Not all fractional directors are the same
The fractional model is growing fast across the UK, and as Marketing Magazine UK has noted, Fractional CMOs are a great value option for small businesses. But the quality varies enormously. Some are senior marketing leaders who have chosen to work fractionally. Others are consultants rebranding themselves to catch a trend.
Here are the 7 qualities that separate a good Fractional CMO from someone who is just consulting on the side.
1. Hands-on execution experience, not just advisory
A good Fractional CMO has done the work, not just talked about it. They have run marketing teams, managed agencies, built campaigns and been accountable for pipeline. This matters because a Fractional CMO who has only ever advised cannot judge whether the work being done is any good.
Most fractional marketing directors bring strategy and leadership. The best ones bring those plus hands-on execution experience. That means the person setting your marketing direction can also do the work, not just direct it.
John JB Russell, Founder, Digital Womble
2. Commercial accountability, not just activity
A good Fractional CMO talks about revenue, pipeline and cost per lead, not just impressions, reach and engagement. They connect marketing activity to business outcomes because they have sat in the boardroom and reported on them.
Ask any prospective Fractional CMO what commercial outcomes they have driven. If they talk about campaigns and brand awareness without connecting to revenue, that tells you what you need to know.
3. Agency management skills
Most small UK businesses that need a Fractional CMO already have agencies in place: an SEO agency, a PPC agency, maybe a web developer. A good Fractional CMO knows how to brief, manage and hold agencies accountable. They have done it before, across multiple channels and multiple agencies.
This is one of the highest-value things a Fractional CMO does for a small business. Without it, the agencies drift.
4. The ability to embed in a leadership team
A Fractional CMO who stays outside the business cannot set direction effectively. A good one embeds in the leadership team, joins the meetings, understands the politics and builds the relationships needed to get things done.
This is a skill, not a personality trait. Ask how they handle working with a leadership team that has never had a senior marketer in the room before.
5. Breadth across the marketing function
A good Fractional CMO can speak sensibly about SEO, paid search, content, AI visibility, email, social, CRM and analytics. They do not need to be an expert in all of them, but they need enough breadth to set strategy across the whole function and to know when an agency is doing good work versus going through the motions.
6. A track record with businesses your size
The challenges of marketing a 2m business are different from the challenges of marketing a 200m business. A good Fractional CMO has experience with businesses of a similar size and stage to yours. Ask for examples of work with businesses in your revenue range.
7. Honesty about when fractional is not the right fit
A good Fractional CMO will tell you when you need a full-time director instead. If your marketing function is large enough to need a permanent leader, or if what you actually need is a marketing manager doing the work rather than a director directing it, the right answer is to say so.
If a prospective Fractional CMO never turns down an engagement, that is a warning sign.
How to assess these qualities
The best way to assess these qualities is a conversation. A free 30-minute discovery call should tell you whether the person you are talking to has the seniority, the track record and the honesty you need.
Book a free discovery call with Digital Womble to find out whether a Fractional CMO is the right fit for your business.