31/08/2026
Has FRACTIONAL become the new buzz word? đ€
(I had a client ask me the meaning of fractional recently, so I thought Iâd clarify.
Youâre welcome :)
The role has become more popular in the last few years, with Fractional CMOâs, CFOâs, COOâs etc. It has also, to some extent become the rebrand of âoutsourcedâ
Technically, there is a difference. A fractional role is someone who works part-time within the business in a senior role, e.g. a Fractional CMO might work 1 or 2 days a week, attend leadership meetings, develop strategies and manage the marketing function. It could also mean an outsourced marketing consultant who works with you occasionally.
Increasing, Iâm seeing âfractionalâ is also being used to describe an external consultant or team providing ongoing support. So fractional is partly a positioning term.
Hereâs the breakdown from a marketing perspective:-
Outsourced - you hand a function to an external provider
Consultant - you bring in expertise/advice for a defined need/ period
Agency - an external team delivers a defined range of services
Fractional - a senior person takes ongoing responsibility for part of an internal role
Interim - someone temporarily fills a role that would normally be an employee
'Outsourcing' gets a bit of a bad rap because it sounds external and transactional, rather than fractional which implies part of the team. However, thatâs not the case, an outsourced supplier or collaborator can very much be an extension of your internal team.
PS At Sidedoor, we can provide a consultancy service, fractional, outsourced or agency services, depending on the project đ
