Our world has transformed into one where content creation is the order of the day. Smart businesses have now tapped into the use of content marketing to drive sales, increase brand awareness, customer engagement, and accelerate growth.
However, the processes involved in content creation and marketing can become quite resource-demanding and energy-extensive for growing businesses. Many business owners go into debt trying to build a content marketing team or do not venture into it at all. Both of these options can be limiting for the affected businesses and this is where fractional content marketing arises as a solution.
What is Fractional Content Marketing?
Digitalisation has made many industries open to flexible working conditions. This is what has made fractional marketing well-received as a solution to various challenges that come with growing a business.
Content marketing involves the use of various approaches to convert people from prospects into customers. It involves sharing your business’s story at a deeper level that your audience can relate with and uses various channels such as emails, social media, newsletters, and videos.
Do you have a brand that you connect with on a deeper level? That is the power of compelling content and this is achievable when there is someone at the head of a content strategy, in charge of creating, organising, and distributing content that tells your story.
A content marketing team can be difficult to run, especially for a growing business. This is where fractional content marketing comes in and it involves hiring a fractional content marketer on a part-time or contractual basis to run your content marketing activities.
What is the Role of a Fractional Content Marketer for Business?
A fractional content marketer in your business does the same work as an in-house content marketer, but on a more flexible basis. They perform various duties to grow engagement on your company’s socials, boost awareness, and enhance sales.
The fractional content marketing sector has various departments or specialties and the roles vary depending on the title. However, the general activities involved in fractional content marketing include:
- Discussing the goals and objectives of the business to determine a content strategy that aligns with the overall strategy.
- Creating compelling content across various platforms, including social media, websites, newsletters, etc., to communicate brand objectives and promote products and services.
- Management of social media accounts, keeping up with customer engagement and feedback, and implementing marketing strategies for growth.
- Work with influencers, media teams, and other essential personnel on campaign or promotional strategies.
- Collaborate with other resources such as videographers, content writers, editors, and designers on a working content strategy.
- Schedule and plan posts on various platforms.
- Monitor, track, and analyse the performance of the fractional content marketing campaign and other content output.
- Give reports and suggestions for improvement.
Why You Should Consider Fractional Content Marketing for Your Business
A content marketing team includes several specialists and having them come together to work on content strategies can help push your business forward. The benefits of fractional content marketing include:
Cost-Effectiveness & Better Resource Allocation
The marketing department in every business is essential to the growth of the business. However, setting up a department can become expensive with various overhead costs. Fractional marketing helps to take this burden off business owners by providing access to quality marketing services but at a reduced cost.
As such, your business can get high-level content marketing services at a fraction of the fee it would have cost with a full-time marketing team.
Access to Specialised Skills
Another benefit your business gets from fractional content marketing services is access to a pool of experienced and skilled professionals without barriers. You can easily work with a fractional content marketing manager with a wealth of experience locally. The diversity this marketing model offers can help businesses scale and achieve results in record time.
Flexibility & Scalability
The fractional marketing model is a flexible one and can be easily adjusted to adapt to your business conditions. For example, your business could be running a promotion or a new product launch and you need to put out content in anticipation of these events. You can easily work with a fractional marketing team or a content marketing specialist and scale down when these events are over.
This is not possible when you employ a full-time marketing team as you have to keep them on payroll whether or not there are events that need their marketing expertise.
How to Find the Perfect Fractional Content Marketing Specialist for Your Business
Whether you need help with coming up with creative and compelling content for your business or you have a content marketing team and you need someone to take charge of leadership, here are some steps to help you find the right professional for the job.
- Identify Project Needs:
The purpose of your fractional content marketing can vary from business to business. For some, it is to develop a working content strategy for effective marketing while for others, it could be to promote products and reach more potential customers. To get the most out of hiring a fractional content marketing professional, you have to clarify your business objectives.
Hence, the first step to finding the right fit for your content marketing position is answering the question, “What are the content marketing needs of my business?”
- Confirm Skills & Experience:
While one of the benefits of fractional marketing for businesses is access to high-level skills, it is still necessary to confirm their level of expertise before hiring one for your project. Hence, you should check for industry-based experience as a fractional content marketer who has a better chance at producing results than one without that industry experience.
Ensure that you ask the right questions during the interview phase. Ask about their past experiences, results, and testimonials from past clients.
- Schedule a Trial Project:
Once you have narrowed your list down to one or two potential fractional content marketing experts, you can start with a trial project to determine the best fit for the project. During this trial, you can observe if the skillset, work style, and values are in line with what your business needs in that period.
Freelance Content Marketing Vs. Fractional Content Marketing
When it comes to content creation and social media management, both of which are an aspect of content marketing, many businesses engage the services of freelancers. A freelance content marketer works on a project basis to meet your content marketing needs, and in most cases, they work hourly. While freelance content marketers get the job done, they have some gaps that fractional content marketers can fill.
If you are looking to hire a freelancer for your content marketing needs, then it means you are not ready to commit to in-house content marketing for a full-time service. Here are a few reasons why a freelance marketer might not be the best choice for your business.
- Freelancers work on a project-basis and do not integrate with your business’s marketing team; hence, they are not perfect for long-term collaborations.
- Your growing business needs ongoing, consistent, and strategic marketing strategies which is not always within the scope of freelancing.
- Freelancers work independently and if you have a stable team, it may be difficult to have them work together.
In essence, if you have a growing business, having a fractional content marketing team is more effective than hiring a freelancer. You can, however, outsource smaller projects or independent work such as blog writing or graphics to a freelancer as it requires little to no team effort.
Bottom Line: Fractional Content Marketing for Effective Business Growth
The fractional content marketing business is an effective path that leads to the creation and distribution of strategic content for high business visibility and growth. This flexible model allows for specialised marketing services, quick implementation, and focused growth in a competitive environment.
From creating compelling content, to working with external personnel, Fractional CMO content marketing helps to ensure that your business reaches its target audience. Finding the right fit for your business might seem tough, why is why you should follow the recommended steps in this article and ensure you explore fractional marketing management solutions to support you when it gets difficult.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is fractional content marketing?
The fractional content marketing purpose is to get high-quality content marketing services from expert content marketers but at an affordable cost and with a flexible model. Thus, it involves all the activities from creating or developing a content strategy to its distribution and finally its results. It is a great alternative to traditional marketing, allowing you access to content marketing specialists when you need them but without the burden of hiring them full-time.
What is an example of fractional content marketing?
Fractional content marketing in digital marketing involves hiring an expert marketer to handle content marketing strategies using various digital channels. For example, your company may need to improve its content marketing tactics to boost engagement with customers and promote sales. However, as a start-up company, you may have limited resources.
You can hire a fractional marketing expert for a specific period to handle content creation and execution. This professional will be in charge of developing content plans, executing them, and measuring the results.
How much does fractional content marketing cost?
The cost of hiring and working with a fractional content marketer varies based on the level of experience of the specialist, the type of industry, and the job to be done. However, pricing for fractional marketing support is flexible and you can agree on a cost based on your needs and budget. The typical rate is between $100 to $200 per hour.
