Fractional Marketing Director UK – Part-Time Senior Marketing Leadership for SMEs

1. Get Clear on the Outcome You Want — Not the Activities

 

A great Fractional Marketing Director shouldn’t just “do marketing.”
They should deliver commercial outcomes, such as:

• More qualified leads

• Improved conversion rates

• Reduced CAC

• Faster sales cycles

• Predictable pipeline

If a candidate talks only about content, social media, or campaigns — they’re not operating at the right level.

 

2. Look for Revenue Ownership, Not Task Execution

 

The best Fractional Marketing Directors take responsibility for:

• Sales & marketing alignment

• CRM, tracking, attribution

• Revenue KPIs

• Forecasting dashboards

• Demand generation systems

If they only offer strategy “advice” with no ownership of performance → that’s a consultant, not a fractional leader.

 

3. Ask for a 90-Day Plan Before Signing Anything

 

A competent Fractional Marketing Director should show:

• What they’ll audit

• What they’ll fix

• How they’ll optimise

• What will be delivered

• What revenue outcomes to expect

If they can’t map a 90-day revenue plan, they’re not senior enough.

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4. Check Their Track Record With SMEs — Not Just Corporates

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Fractional leadership requires:

• Operating fast

• Working with limited resources

• Building teams from scratch

• Training generalists or interns

• Replacing agencies

• Fixing broken marketing engines

Corporate CMOs often struggle with SME speed and constraints.

Ask for SME-specific case studies.

 

5. Ensure They Can Actually Execute — Not Just Advise

 

A good Fractional Marketing Director:

• Makes decisions

• Builds systems

• Fixes tracking

• Rewrites landing pages

• Optimises campaigns

• Coaches teams

If they outsource everything → you’re paying for a project manager, not a leader.

 

6. Confirm They’re Fluent in Modern, AI-Augmented Marketing

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2025 marketing requires:

• AI copy workflows

• AI content optimisation

• Automated reporting

• Predictive analytics

• Smart segmentation

• Automation & CRM workflows

Your fractional director must know how to 10× execution speed with AI — or you’re overpaying.

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7. Look for Board-Level Communication Skills

 

They must be able to:

• Present clearly to founders, MDs, and investors

• Define KPIs and performance frameworks

• Build growth forecasts

• Justify spend with ROI data

• Align marketing strategy with commercial goals

A Fractional Marketing Director without board presence is just a senior marketer.

 

8. Check Their Ability to Build or Lead Internal Teams

 

The strongest fractional directors:

• Coach interns

• Build hybrid marketing teams

• Integrate freelancers effectively

• Manage agencies

• Replace agency work with internal capability

This is how SMEs get 15–20× value instead of “activity for retainers.”

 

9. Validate Their Technical Ability

 

They should be able to diagnose and fix (or oversee the fix of):

• CRM issues

• Tracking & attribution

• Page speed

• SEO gaps

• Funnel leaks

• PPC inefficiencies

• Analytics dashboards

If they can’t audit performance → they can’t improve it.

 

10. Evaluate Their Cost Model and ROI Expectations

 

Typical UK pricing:

• £3k–£7k/month

• £750–£1,250/day

• 3–6 month retainers

Ask:

• “How do you expect to recover your cost within 90 days?”

• “What KPIs will you be accountable for?”

• “What results should we expect and when?”

A quality Fractional Marketing Director will answer confidently with data.

 

11. Test Cultural Fit & Speed

 

Fractional leaders work quickly — often faster than full-time staff.

Look for someone who:

• Makes decisions fast

• Communicates clearly

• Uses frameworks

• Introduces structure immediately

• Pushes for accountability

If they move slowly, they aren’t fractional-ready.

 

12. Ask for Red Flags Upfront

 

A top fractional director will tell you:

• What won’t work

• What needs fixing

• What impossible expectations look like

• What budget is required for results

• What systems must be cleaned up first

If they promise results without qualification → danger.