One Marketing Plan
We review your brand, marketing and numbers, then write one plan that your team and suppliers all work from.
Fractional Marketing Director
Fractional Marketing Director
Without the Full-Time Hire.
A fractional marketing director is a senior marketer who works part of each month as part of your business. They set the plan, run your suppliers and answer for the results. At Northern that person is Dave Head, our founder, from £1,500 a month for 2 days, with 30 days’ notice.
From: £1,500/month for 2 days
★★★★★
5.0 Google Reviews
·
80+ North East brands
·
13+ years
Fractional Marketing Director
No fluff. No jargon. Just proper work that moves your business forward.
Your Suppliers Managed
Your agencies and freelancers get clear briefs and one person to answer to. You stop being the go-between.
A Monthly Meeting
Dave joins your leadership meeting each month, reports what happened and agrees what happens next.
Plain-English Reporting
One monthly report shows spend, leads and sales against your goals, so you can see what is paying back.
Why It Matters
Plenty of Marketing.
Nobody in Charge of It.
Most growing businesses have an agency for the website, someone for the ads and a person in the office posting when they get time. Each does their own job. Nobody owns the whole picture, so the owner ends up doing it at 9pm. A fractional marketing director takes that job off you.
- ✓ One plan tied to what the business wants to achieve
- ✓ One person responsible for the results
- ✓ Suppliers pulling the same way, on clear briefs
- ✓ Senior experience for 2 days a month, not a full-time salary
Agency Second Opinion
Not Sure Your Agency
Is Worth the Bill?
Your agency can’t mark its own homework. For a fixed £445, Dave spends one day looking at what you pay your agency, what you get and what to change. If they are doing a good job, he will tell you. If you then want someone to run the changes, Direction is the next step. You don’t have to take it.
£445
Fixed price. One day. Excludes VAT, and Northern is not currently VAT registered.
What you pay
What the agency costs you and what that fee covers.
What you get
The work and results that money has bought.
What to change
What to keep, what to stop and what to ask for next.
Fractional Marketing Director
How Our Fractional Marketing
Director Service Works.
Northern is a design and marketing agency at the Business & Innovation Centre in Sunderland. Dave Head has 13+ years in design and digital marketing, with in-house roles at citizenM Hotels, The Law Debenture Corporation, Safecall, Gentoo Group, Capture Expense and STACK Leisure. He does this work himself, so we only take a few clients at a time.
What do you get for 2 days a month?
- A marketing review: your brand, website, channels, spend and results, before we recommend anything
- A one-page plan: goals, budget, priorities and who does what, refreshed every quarter
- Supplier management: briefs, check-ins and quality control for your agencies and freelancers
- A monthly leadership meeting: Dave reports the results and agrees the next steps with you
- A monthly report: spend, leads and sales in plain English
How much does it cost?
- 2 days a month: from £1,500, for most small businesses with a few suppliers
- 4 days a month: from £3,000, for businesses with a marketing team or several campaigns running
- Terms: rolling monthly with 30 days’ notice. Prices exclude VAT, and Northern is not currently VAT registered
- Not included: ad spend and any delivery work such as websites, ads or filming
- Comparing your options? Agency or senior lead? sets a big agency, an in-house hire and a fractional lead side by side. It’s written to forward to your finance director
Who is it for?
- Owners doing the marketing themselves because nobody else has the whole picture
- Businesses with several suppliers and no senior person managing them
- Small marketing teams that need a senior lead
- Not a fit if you only need one job done. For ads alone, see PPC management
- Not a fit if you have no budget to act on a plan yet. Start with a free audit
Do we have to use Northern for the delivery work?
- No. If your agency is doing a good job, they stay and Dave manages them
- If you want us to do the work, Northern can make the website, ads, video and photography under one plan
- Your accounts, data and files stay in your name either way
How does it start?
- A free first call: we agree whether this is the right move and tell you if it is not
- Not sure yet? Start with an agency second opinion, one day for a fixed £445
- Month one: the marketing review and your one-page plan
- Month two onwards: Dave runs the plan, the suppliers and the monthly meeting
Related services
Why Northern
Why Choose Northern
for Marketing Direction.
