What is Fractional CMO?

A Fractional CMO (Chief Marketing Officer) is a senior marketing leader who works with your business on a part-time, flexible basis — providing strategic direction, team leadership, and hands-on support without the cost or commitment of a full-time hire.

In simple terms, a fractional CMO gives you access to the experience and impact of a board-level marketer, but only for the days or hours you actually need. This makes it a smart, scalable solution for ambitious businesses looking to grow — especially those in transition, scaling up, or needing to reset their marketing direction.

A fractional CMO can wear many hats, depending on your business needs. They typically focus on:

• Building and refining marketing strategy aligned with business goals
• Developing clear positioning and messaging for your ideal customer
• Leading campaign planning and performance tracking
• Optimising marketing channels and sales funnels
• Team Leadership and Coaching
• Managing internal marketing teams or external agencies
• Introducing marketing technology, automation, and reporting tools
• Advising the CEO or senior leadership team on growth, market trends, and brand direction

Unlike agencies or consultants, fractional CMOs integrate directly into your leadership team, work cross-functionally, and stay involved in both strategy and execution.

While the terms are often used interchangeably, there are key differences between a Fractional CMO and a Fractional Marketing Director — though both provide senior-level marketing expertise on a flexible basis.

• Both work part-time or flexibly, integrating into your business without the overhead of a full-time hire
• Both bring strategic marketing insight, leadership experience, and commercial focus
• Both can lead teams, manage agencies, and oversee campaign delivery
• Both align marketing efforts to business goals and performance metrics

• A Fractional CMO typically operates at board or executive level, setting the overall marketing vision, aligning with wider business strategy, and advising the CEO or SLT
• A Fractional Marketing Director is often more hands-on and delivery-focused, responsible for leading the day-to-day marketing operations, team development, and campaign implementation
• Think of a CMO as the strategic architect, and the Marketing Director as the senior builder helping execute the plan

Many businesses need a blend of both — which is why at Fractional Focus, we offer access to either (or both) depending on your size, structure, and current needs.

At Fractional Focus, all of our professionals — whether CMO or Marketing Director — are Chartered Marketers with a minimum of 20 years’ experience in senior roles across fast-growth companies, challenger brands, and complex and regulated sectors.

We tailor each engagement based on your business maturity, internal capability, and growth goals, matching you with the right level of strategic and operational support. What's more, we value transparency. If we think you'll be better off bringing the full capability in-house, we'll tell you and guide you through the process.

You get smart, senior marketing leadership that fits and delivers.

What're you waiting for? Get in touch today for an initial informal chat.

Speak soon!