Clare Froggatt_Creative Marketing Director

What does a fractional creative marketing director do?

This is a question I’m asked a lot – often by people who need help with their marketing but don’t know where to turn. So, in this blog, I’m putting pen to paper to give you a definitive answer that will help you decide if hiring a fractional creative marketing director is the right thing for your business.

What is a fractional creative marketing director?

A fractional creative marketing director is an expert in their field, who can parachute into your business and take on some of the strategic work for you. This frees up your time and effort so it can be used elsewhere.

For businesses who don’t have a marketing director, drafting in a fractional creative marketing director, like me, is the most efficient way of filling this role.

I work at a senior management level – helping you set objectives, devising a plan of action, and keeping your team of marketing people and freelancers on-track with a shared purpose and strategy.

When is the right time to hire a consultant director?

If you’re a small business with an ambition to grow over the next 12 to 24 months, then now is a good time to add a strategic consultant director to your team.

You might use freelancers to deliver different areas of your marketing or perhaps you’ve already got a small team of people who are responsible for delivering separate elements of the marketing plan, but do you have anyone to guide them?

Doing it yourself is time-consuming, and if you don’t have any marketing experience, then you’re may not be getting the results you want.

With a fractional creative marketing director, you can hand-over this work, safe in the knowledge that they have the expertise to guide your team through the next phase of growth for your business.

What does a fractional creative marketing director do?

To understand more about what you’re trying to achieve, the first thing you can expect me to do is ask lots of questions! I’m interested in your business goals, what you want to promote, and your timescales.

When I’ve gathered all the right information, I’ll draw up a plan and work with your team to deliver it. I can be onsite or I can manage your team from a distance, checking in with them regularly to ensure they are on-track and following the agreed plan.

I’m comfortable with strategic planning but I also love getting stuck into the work – just some of the areas that you can expect me to cover include: 

  • team management
  • value proposition and key messaging
  • branding – visual identity/brand assets/brand strategy
  • campaign planning
  • design concepts and delivery
  • content marketing strategy
  • social media – strategy and planning
  • ideas, ideas, ideas

You’ll receive regular feedback from me on how it’s going, and if we need to, we’ll make amendments to the strategy based on the results we’re getting – creative marketing never stands still.

Why hire a marketing director for your business?

If you hire a fractional creative marketing director like me, you’re getting an objective perspective, which is a rare thing in a business. Your own people are unlikely to see the sticking points because they are so entrenched in the day-to-day operations.

I’m not here to tell you what you’re doing wrong then walk away. My role as a consultant director is to ensure your brand and marketing is delivering the results you want – and if it isn’t, then I can work with you to refine it.

This frees up your time to concentrate on other areas of the business that need a managing director or owner’s input.

Hiring a marketing director is a flexible way of expanding your senior management team without the headache of employing someone. Whether you want me to work with you for a set number of hours per month or just deliver a one-off project, you set the terms.

A bit more about me and Make a Brew

The first thing you need to know about me is that I don’t take life too seriously outside of work – life’s too short. I’m a down-to-earth Yorkshire lass who likes getting to know people over a cup of tea, and that’s why I called my business Make a Brew. 

I started the business three years ago, and over time, I’ve evolved into an on-demand consultant for many of my clients. I’m a rare combination of strategic and creative, and I have experience in branding, design, websites, and content marketing.

From people to places, I gather inspiration from everything around me.

Like all good creatives, you’ll often find me scribbling away on a serviette in a coffee shop or tapping away on my phone – thank goodness for voice recording and notes!

How to hire me as a consultant director

If your business is growing or you’ve reached a significant milestone, and your marketing team needs help keeping pace with the changes, your next step should be to hire a strategic marketing consultant, like me.

First things first, we need to make sure we’re a good fit, and the best way to do that is to have a chat over a cup of tea (mine’s strong, white, no sugar!).   You can of course have a coffee if you prefer!

Whether we meet online or in person, it’s important that you get a feel for who I am. It will help you decide if I “get” your business and your vision. 

Most of my clients work with me for a set number of days per month on an ongoing basis to deliver their marketing strategy, but I also love a good project. And I’m happy to work with you under an NDA (non-disclosure agreement).

Hiring a  creative marketing director – the bottom line

You want your marketing to deliver results, and a consultant director is there to make sure that happens. Hiring an expert to work at a strategic level, frees up your time so you can concentrate on other parts of your business. To make the most of every opportunity, you need a fractional creative marketing director who can devise a plan and execute it – and that’s where I come in. Contact me and let’s talk about how we can work together.