Dave has sat on both sides of the table, in-house at brands and running an agency for 13+ years. He knows what good work looks like, what it should cost and when a supplier is padding the report. Behind him is a team that can do the work if you want it, so the plan never stops at a slide.
One Senior Person
You deal with Dave, not an account manager.
Published Prices
You can see what it costs before you pick up the phone.
No Long Contracts
Rolling monthly with 30 days’ notice.
Your Accounts
Your accounts, data and files stay in your name.
North East Marketing Direction
Fractional Marketing Director for
Newcastle, Sunderland & Durham.
We are based in Sunderland, so Dave can be in your office for the monthly meeting anywhere in the North East. Businesses elsewhere in the UK can work with him online, with visits agreed up front.
£1,500
From, a Month for 2 Days
13+
Years in Design and Marketing
80+
Case Studies Published
30 Days
Notice. No Long Contracts
Testimonials
What Our Clients Say
Real recommendations from real people.
“I’ve been incredibly impressed with David’s quality of work since I started working with him back in 2014. He still amazes me with his creativity, the speed of delivery plus he always keeps his word when he sets a time frame. You couldn’t work with anyone else who could be as collaborative, as creative, as David.”
“Dave’s creativity was important to the creation of Gentoo’s outstanding new website. His designs are not only visually engaging but also meet accessible standards and user needs. He goes above and beyond to meet deadlines, displaying dedication and perseverance to ensure designs meet user needs.”
“Dave has an unmatched level of creativity and energy — when you place these two together you get a creative genius who does not stop until he takes the project from good to great. His commitment to the brand standards is contagious. I am confident Dave will be a true asset in any team.”
Fractional Marketing Director FAQ
Common Questions
Everything you need to know about our Fractional Marketing Director service.
A senior marketer who works part of each month as part of your business, instead of full time. They set the strategy, manage your suppliers and answer for the results. Some people call the role a fractional CMO, an outsourced marketing director or a part-time marketing director.
Ours starts at £1,500 a month for 2 days and £3,000 a month for 4 days, rolling monthly with 30 days’ notice. Our UK cost guide explains how the role is priced.
Our digital marketing service does the work: ads, email and content. A fractional marketing director decides what work should happen, manages whoever does it and reports the results to you.
Dave Head, Northern’s founder. He does the review, writes the plan, runs the meetings and manages your suppliers himself.
Yes. If they are doing good work, they stay. Dave briefs them, checks the work and reports the results to you. You do not have to move anything to Northern.
A one-day review of what you pay your agency, what you get and what to change. It costs a fixed £445, and you don’t have to sign up to anything else afterwards.
There is no long contract. It rolls monthly and you can leave with 30 days’ notice. Your plan, accounts and data stay with you.
Google Reviews
What clients say
Real reviews from businesses like yours.
I have really enjoyed working with Dave at Northern Design and Digital Marketing. Dave was quick to understand me and my wish to move away from WordPress and heavy-duty software and systems. I can now manage my own website quickly and easily on HTML5. He has interpreted my wishes - and brand values - to a T. I love my new website and brand.
Working with NORTHERN on the HERMIT UNIVERSE website has been a superb experience. Translating such a complex, visually rich and philosophically driven creative project into an immersive digital layout was no straightforward undertaking. NORTHERN approached it with embracing the concept, steady and extremely efficient work flow, patience and a genuine understanding of the vision. The result is a distinctive website that is receiving excellent, supportive feedback and captures the identity of Hermit Universe. We would very much recommend NORTHERN to anyone looking for a thoughtful, creative and collaborative approach to web design.
Dave has worked with two of my clients so far on projects I've written copy for. One was web design and development and one was a brand ID refresh and web. Design and development have been great in both cases. Simple, effective design, and incredibly fast without losing any quality. Dave cares about the outcome, is fair to clients, and listens to suggestions. All of these things are very reassuring.
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Available across the North East
Free Strategy Audit
What's costing you growth?
Let's find out. For free.
Book a free 30-minute strategy audit with Dave. We'll look at your marketing, find what's not working, and tell you exactly where to focus. No waffle. Just a canny plan you can act on.
No contracts
Free consultation
Reply within 24hrs
Request Your Free Audit
Takes 30 seconds. No jargon, just results.