The short answer: Expect to pay a day rate multiplied by the days you buy. At £500 to £900 a day, 2 days a month costs £1,000 to £1,800 and 4 days costs £2,000 to £3,600. Northern's fractional marketing director service starts at £1,500 a month for 2 days, with 30 days' notice.
Those day rates come with a caveat. There is no reliable published survey of fractional rates yet, so most people, including us, work from interim rates. Exec Capital puts interim marketing directors in SMEs and scale-ups up to £30m revenue at £500 to £900 a day (reported by Fractional Quest). Interims work full-time weeks, so treat this as a guide.
What does it cost each month?
| Days a month | At £500 a day | At £900 a day | A year, at £900 a day |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 days | £1,000 | £1,800 | £21,600 |
| 4 days | £2,000 | £3,600 | £43,200 |
| 8 days | £4,000 | £7,200 | £86,400 |
Mid-sized firms should expect to pay more. Exec Capital's figure for mid-market and private equity-backed businesses is £800 to £1,400 a day. Published monthly packages vary too. One Newcastle provider lists £1,000 to £6,000 a month, depending on the size and complexity of the job.
How does that compare with a full-time hire?
Robert Half's 2026 guide gives a median full-time marketing director salary of £79,500 (reported by Fractional Quest). That is before employer's National Insurance, pension, equipment and recruitment fees.
So 2 days a month at £1,500 costs £18,000 a year. That doesn't make it a better deal by default. A full-time director gives you every day of the month. If your marketing needs someone there every day, hire one.
What should 2 days a month buy?
Two days is enough to run the plan, but not to do the work. It should cover:
- A review of your brand, website, channels, spend and results in month one.
- A short written plan with goals, budget, priorities and who does what.
- Supplier management, so your agencies and freelancers get clear briefs and one person to answer to.
- A monthly leadership meeting and a plain-English report.
- Team size. Managing people takes more time than managing suppliers.
- Number of suppliers and campaigns. Each one adds briefs, checks and meetings.
- Sector. Regulated industries take longer to sign off.
- Time on site. Travel and regular office days use up paid days.
- Experience. Someone who has done the job at your size costs more, and usually gets there faster.
- Direction, 2 days a month: from £1,500.
- Direction Plus, 4 days a month: from £3,000.
- No named person. Find out exactly who turns up each month.
- Vague days. Ask what the days cover and what happens to any you don't use.
- Long contracts. You should be able to leave if it isn't working.
- Forced supplier changes. Ask if a good agency you already use can stay.
- Reports without sales. Spend should tie back to leads and revenue, not just reach.
Delivery is usually extra. Ad spend, websites, filming and design all sit on top of the fee, so budget for them separately.
What pushes the price up?
What does Northern charge?
Dave Head, our founder, does this work himself:
Both roll monthly with 30 days' notice. Prices exclude VAT, and Northern is not currently VAT registered. You don't need to use Northern for delivery. If your agency is doing good work, they stay and Dave manages them.
How do you spot a bad deal?
Is it worth it for a small business?
It's worth it if you already spend money on marketing and nobody senior is in charge of it. If you spend nothing yet, start with a free audit and one good campaign. A plan is no use without the budget to act on it.
Want to see if it fits your business? Book a free call with Dave.
