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Marketing is a complex field that constantly requires fresh approaches to drive growth. While large companies can easily employ in-house talent for each marketing channel and niche they leverage, those on a tight budget typically don’t have that luxury. Still, thanks to the fractional recruiting model, they no longer need to find workarounds. They can onboard a fractional marketing consultant to devise effective marketing strategies with minimal disruption.
Fractional marketing consultancy allows businesses to access expertise at a fraction of the cost of a full-time marketer.
Before making any calls or posting ads, read our guide to learn more about fractional marketing consultants and their responsibilities. You’ll also learn how to tell if you need a fractional consultant or a CMO, when to hire one, and what to pay attention to during the recruitment process. Finally, we’ll present MarketerHire, a platform that connects you with leading marketing experts on demand.
What Is a Fractional Marketing Consultant?
A fractional marketing consultant is a marketing professional who works on a part-time basis with flexible hours. You can hire them for specific projects or a fixed number of hours per week or month. They usually divide their time among multiple employers, but they may also work full-time for a single company if the project calls for it.
While similar to freelancers in a legal sense, fractional marketers are more involved with the company and may engage with it for a longer time. Their scope of work is narrower than that of full-time employees, but it often expands beyond a single task or project.
Fractional marketing consultants can guide a company when it’s in a tight spot and needs to improve its brand image or reach. They’re usually highly educated and experienced marketing experts with additional consultancy certifications or specialties.
Fractional Marketing Consultant vs. Fractional CMO
Since the duties of fractional CMOs and marketing consultants often overlap, the following table provides a brief comparison of their roles to help you decide which to hire:
Key Roles and Responsibilities of a Fractional Marketing Consultant
The role of a fractional marketing consultant is a versatile one. Here are some examples of a consultant’s typical responsibilities:
- Analyze the company, its needs, and problems
- Conduct market research (identify trends, opportunities, target audience, etc.)
- Develop a strategy based on the gathered information
- Recommend effective methods and tools
- Cooperate with relevant experts within the company
- Monitor progress and evaluate the results
- Write reports for the client
- Suggest additional improvements and next steps
Their duties vary depending on the size and nature of the client’s problem. Some consultants also specialize in specific industries or marketing channels, in which case their responsibilities may differ slightly or include additional activities.
Key Benefits of Hiring a Fractional Marketing Consultant
Here are four major reasons to consider recruiting a fractional marketing consultant:
- Cost-effective expertise: Since you’re not paying for their full workdays, employing a fractional professional is less expensive than a full-time one. Although you’re paying less, you’re not compromising on talent quality as fractional marketing consultants are experienced, high-level experts
- Fast problem resolution: Instead of waiting to have enough resources to hire a full-time expert, you can hire a fractional consultant as soon as a problem arises. That way, you can sort it out quickly and ensure uninterrupted growth for your business
- Flexible engagement: With a fractional marketing consultant, you’re not bogged down by a rigid, long-term contract. You can scale their hours up or down to adapt them to your current needs
- Possibility for full-time employment: If the consultant proves valuable for your business during the fractional engagement period, you can onboard them full-time with much less risk as you’re already familiar with their skills and personality
When To Hire a Fractional Marketing Consultant
You should hire a fractional marketing consultant when you’re at a crossroads or not moving the needle with your existing marketing efforts. Here are some common signs that you need a consultant’s guidance:
- Your sales are declining, or you can’t retain clients
- Your leads aren’t converting
- You’re not visible to the right audiences
- You’re transitioning to digital marketing or want to explore new channels
- Your marketing operations are disorganized and lack direction
- You’re launching a new product or service
- You’re doing a rebrand
This list is by no means definitive. You can seek out a fractional marketing consultant whenever you need to—that’s what fractional hiring is all about. Get in touch with a consultant as soon as possible to prevent problems from escalating or avoid missing crucial growth opportunities.
