Fractional Marketing for Professional Services: Why This Model Works

Or, That Thing I Was Doing Before I Knew It Had a Name.

Long before I ever heard the term "fractional marketing," I was already doing the work.

At the time, I just knew what felt right. I had talked with enough small and mid-sized professional services business owners to notice a pattern. They kept telling me two things.

First, that working with agencies often felt incomplete. Something was missing. The voice didn’t sound like them. The messaging was disjointed. It didn’t reflect who they were or what they stood for.

Second, they weren’t looking to hire a full-time marketing director. What they wanted was someone to step in part-time. Someone they could trust. Someone who could lead strategy, roll up their sleeves, and bring clarity across all their marketing efforts. Someone who didn’t need hand-holding and could actually move things forward.

That’s what led me to start Miller Integrated Marketing.

I built the business based on those exact conversations, even before I knew there was an actual term for it. Turns out, there is. It’s called fractional marketing. And lately, more people are starting to catch on.

Over the past few weeks, I’ve had a handful of great conversations with people who want to learn more. Some are thinking about hiring a fractional marketer. Others are considering becoming one themselves. Most of them are women, and while I have thoughts on why that is, I’ll save that for another day.

If this concept is new to you, there’s a recent report from Duct Tape Marketing, ActiveCampaign, and Databox that lays things out in a really clear way. The sample size is small, but the insights are solid and easy to act on.

If you’re curious about what this work can look like or how it might fit your business, I’m always happy to talk. Just send a message. No one has ever accused me of being a closed book.