Fractional Head of Marketing vs Marketing Consultant: Which Does Your Business Need?

Written By Anne Fundakowski

Growing businesses often face a common dilemma: they need senior marketing expertise but aren't ready to hire a full-time CMO or they just aren’t sure what type of leader they need long-term. The good news is there are two popular alternatives that will help get you where you need to go: Marketing Consultants and Fractional CMO/Fractional Head of Marketing.

While these titles are sometimes used interchangeably, they represent distinctly different approaches to accessing marketing expertise. So, let’s dive into what the differences are and which may be the best for you at this stage of growth for your business.

What is a Marketing Consultant?

A Marketing Consultant is a specialized expert who tackles specific projects or challenges for a defined period. They focus on assessing your current business landscape, identify the challenges and opportunities, help implement the solution or provide guidance of how to implement it, and provide you with a plan moving forward.

Marketing Consultants are ideal for short-term engagements (typically 3-6 months). Some of their services may be:

  • Developing marketing strategies

  • Optimizing or launching specific campaigns or channels

  • Developing implementation plans and roadmaps

  • Conducting market research and competitive analysis

  • Launching new products or entering new markets

  • Training internal teams

  • Solving particular marketing challenges

What is a Fractional CMO or Fractional Head of Marketing?

A Fractional CMO or Fractional Head of Marketing functions as your part-time or temporary Marketing Leader, taking ongoing responsibility for your entire marketing strategy and execution. Unlike a consultant who focuses on specific projects, a fractional leader becomes part of your leadership team, providing continuous strategic oversight.

Fractional Heads of Marketing are short-term or part-time engagements. You may contract with a Fractional Leader for 10-20 hours a week or sometimes up to 40 hours a week for a short period of time (6-24+ months). The key difference is these leaders are integrated into your existing business and leadership team.

Some of the services Fractional CMOs provide:

  • Comprehensive marketing leadership and strategy

  • Ongoing campaign oversight and optimization

  • Team building, hiring, and management

  • Budget planning and resource allocation

  • Cross-functional collaboration

  • Long-term growth planning and execution

Key Benefits of Both:

Whether you choose a Marketing Consultant or Fractional CMO, you gain access to senior-level expertise at a fraction of full-time hiring costs. These professionals bring immediate value from day one, leveraging diverse industry experience to deliver innovative solutions. Their outside perspective remains unclouded by internal politics or legacy thinking, allowing them to challenge assumptions and identify opportunities that internal teams might miss.

So, which one is right for you?

Choose a Marketing Consultant if:

  • You have a specific, well-defined marketing challenge

  • You need specialized expertise for a particular project

  • You want to build internal capabilities through knowledge transfer

  • Your budget supports a shorter-term engagement

Choose a Fractional Head of Marketing if:

  • You need ongoing strategic marketing leadership

  • Your marketing efforts lack coordination

  • You're scaling rapidly and need experienced guidance

  • You want to build a comprehensive marketing function

  • You need someone to manage your marketing team

Why Not Both? The Funda Marketing Approach

At Funda Marketing, we offer both services because we understand that every business has unique needs and growth stages, but ultimately you need senior marketing expertise. We’re here for you. Whether you need a consultant to tackle a specific initiative or a fractional leader to guide your entire marketing strategy, we bring the same expertise and results-focused approach to every engagement.

You also have the option to scale with us!

It’s okay to sart with consulting to address specific challenges, then transition to fractional leadership as your business grows. This natural progression ensures you're always getting the right level of support for your current stage.

If you're unsure which approach is right for your business, we'd love to help.

Contact us today to schedule a consultation and discover how the right marketing expertise can accelerate your business growth.

Anne Fundakowski