How To Choose the Best Fractional Marketing Consultant
When screening and interviewing fractional marketing consultants, consider the following traits before deciding who to hire:
Optimizing the Relationship With Your Fractional Marketing Consultant
Follow these five tips to ensure a successful collaboration with your fractional marketing consultant:
- Include an NDA in the contract: An NDA is especially important with fractional employees as these individuals may work for other companies, so there’s a higher chance of confidential information leaking
- Set clear boundaries and respect them: From defining your expectations to creating the schedule, you should define the terms before work starts and adhere to them throughout your collaboration. Doing so will ensure accountability and efficient work
- Communicate openly and frequently: To make the most of your time together, you should check in on your expert, be responsive, and exchange honest feedback regularly
- Provide information and resources: Your consultant must get familiar with your business to make informed suggestions. Make it easier for them by providing access to all the necessary information at any time
Pitfalls of Hiring a Fractional Marketing Consultant
The most challenging aspect of hiring fractional marketing consultants isn’t the collaboration itself but the recruiting process. While they engage with you briefly, you still need to carefully select these experts. This endeavor is often costly and time-consuming, though.
Besides, some qualities are more difficult to evaluate than others. While experience is easy to check, reliability and dedication are not. If you end up hiring the wrong person, they may leave you hanging when you need them most or, even worse—create additional problems.
Nobody can predict a candidate’s performance with 100% accuracy. Still, an on-demand recruiting platform like MarketerHire offers free trials and replacements, ensuring every client is eventually satisfied with the fractional consultant they get matched with. It also vets all candidates rigorously to reduce the chance of untrustworthy individuals slipping through.
Why Is MarketerHire the Best Choice for Hiring a Fractional Marketing Consultant?
Hiring marketing talent doesn’t have to be difficult, and MarketerHire proves it. This on-demand recruiting platform matches you with pre-vetted expert marketers based on your needs, allowing you to hire for any role within days. Whether you need a fractional marketing consultant or a full-time email marketer, trust MarketerHire to fill all your skills gaps.
MarketerHire has a long history of recruiting success, having made over 25,000 matches since its launch in 2018. Some of today’s most prominent brands have filled their marketing positions with MarketerHire, including:
- Allbirds
- Skillshare
- Netflix
- Logitech
- HelloFresh
All experts in MarketerHire’s network are screened using an elaborate expert-led process that comprises detailed skills reviews, test projects, and live interviews. Out of hundreds of candidates that apply, only the top 1% make it into the network. Many of them have driven impact for well-known brands like Uber and PayPal, so rest assured they represent the cream of the crop.
MarketerHire minimizes your involvement in the recruiting process to save you time and effort. It provides a white-glove service, assigning a dedicated marketing manager to support and guide you throughout the process. If you realize your match isn’t the right fit during the two-week free trial, your manager will rematch you for free.
In case you need to adjust your assistant’s hours, make another hire, or cancel the collaboration, you can do so freely thanks to MarketerHire’s flexible, short-term contract.
How MarketerHire Works
MarketerHire’s recruiting process consists of the following three steps:
- Discussing your project: Meet with your marketing manager to explain what you need help with and describe your company
- Meeting your expert: MarketerHire’s experts will use the cutting-edge MarketerMatch system, combining AI and human insight to zero in on the perfect fractional consultant within 48 hours
- Project kick-off: Your fractional marketing consultant can get to work in as little as three days
If you decide you need additional support, MarketerHire can match you with many other marketing professionals across all niches and verticals, including fractional CMOs, growth marketers, and Amazon experts. The platform supports hourly, part-time, and full-time contracts.
You can even connect with full-time Expert Assistants to give your marketing, design, or sales team a hand with any repetitive or rote tasks.
Reach out to MarketerHire and harness the expertise of its fractional marketing consultants and other on-demand experts.
Other Fractional Hiring Resources To Check Out
See the table below to find more articles on fractional hiring in marketing:
