B2B SaaS demands agility, cost-efficiency, and impactful execution, especially in marketing. Brands often face the dilemma of choosing between fractional marketers and marketing consultants to meet their marketing needs.

While both serve their specific purposes, fractional marketers have, as of lately, become a preferred choice for businesses looking to align sales and marketing, drive pipeline growth, and achieve measurable results.

We’ve explored both roles and highlighted why fractional marketers are better positioned to deliver value in the market.

Understanding the Roles: Fractional Marketers vs. Marketing Consultants

Marketing Consultants

Marketing consultants are external advisors who provide strategic guidance to businesses. Their responsibilities typically include:

• Conducting market research.
• Developing high-level marketing strategies.
• Offering recommendations on growth, branding, and messaging strategies.

However, consultants often stop short of execution. They leave implementation to internal teams or other external resources, which can create gaps between strategy and results.

Fractional Marketers

Fractional marketers are part-time professionals who integrate directly into a company’s operations. They combine strategic expertise with hands-on execution, making them an internal resource without the cost of a full-time hire. Their key attributes include:

• Leading teams and aligning sales and marketing efforts.
• Implementation of martech and setting up reporting processes.
• Executing campaigns across channels while optimizing workflows.
• Driving pipeline growth through targeted initiatives.
• Providing flexibility by working on-demand, based on business needs.

Unlike consultants, fractional marketers don’t just advise. They act.

Why Fractional Marketers Are are Seen as a Solid Solution

1. Sales and Marketing Alignment

One of the biggest challenges businesses face is aligning sales and marketing teams to work toward shared goals. Fractional marketers excel in bridging this gap by:

• Creating integrated strategies that connect marketing efforts directly to sales objectives.
• Ensuring that lead generation campaigns are designed with sales conversion in mind.
• Facilitating regular communication between teams to maintain alignment.

Example: A SaaS company struggling with misaligned sales and marketing goals hired a fractional marketer to streamline processes. The marketer developed a shared lead-scoring system, ensuring only qualified leads were passed to sales. This resulted in a 25% increase in conversion rates within three months.

2. Driving Pipeline Growth

Fractional marketers focus on driving measurable outcomes, such as pipeline growth. They achieve this by:

• Implementing targeted campaigns that generate high-quality leads.
• Optimizing marketing funnels to move prospects efficiently through the buyer’s journey.
• Using data to refine strategies in real time.
• Align sales and marketing teams to serve as ‘one team’.

3. Cost-Effectiveness

Hiring a full-time marketer or consultant can strain budgets, especially for startups and scaleups. Fractional marketers offer top-tier expertise at a fraction of the cost by working part-time or on specific projects.

For instance:

• Companies save on salaries, benefits, and overhead costs associated with FTE hires.
• Fractional marketers provide flexibility, allowing businesses to scale their engagement up or down as needed.

4. Hands-On Execution

Unlike consultants who focus primarily on strategy, fractional marketers roll up their sleeves and get things done. They manage campaigns, oversee creative assets, analyze performance metrics, and ensure seamless execution, all while reporting to executives in the business.

5. Integration into Teams

Fractional marketers work as part of your internal team rather than as external advisors. This integration fosters collaboration, better communication, and alignment with overall business goals.

A Side-by-Side Comparison

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When Should You Choose Fractional Marketers?

Fractional marketers are ideal for businesses facing these scenarios:

1. Sales-Marketing Misalignment: If your sales team isn’t satisfied with lead quality or there’s friction between departments, fractional marketers can help align goals and processes.
2. Pipeline Challenges: When you need immediate results in terms of lead generation or pipeline growth but lack internal resources for execution.
3. Budget Constraints: If hiring a full-time CMO or consultant is too costly but you still need senior-level expertise.
4. Seasonal Campaigns: For businesses that experience fluctuating demand during specific periods (e.g., holidays or product launches).
5. Overstretched Teams: When your internal staff is overwhelmed with day-to-day tasks and needs additional support from an experienced professional.

Walk Away with This

While marketing consultants provide valuable strategic insights, fractional marketers go beyond advice, building out strategies and executing against initiatives that drive real results. Their ability to align sales and marketing teams, grow pipelines, integrate into internal operations, and deliver cost-effective solutions makes them indispensable for startups and scaleups.

Fractional marketers are known to roll up their sleeves and get things done alongside your already-existing team.

For brands looking for flexibility, expertise, and results without long-term commitments, fractional marketers are a great alternative. They’re the future of business growth.

Discover tailored solutions for your brand with purple path’s fractional marketing team.

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