Fractional CMO vs. Marketing Consultant: Which is Right for You?

Your marketing department is in dire need of some help reframing and getting on track, so who do you hire? A fractional CMO or a Marketing Consultant? The answer to this question depends heavily on your company, your goals, and the culture of your business. 

A Fractional CMO is a part time executive team member who brings along their marketing expertise and leadership skills to your company. They often provide the most help to companies that need senior level help but don’t have the resources to hire a full time CMO. 

A Marketing Consultant provides more specialized, project based, short term guidance to a company. They provide help to a client with very specific campaigns, marketing challenges and help support the execution of these tasks. The main difference from a Fractional CMO is that they do not provide help on an executive level. 

Both of these positions come with some pros and cons. For example some pros to hiring a Fractional CMO include having access to senior marketing expertise at a lower cost than hiring a full time CMO, they can provide leadership to your preexisting in-house teams, and they have a focus on your long-term goals such as brand positioning, market expansion and product launches. Some cons to hiring a Fractional CMO include the fact that they don’t get involved in the day-to-day execution of the tasks, and they require a longer-term commitment than a Marketing Consultant. 

Some pros to hiring a Marketing Consultant include gaining specific, tactical expertise for short term needs, flexibility in commitment to the consultant, and they are able to quickly diagnose problems in a campaign. Some cons that come along with hiring a Marketing Consultant is that they sometimes lack the long-term vision for the brand that a Fractional CMO has, and they may not meet the needs of your company if what you are needing is ongoing guidance and marketing leadership. 

In summary, you should hire a Fractional CMO if your company is in need of senior-level guidance, strategic leadership, or help scaling. You should hire a Marketing Consultant if you are in need of short-term help, help with specific campaigns, or want a much more temporary fix.