Do You Need a Fractional CMO, a Consultant, or an Agency? Here’s How to Decide

If you’re a founder, CEO, or equity partner of a company that’s ready to grow, you know that marketing must be part of the equation. But what’s less obvious is where to begin, what kind of help is available, and who to bring on board.

Do you go straight to an agency to get campaigns moving? Hire a consultant to sharpen your messaging? Bring in a full-time executive-level marketing leader?

At Wheels Up Collective, we often meet companies at this very crossroads. Leadership knows growth depends on better marketing, but it’s unclear what kind of support will actually drive results. Sometimes there’s pressure to just “get something out the door.” Other times, a flurry of disconnected tactics are running without a unified strategy.

For business leaders, this moment can be frustrating. You’re ready to invest in marketing to reach your next stage of growth, but without clarity, it’s hard to know where to focus first. Do you need strategic leadership? Tactical execution? Or both?

Before deciding who to hire, it’s critical to align your marketing investment with your business’ current stage, structure, and goals. Whether you're considering a Fractional CMO, a marketing consultant, a marketing agency, or a full-time hire, each serves a distinct purpose. Understanding the differences is the first step toward making your high-impact decision confidently.

What Is a Fractional CMO?

A Fractional CMO is a senior-level marketing leader, typically with executive experience across industries. They join your organization on a part-time or contract basis. But they don’t advise from the sidelines. A true Fractional CMO is an embedded leader who aligns marketing with business objectives, oversees execution, and remains accountable for outcomes.

Not only do they build the strategy, they lead the charge. Think of them as a bridge between your growth vision and the execution needed to realize it.

Fractional CMO vs Marketing Consultant

Both roles bring expertise, but their involvement looks very different.

Marketing consultants typically operate in a narrow, project-based scope. They’re ideal for solving defined challenges like refining positioning, conducting a brand audit, or supporting a product launch.

But consultants don’t lead your team. They rarely build infrastructure or scale execution. Their value is in short-term insight, not long-term ownership. That’s where a Fractional CMO stands apart. They stay engaged, adapt plans as conditions change, and remain accountable for delivering results.

Fractional CMO vs Marketing Agency

Marketing agencies bring deep tactical expertise and the ability to execute at scale. Whether it’s paid media, content development, SEO, ABM, or campaigns, agencies are built to deliver results within a defined scope of work. For many companies, they provide the executional muscle needed to get programs off the ground and drive ongoing momentum.

What agencies typically don’t provide is ownership of the broader marketing vision. Without executive-level strategic input, even the best campaigns can fall short, not because of poor execution, but because they weren’t tied to a clear business objective.

That’s where a Fractional CMO comes in. They bring the strategic lens that ensures agency work is aligned with the company’s true goals, deeper audience needs, and real revenue targets. They partner closely with agencies by managing priorities, setting KPIs, and helping translate business strategy into marketing action.

At their best, Fractional CMOs and agencies work in lockstep combining strategic leadership with expert execution. This partnership is especially effective for companies with an internal marketing team that is small, still forming, or lacks specialized expertise in key areas.

Differences Between Fractional CMOs, Marketing Consultants, and Agencies

Understanding these roles and how they complement one another can save you time, money, and opportunity cost.

Choosing the Right Kind of Marketing Support

In many growth-stage or investor-backed companies, the marketing function has already started to take shape. You might have a capable agency, a junior marketer, or a marketing automation platform in place. But despite those investments, results fall short.

Why? Because the type of support you have in place doesn’t match what the business actually needs right now. Here’s a cheat sheet:

• If your team is executing but lacks strategic direction, a Fractional CMO can bring alignment, focus, and leadership.

• If you have internal leadership but need outside perspective to tackle a specific challenge, a consultant can deliver targeted expertise.

• If you’ve already built your strategy but need extra bandwidth (especially if it is across multiple aspects of marketing), an agency can help scale quickly.

Each role has a place. Knowing which one fits your current stage is what helps you shift from scattered activity to real momentum.

Marketing Is a Leadership Function

If you're asking whether to bring in a consultant, hire an agency, or build an in-house team, press pause for a moment. Ask yourself:

• Who is leading marketing right now?

• Who’s setting the vision and thinking three quarters ahead?

• Who is accountable for results—not just deliverables?

If the answer isn’t clear, or if it’s currently you, then it’s time to rethink how marketing is structured and supported.

Not Sure Where to Start?

Take our quick marketing assessment. It will help you evaluate your current situation. In just a few minutes, you’ll get clarity on what kind of support (strategic, tactical, or both)  will best serve your growth goals right now.

And if you're still unsure whether your business needs a Fractional CMO, a consultant, an agency, or some combination, we’re happy to talk it through. We’ll help you assess your current setup and build a roadmap that aligns your marketing investment with your business objectives.