Fractional marketing is having a moment. And for good reason.
Fractional marketing is all about outsourcing a fraction of your marketing needs to outside specialists. Emphasis on specialists.
Today, the best and brightest employees aren’t always working the traditional, “honey, I’m home,” 9-5 jobs. That’s because the companies they’re working for don’t necessarily need them to. And that's totally okay.
Read on to find out more about fractional marketing, why it’s boomed, the different roles of a fractional marketing team, the benefit of hiring these experts, and most importantly, how to use it to your advantage in a way that helps your business grow.
But first! Since you’re here, we’re guessing you’re in need of some marketing support. Heck, you might even be desperate.
Which also means you’re probably very busy doing everything yourself (why are you reading a blog?!), or on the other end of the spectrum, worried about your marketing team who are spending yet another night in their home office (read: kitchen table) crushing Red Bulls when they’d rather be sipping espresso martinis with their pals.
That’s right—your marketing team has a life outside of making TikToks.
So here’s a gift from us to you (and your tired team). A quick TLDR:
- Fractional marketing is the practice of hiring part-time freelance specialists to fulfill the roles and needs of a marketing department.
- Fractional marketing hires can span from SEO experts, to copywriters, to designers, all the way to CMOs.
- Changes in the marketing landscape require businesses to be agile—constantly curating and creating content, and doing so in a way that’s engaging, optimized, and channel specific. This is where specialized fractional marketing teams come in, providing focused support and enabling growth and flexibility for a business.
Table of contents
- What is fractional marketing?
- How marketing has changed with the growth of digital marketing
- Breaking down a fractional marketing team
- The benefits of a fractional marketing team
- How to hire freelance marketing support
- Fractional marketing FAQS
What is fractional marketing?
Fractional marketing is the practice of hiring part-time or freelance external specialists to fulfill the roles and needs of a marketing department.
These roles don’t just include junior hires or a social marketing team to run your Instagram account. (But those, too.) Today, fractional marketing spans all sorts of levels and responsibilities, including marketing managers, designers, copywriters, creative directors, and c-suite execs.
Here’s one reason why: in volatile economies, companies look for ways to cut costs while maximizing productivity. One way to do that? Fractional marketing.
Companies are looking at the ROI of full-time hires versus that of fractional marketing specialists, paying close attention to what it is their company actually needs, then finding the right people to focus on those areas instead of paying one person to try to conquer it all.
Because remember: contrary to those Beyoncé memes, there are only 24 hours in a day, and your full-time marketing manager is only supposed to work eight of them.
Your marketing team’s face when they’re asked to just do this, ‘one little thing’ at 5:01 p.m.
How marketing has changed with the growth of digital marketing
As you might have noticed, the world changes fast, and so does the way we market to the people who live in it. People are spending more time on their phones, less time talking to other people (especially during the sales process), and more time trying to stay afloat in a sea of online ads, content, and product pushes.
With so much noise, it’s no wonder the traditional way of marketing doesn’t always do the trick. This has led marketers and their teams to a new way of thinking, and more importantly, doing. And doing more with fractional marketing teams.
It’s all about more data, more channels, more content, and more insights into what’s working and what’s not. Tired yet?
The only thing that doesn’t have to be “more”? Stress and budget. Phew.
More granular data means better decision making
Having more granular data helps marketing teams make informed decisions and the required tweaks to make it all work. This is where fractional marketing specialists come in.
Think of the old “throw it to the wall and see what sticks” routine. This method only works well when you have more than one thing to throw. Without the multiple pieces, you’re unable to find the best way to connect with your audience, again and again and again.
Unfortunately, making pasta—er, content—takes time and resources. And so does digging into the data. Depending on how much you’re creating, testing, and reiterating, these two jobs alone can require several specialists. Bonus if they’re working in tandem—but more on that later.
More digital channels means more experts are needed
We spoke about data, but in order to get that, you need more content on more channels. Gone are the days of a one-size-fits-all approach, and ICYMI, even more than 90% of active Instagram users report that they engage with video content on a weekly basis, reels are not a marketing strategy.
The result? You guessed it—more.
According to a recent study, the average American spends 4 hours and 37 minutes looking at their phone every day, which honestly seems low when you consider the amount of RuPaul’s Drag Race we watch while “working”. And in the midst of all of the content, you’ve just gotta hope that they’re looking at your brand.
But as every good marketer knows, even if you get a look or a like, it doesn’t always translate into dollars. Content needs to be more than engaging. It needs to be constant. Thoughtful. Strategic. It needs to follow the customer’s unique buyer journey, which is changing as we speak.
For instance, a recent report showed that 33% of all buyers desire a seller-free sales experience. And for millennials? That preference climbs to 44%. A seller-free experience requires a self-directed approach to buying, so creating a journey that speaks—and sells—to your customers on multiple channels is a fine art.
We’ll say it: it’s also one that the right fractional marketing specialist is equipped to handle, and actually has the time for.
More insights into what’s working (and what’s not)
Let’s get back to our pasta analogy. You find a recipe that works—now what? You invest in it.
You dig into why it works, why your customers love it, and then you find ways to make more of it.
The more you know about what works, the more you can lean into it. A fractional marketing team can help you with that by focusing their efforts and talents on what’s making your business money.
And when your audience needs something new, your fractional marketing team can tell you that. Not only will they have the data to prove it, but they’ll want to make sure your business is succeeding so they are, too.
A win-win for everyone.
Breaking down a fractional marketing team
A fractional marketing team can be as big or small as you need it to be.
