Marketing leadership
Fractional marketing director.
Your head of marketing, on the days you need one. I join your team for part of the week, set the direction, and make sure the work gets done, from the first plan through to the results you report on.
Is this you?
If two or more of these sound familiar, a fractional marketing director is usually a good fit.
- Marketing has grown in bits and pieces, and no one senior owns it
- You have agencies or freelancers, and nobody connecting what they do
- You're spending money on marketing without being sure what's working
- The business is growing and you want direction before hiring a full-time marketer
- You're between marketing leaders and need someone to keep things moving
What I do as part of your team
I work the way an in-house marketing director would, for the share of the week your business needs.
- Set your marketing strategy and budget, tied to the goals of the business
- Agree priorities and a 90-day plan, then keep it moving
- Lead and brief your agencies, freelancers and internal team
- Bring in specialists for tracking, SEO and AEO, email automation, web and video
- Report to you or your board in plain language, against numbers we agree up front
- Get hands-on with paid media, SEO, email and analytics where that's the fastest way forward
- Build your team's skills, with no reliance on one person
Ways to work together
Strategy project
A defined piece of work with a clear end: a marketing audit, a growth plan or a launch strategy.
Ongoing leadership
Your marketing lead on retainer: setting priorities, managing the work and keeping you across the results.
Leadership plus delivery
Ongoing leadership, with my specialists running the channels day to day.
Support typically ranges from around $750 to $8,000+ a month, depending on how much support you need and how much your team handles internally. The first strategy call is free, and you'll get a clear quote before anything starts.
Why I work this way
I've worked inside a business and in agencies, leading teams for the businesses we worked with. The best results I've seen came when someone senior was close enough to the business to make good calls, and close enough to the work to see them through. That's the role I take on with every business I work with.
Too many businesses run marketing on the fly, getting by month to month. A clear roadmap gets far better results, and it's where I start.
"Mylene is without doubt one of the most strategic thinkers and best marketers I've worked with."
Common questions
What does a fractional marketing director do?
A fractional marketing director leads your marketing part time. They set the strategy and budget, decide what to focus on first, brief and manage the people doing the work, and report on results, the same way an in-house marketing director would, for the share of the month you need.
How much does a fractional marketing director cost in NZ?
Most of the businesses I work with invest between around $750 and $8,000+ a month. Where you land depends on the level of support you need, how many channels are involved and how much your team can manage internally. Even at the upper end, that's under $100,000 a year, less than a full-time senior marketing hire would cost. The first strategy call is free, and you'll get a clear quote before anything starts.
What's the difference between a fractional marketing director and a marketing agency?
A fractional marketing director sits on your side of the table. They're accountable for your business goals and manage agencies and specialists on your behalf. An agency is usually engaged to deliver specific channels or campaigns. Many businesses use both, with the fractional director making sure the agency is working on the right things.
Should I hire a fractional marketing director or a full-time marketing manager?
If you need senior direction more than full-time hands, fractional usually makes more sense. You get experienced leadership without a senior salary, and the option to hire later once the plan and team structure are clear. If you need someone in the business every day running campaigns, a full-time hire guided by a senior lead is the better fit.
What happens in the first 90 days?
We agree a plan for the first three months before we start. Month one separates the quick wins from the longer-term priorities. For a jewellery brand that started with me right before peak season, the quick win was moving media budget to where it would do the most for their targets, with SEO lined up for the months after.
Do you work with B2B businesses?
Yes. B2B and professional services are a big part of my work, including finance and lending, franchising and agencies. Sales cycles are usually longer. The focus is being found while buyers research, then turning that interest into qualified enquiries. The Finance Link case study shows how that works in practice.
Do you work with consumer brands and ecommerce?
Yes. I work with clinics, local service businesses and ecommerce brands, where the focus is a steady flow of bookings or sales and every dollar of spend accounted for. The Skin Ritual and Storage Safe NZ case studies are good examples.
Can you work with our existing marketing team or agency?
Yes, and that's often where I add the most. I give your team and agencies clear direction and briefs, and you get one senior point of contact accountable for the result.
Do you work with businesses outside Auckland?
Yes. I'm based in Auckland and work with businesses across New Zealand, in person or remotely, and with a small number of businesses overseas.
When is a fractional marketing director not the right fit?
If you only need design, a website build or data work on its own, without strategy, paid media or SEO alongside it, I'm probably not the right person. I have trusted specialists for each of those, and I'm happy to point you in the right direction.
Let's see if it's a fit.
Book a 30-minute strategy call. I'll tell you honestly whether a fractional marketing director is right for your business, and if it isn't, what would be.