cohesive brand strategy and ensures consistent brand positioning and messaging across all channels.

You can easily hire these specialists through Go Fractional. We offer you access to thousands of fractional experts ready to add value to your business.

4. Determine the Time Commitment for Each Role

The time commitment for each role should support your business priorities, available resources and the level of expertise required.

Also take your internal team's capacity into account to confirm that the fractional support fills gaps without duplicating efforts or overextending anyone. 

5. Set your Budget

With the time commitment mapped out, you can now build a clear and effective budget by:

  • Researching average rates for fractional roles to benchmark your spending.
  • Choosing the most suitable pricing structure for each fractional marketer role --- whether it's hourly (for task-specific work), project-based (for short-term marketing initiatives), or a monthly retainer (for ongoing support).

At Go Fractional, we offer clear and transparent pricing. Our fractional experts operate on monthly retainers, typically ranging from $4,000--$20,000, so you always know what to expect.

6. Source the Right Candidates

Finding top-notch fractional marketing professionals isn't easy. 

Platforms like LinkedIn and job boards can be overwhelming and time-consuming, and often lead to unqualified matches. Fractional agencies, while helpful, may still lack the personalized approach your business needs.

Fortunately, a fractional recruiting service like Go Fractional simplifies this process by providing a curated pool of pre-vetted, highly skilled fractional marketing professionals tailored to your specific needs.

7. Follow a Rigorous Evaluation Process

Evaluate candidates by:

  • Screening Resumes: Job postings often lead to an influx of applications. Analyze the resumes you receive by cross-referencing their qualifications and skills against your business goals. Shortlist only those who align most for interviews. Review your job posting if you don't get enough good matches and restart the process --- you're better off long-term if you wait for the right candidate than if you pick the wrong one. 
  • Having Structured Interviews: Ask targeted questions through a series of interview rounds to assess skills, experience, and cultural fit. Don't rush the process --- allocate the proper time to prepare, conduct and analyze the interviews for the best long-term match. 
  • Conducting Reference and Background Checks: Contact previous employers or colleagues to confirm the candidate's experience and performance. Additionally, conduct background checks to verify their qualifications. 

Alternatively, you can take a shortcut with Go Fractional. We have done the evaluation for you, and know how to pick the right fractional marketer for your needs --- you will have final say, of course, but we have a 98% success rate for picking the right match.

8. Negotiate Terms and Onboard the Candidates Smoothly

Negotiate terms clearly with each marketing professional, covering payment, time commitment, and expectations. Sign detailed contracts to protect your interests and the candidates'.

Onboard them seamlessly by introducing them to the team, workflow processes, etc.,

Alec Foster profile image
Alec Foster
  1. Influencer Marketing
  2. Marketing Automation
  3. Affiliate Marketing
  4. Community Building
Product & Growth Marketing Leader, Responsible AI Expert

As you can see, the hiring process can be incredibly time-consuming and resource-intensive.

But not if you do it through Go Fractional

Build a Winning Fractional Marketing Team through Go Fractional

Go Fractional connects you with a network of pre-vetted fractional marketers, including CMOs, social media managers, data analysts, and more, all with years of experience working with businesses like yours.

Our experts have a proven track record of leading traditional and fractional teams, solving complex challenges, and implementing strategies that drive growth.

Here's how our process works:

  1. Book a free 30-minute discovery call with our Head of Talent to discuss your needs and goals.
  2. Access our exclusive network of pre-vetted fractional marketers, including multi-exited executives. If the right fit isn't available, we'll search for the ideal candidate at no extra cost.
  3. Schedule interviews with potential candidates to discuss roles, timelines, fees, and expectations. We recommend involving your executive team to ensure a cultural fit.
  4. Finalize and begin your partnership with a clear contract, including an MSA and SOW, to set expectations.
  5. Enjoy ongoing support with monthly invoicing and regular check-ins to guarantee a productive, long-term partnership.

When you choose our fractional marketing services, you also benefit from:

  • A thorough screening and interview process that confirms cultural and professional compatibility, with a 98% success rate in matching talent to business needs.
  • A streamlined hiring process that allows for quick onboarding so your marketer can start within days.
  • Transparent pricing with no hidden charges --- our fractional marketing experts cost between $4,000--$20,000 per month.

Ready to take the next step?

Connect with Go Fractional and tap into our expert fractional marketing talent today.


Related Articles


Send me Talent

Chat with the founders of Fractional to learn what problems you could be solving tomorrow.