Depending on the size of your business or your goals, you might want to hire one or several fractional marketing specialists. Here are just a few roles that you might find helpful in growing your business:
An email marketing strategist to drive more engagement
Email’s so much more than a selling list of products or a quick hello, and an email marketing strategist is so much more than someone who sends the goods.
Hiring an email marketing strategist as part of your fractional marketing team means you’ll get someone who focuses on engagement. They’ll develop strategies based on various markets and their past purchase history or demographics, create the content for flows, perform A/B testing to see what works best, and give you a thorough breakdown of results.
A social media manager to create brand loyalty
Social media changes faster than you can say, “Is TikTok banned?”
Hiring a social media manager for your fractional marketing team ensures that you’re getting someone who can stay on top of trends, plus create, curate, and report on content.
You’ll want someone who’s a natural collaborator, as they’ll be working closely with other members of your team to gather the info they need to make content that fits with your brand and achieves (or exceeds!) your overall marketing goals.
You’ll also want to look for someone with a proven track record for companies, not just their personal account (because who has time for personal upkeep when they’re booked solid?). This expert needs to have a special skill set of community engagement, scheduling, brand strategy, content creation and editing, plus have the know-how of reporting back to your internal teams so everyone is kept in the loop.
One word of warning: if you’re expecting one social media manager to do all that alone, you’re stuck 10 years in the past. Now, really great social content requires a social manager plus a videographer or graphic designer to create it.
A paid ads expert to stay top of mind
Paid ads experts (also known as paid media specialists) have a big job. As part of your fractional marketing team, they’ll be the ones building ads, iterating on them, and auditing your current library to ensure they stack up to those of your competitors.
Paid ads experts are also platform experts. Not only do they know what works for each platform, they also understand the evolving constraints of each and how work within them.
Pair them up with a strong copywriter known for writing compelling and clickable copy, plus a designer who can create static and video ads, and watch the magic happen.
An SEO expert to rack up views (and sales)
SEO (search engine optimization) experts help you improve your website’s visibility when ranking in search engine results pages, like Google. Simply put, they help you get seen organically, without paying for ad placements.
This means that when someone Googles, ‘best company for cool jeans’, your company-that-sells-cool-jeans pops up on the first page, driving views, clicks, and sales.
They do this through content strategy, link building, on-page optimization, and more. They can provide a pretty wide range of services, from the technical back-end of things, to a local strategy (think Google Maps), to blog and content outlines.
Essentially, they make sure your website and pages are showing up and getting traffic to the right people. You know, those who want what your business is selling.
Content marketing and blog writers to educate, inform, and entertain
Need fresh content for your site or newsletter? Want to build out a brand strategy and need a writer for your blog? Look no further than a content marketing specialist or a blog writer!
These experts are your go-to for content development that speaks to your brand and connects with your audience.
They may work closely with an SEO expert so the content they’re writing is sure to be seen, or they might build out copy based on a brief provided by a member of your marketing team.
Regardless of how they work, their job as part of your fractional marketing team is to write copy that’s on-brand and achieves the goals of your brief—to connect, to educate, to sell, or all of the above.
The benefits of a fractional marketing team
Specialists over generalists
We all get busy, especially when we have a million things on our to-do list. Which is why hiring a fractional marketing team can be a good option for growth.
By hiring a single expert (or maybe a few) you get someone who’s focused on one channel instead of an entire marketing strategy and the tactics that follow. Your fractional marketing team member doesn’t have to worry about being a jack-or-jill of all trades, but instead can dedicate their time to exactly the job at hand.
Lower costs
Hiring a fractional marketing team can be better for your budget than a full-time team. You’ll pay your contractors an agreed-upon freelance rate for the work they do—no benefits, insurance, overhead costs, signing bonuses, or ill-fitting company tee shirts required.
More flexibility with hiring and skills
When you’re hiring a fractional marketing team, you’re able to diversify your team and the skillsets they bring. For example, you may want to bring in a freelance SEO expert to offer your in-house copywriters technical support, providing keywords and other optimization tips like meta descriptions, headers, and more.
Another benefit? Flexibility within your in-house team. When you have a fractional marketing team supporting your internal team, you can give them the flexibility they need to take on deep-thinking projects, explore professional development opportunities, or even take that much-needed vacation.
The bottom line: your staff aren’t stretched to their limits and neither is your budget.
Better productivity
Ready for a mind-blowing fact?
When your team is able to prioritize their tasks, they can focus. When they can focus, they can get their tasks done.
We know. Mind-blowing stuff.
While this statement seems simple enough, the fact of the matter is that it can be quite hard to achieve. That is, unless you have the support of fractional marketing teams.
A team providing freelance marketing support is able to swoop in to cover their areas of expertise, allowing your internal teams to do the same.
Each person—freelance or full-time, internal or external—has the tools and time they need to get their job done, and done well. Without juggling priorities, they’re able to drill down on details or in some cases, see the bigger picture.
How to hire freelance marketing support
Now that you’re up to speed on fractional marketing support, you might be wondering how to hire the freelance support that will take your team from “can we do this” to “done!”
Simple: the Freelance Squad.
Think of the Freelance Squad like your marketing team’s BFFs. We’re the ones they call when they need trusted support, fresh ideas, punny one-liners, dreamy designs, or oh-so-serious SEO.
The best part? Aside from all of the benefits listed above, the Freelance Squad is, well, a squad. We’re seasoned pros in the game of collaboration. Tom Bradys in the field of fractional marketing. Taylor Swifts in the stadium of stellar support, if you will.
We work towards reaching your goals and working with your team (and your guidelines) to do just that.
Oh, don’t have guidelines? You’re in luck. We can write those, too.
