What a Fractional Digital Director Does
A fractional digital director brings senior digital expertise to organisations navigating digital change. Key responsibilities include:
Digital Strategy
- Digital transformation roadmap
- Channel strategy and prioritization
- Digital business model development
- Competitive digital analysis
Digital Experience
- Customer journey optimization
- UX and digital product direction
- Personalization strategy
- Conversion optimization
Digital Marketing
- Performance marketing oversight
- SEO and content strategy
- Marketing technology stack
- Data and analytics
Team & Capability
- Build digital team and skills
- Agency and vendor management
- Digital culture development
- Ways of working
When to Hire a Fractional Digital Director
Digital Transformation
Traditional business needs to digitize operations, channels, or customer experience.
D2C Launch
B2B company launching direct-to-consumer digital channels and needs expertise.
Digital Marketing Scale
Scaling digital acquisition and need senior oversight of performance and strategy.
E-commerce Growth
E-commerce business needs senior leadership to optimize and scale digital operations.
MarTech Implementation
Implementing major digital platforms (CDP, CRM, analytics) and need strategic oversight.
Fractional Digital Director Costs
Digital Leadership Landscape
Digital roles can overlap. Here's how they typically differ:
| Role | Primary Focus | Day Rate |
|---|---|---|
| Digital Director | Digital channels, experience, transformation | £700-£1,200 |
| CMO | Overall marketing strategy and brand | £800-£1,400 |
| CTO | Technology infrastructure and engineering | £900-£1,500 |
| Product Director | Product strategy and development | £700-£1,200 |
What to Look for in a Fractional Digital Director
According to the Econsultancy digital skills framework, effective digital leaders combine strategic vision with hands-on expertise:
- Transformation experience: Led digital change in organisations at your stage
- Channel expertise: Deep knowledge across web, mobile, social, and emerging channels
- Data fluency: Can drive decisions with analytics and customer data
- Technology understanding: Knows digital platforms without being a pure technologist
- Commercial acumen: Connects digital investment to business outcomes
Summary: A fractional digital director provides part-time (1-3 days/week) digital leadership at £700-£1,200/day—ideal for businesses driving digital transformation or scaling digital capabilities.