Fractional marketing director for small businesses
Senior marketing leadership for a set number of hours a month. Someone who owns the direction, manages the agencies and freelancers, and makes sure your budget pays its way. No full-time salary, no 60-page strategy.
Busy, but not brilliant?
Marketing is the founder's Sunday job. Money goes out to three channels and nobody can say what comes back. There's an agency, but nobody's really managing them.
That's a direction problem, and more delivery won't fix it. A fractional marketing director (you'll also hear fractional CMO or part-time marketing director) sets the strategy, picks the priorities and holds everyone to them. Think steering wheel, not engine.
Most fractional providers only work with £1m+ businesses. Qrios starts at five hours a month because businesses under that line deserve senior direction too. It works especially well for founder-led SMEs that have outgrown doing it all themselves, and for teams whose marketing has plateaued.
Fractional CMO or marketing agency? Here's how to tell which you need.
Three levels, named after what they do
Same senior lead, different amounts of time. Move up or down as your needs change.
Curious
From £675 a month
5 hours a month. Direction, priorities and a monthly review for businesses that have the hands but need the head.
Catalytic
From £1,200 a month
10 hours a month. Strategy plus hands-on leadership of your team, agencies and freelancers.
Connected
From £1,500 a month
15 hours a month. A senior marketing lead embedded in the business, joined up with sales and reporting.
All prices are “from” prices, and yours gets scoped on the free chat.
What you actually get
- A plan you'll follow
A 90-day roadmap and a yearly view, with clear KPIs, so everyone knows what's happening, who's doing it and how it'll be measured.
- Positioning that lands
Sharper messaging and a clear picture of your most valuable customers, so you stand out in a crowded market.
- Channels chosen on return
SEO, ads, social, email or networking, picked on what each one costs per lead, not on what's trending.
- Someone leading the work
Your team, agencies and freelancers aligned and accountable. Agencies do better work when someone senior reads the reports.
- Budget that pays its way
Spend reviewed every month and moved towards what's working.
How it works
Audit and priorities
A review of your marketing, budget, team and results, then agreement on the few things that will make the biggest difference.
The roadmap
A 90-day plan with clear KPIs, so everyone knows what's happening and how it'll be measured.
Leading the work
Each month your fractional director leads the team, makes the calls and keeps the plan moving.
Review and refine
Regular reporting shows what's working. Budget follows results and priorities reset each quarter.
“Bec is a font of knowledge... We look forward to our sessions and are already seeing a return on investment.”
Questions people ask
How much does a fractional marketing director cost?
With Qrios, from £675 a month for five hours, from £1,200 for ten and from £1,500 for fifteen. Across the UK, fractional marketing leadership typically runs from about £1,500 to £12,000 a month depending on seniority and time.
What's the difference between a fractional CMO and a marketing agency?
An agency does the work: ads, content, websites. A fractional CMO decides what work is worth doing and makes sure whoever delivers it is pointed in the right direction. Plenty of businesses need one, some need both, and some need neither yet.
Is it worth it for a business under £1m?
Often, yes. That's exactly who the Curious tier is built for. If you're earlier than that, Qrios Minds (from £59 a month) or a Power Hour is a better first step, and Bec will tell you so.
Is there a minimum term?
Four months, so there's time to see results. After that it rolls on with 30 days' notice.
Do you work with our existing agency?
Yes. Managing agencies and freelancers is a big part of the role.
Start with a free 30-minute chat
Tell Bec what's going on and what you'd like help with. She'll come back within 48 hours to find a time, in person or online. The first half hour is free, with no pitch attached.
- hello@qriosconsultancy.com
- Phone
- 07914 806410
- Where
- Liverpool and the Algarve. Online anywhere.