What Is a Growth Marketing Consultancy? And Why are Scaleups Using Them?
- Laura Derbyshire
- 3 days ago
- 3 min read
The phrase “growth marketing” has become increasingly blurred.
For some, it means paid acquisition and performance marketing, for others, it’s experimentation, funnels, and optimisation.
And for many scaleups, it’s a catch-all label that doesn’t quite describe what they actually need.
In reality, a growth marketing consultancy plays a very different role, particularly for scaleups navigating complexity, investor pressure, and the transition from momentum to maturity.
We'll take a look at what a growth marketing consultancy actually is, how it differs from agencies and internal teams, and why scaleups are increasingly choosing this model.
What is a Growth Marketing Consultancy?
A growth marketing consultancy helps businesses define where and how sustainable growth should occur before deciding on channels, campaigns, or tactics.
Unlike traditional marketing agencies, a growth marketing consultancy focuses on:
strategic direction before execution
leadership-level decision-making
alignment between brand, marketing, sales, and growth
clarity on priorities, trade-offs, and sequencing
The aim is not more activity, but rather better decisions.
Growth Marketing Consultancy vs Growth Marketing Agency
This distinction is where most of the confusion lies.
A growth marketing agency is typically built to deliver:
Paid media and acquisition
CRO and funnel optimisation
Channel experimentation
Ongoing campaign execution
A growth marketing consultancy is built to address:
Where growth should come from
Which levers matter most at this stage
How marketing supports commercial and investor goals
How teams, roles, and resources should be structured
For scaleups, this upstream clarity often determines whether execution succeeds or fails.
Why Scaleups Need a Different Growth Model
Growth challenges change significantly after product-market fit.
Scaleups are no longer asking: “How do we grow?”
They’re asking:
Why has growth slowed despite higher spend?
Are we investing in the right channels?
How should brand and performance work together?
Who should own growth decisions internally?
What will investors expect next?
At this stage, growth is less about experimentation and more about focus.
A growth marketing consultancy helps leadership teams step back, diagnose the real problem, and move forward with intent.
What a Growth Marketing Consultancy Typically Delivers
For scaleups, growth marketing consultancy support often includes:
Growth strategy and prioritisation
Defining where the next phase of growth should come from.
Brand and positioning clarity
Ensuring the narrative aligns with the business's maturity.
Marketing leadership and structure
Clarifying whether the business needs a fractional CMO, a full-time hire, or a different capability mix.
Demand and performance clarity
Cutting through vanity metrics to understand what’s actually driving value.
Investor and board alignment
Making marketing decisions that support confidence, valuation, and long-term growth.
This work often underpins, rather than replaces, execution.
When a Growth Marketing Consultancy Is the Right Choice
Scaleups typically turn to a growth marketing consultancy when:
Growth has plateaued or become unpredictable
Marketing activity feels busy but unfocused
Leadership disagrees on priorities
A senior hire feels premature or risky
Investor expectations are increasing
The business is preparing for funding, expansion, or change
In these moments, clarity becomes the growth lever.
Growth Marketing Consultancy vs Fractional CMO
These roles are complementary, not competing.
A growth marketing consultancy:
Defines direction
Diagnoses problems
Sets priorities
A fractional CMO:
Leads execution
Owns decisions over time
Embeds leadership inside the business
Many scaleups benefit from both (in the right sequence).
A More Considered Approach to Growth
Growth marketing consultancies exist to help businesses grow with intent, not just speed.
For scaleups, this often means:
Doing fewer things
Making clearer choices
Aligning teams before scaling the activity
It’s a shift away from tactics-first thinking toward leadership-level growth decisions.
Where OSER Fits
OSER operates as a growth marketing consultancy for scaleups, working with founders, CEOs, and investors to connect strategy, brand, and marketing to measurable outcomes.
Our work sits between clarity and execution - helping leadership teams make better decisions before committing time, budget, and people.
You can read more about our approach here → Growth Marketing Consultancy for Scaleups
