In a 2022 Content Marketing Institute survey, 80% of all respondents claimed to have successfully used content marketing to create brand awareness, and 75% used it to build credibility. Although highly effective at reaching customers, content marketing can be an expensive endeavor, especially for small businesses in the early stages of growth.

It doesn’t have to be that way, though. Adopting fractional content marketing allows businesses to take advantage of this approach and grow their brand at an affordable cost. 

This article will show you what fractional content marketing entails and how it differs from its traditional counterpart. You’ll also discover its benefits and get advice on when and how to adopt it. Finally, we’ll present a platform that can simplify the hiring process by connecting you with top fractional content marketers based on your needs.

What Is Fractional Content Marketing? 

Fractional content marketing represents content strategy, creation, and distribution services you can hire on demand. It’s a flexible and more affordable alternative to traditional content marketing, which involves either hiring an all-round marketer full-time or a complete in-house content marketing team.

Unlike full-time employees, fractional content marketers:

• Dedicate only a portion of their time to the company
• May work for two or more employers
• Have short-term contracts
• Don’t require the full benefits package
• Enjoy a flexible work schedule

While most similar to part-time employees, fractional marketers have adjustable hours. They can switch to working full-time for a company during critical periods.

Like freelancers, fractional employees are regarded as contractors by law. Both types of employees work for multiple companies at once and focus on specific areas, but fractional marketers:

• Engage with the company continuously
• Are integrated into the company
• Have a structured pay arrangement

The structure of a fractional content marketing team depends on the size of the business and its needs. It may include only one person or a wide range of professionals, such as:

The fractional model is most prevalent among executive positions such as CMOs and marketing directors, but you can find a wide range of fractional marketing specialists today.

Key Benefits of Fractional Content Marketing 

Companies typically turn to fractional content marketing primarily because it’s:

• Cost-effective: For many companies, an in-house content team is an unaffordable and unsustainable option. Others don’t need it because they run occasional content marketing campaigns. Thanks to the fractional model, they don’t need to make costly compromises. They can pay only for the time and effort they need
• Fast: With the fractional model, businesses don’t need to wait to obtain funding or negotiate the salary as extensively as with full-time employees, so the recruitment process is shorter. Fractional marketers are also usually more readily available due to their flexible schedules
• Flexible: Fractional content marketing allows you to scale up or down easily. When you want to expand or run a specific campaign, you can request more hours or add additional team members. This flexibility makes fractional hiring ideal for the marketing sphere, which is dynamic and requires agility from companies that want to turn heads

When To Adopt Fractional Content Marketing 

The best part about fractional content marketing is that you can get it when and for how long you want to.

Businesses commonly opt for it when they lack the resources to form a full team but want to explore content marketing as a means of generating traffic to their website or positioning their brand as an authority. They can also explore different channels, tactics, and formats without committing to a long-term contract.

You may also seek out fractional content marketing services when you:

• Want to expand your content marketing efforts
• Have an effective strategy but lack expert content creators
• Have expert creators but lack a comprehensive strategy, leadership, or alignment with business goals
• Aren’t satisfied with the outcomes of past content campaigns

You can hire an individual who specializes in a specific area to evaluate your current efforts and introduce creative improvement solutions.

Making the Best Out of Fractional Recruiting

Follow these best practices to ensure fruitful collaboration with your fractional content marketer or team:

1. Define roles, responsibilities, and goals: To use the limited time you have together efficiently, set your expectations for each team member. Figure out what you want from the content initiative and use KPIs to objectively assess progress
2. Prepare an NDA: Have your fractional marketers sign an NDA to prevent sensitive information from getting into the wrong hands
3. Communicate openly and frequently: It’s important to exchange feedback regularly to make sure you’re aligned on the strategy. Use tools to streamline communication and the content approval process. Include the fractional marketers in your brainstorming sessions to harvest their diverse external experiences and perspectives
4. Provide helpful resources: One of the ways you can facilitate collaboration is with detailed project briefs and guides. Create a knowledge base where your content marketers can get all the information they need. Doing so will save you all time and effort, reducing the number of “this could have been an email” meetings
5. Maintain engagement: Even though they don’t engage with you as often as full-time employees, fractional marketers should feel like they’re part of the team. By including them in relevant activities and offering incentives, you can boost morale and encourage them to do their best work

Challenges of Adopting Fractional Content Marketing

The toughest part of hiring fractional content marketers is finding individuals who meet all the criteria. Besides being available for fractional work, they must:

• Be experienced and skilled in their area
• Have the necessary soft skills
• Fit in with your company culture
• Be trustworthy and dedicated

If they lack any of these traits, your collaboration likely won’t be successful. For example, a marketer may have all the skills in the world, but if they don’t hold up their end of the bargain, those skills will have no use. That’s why you need to screen and select your candidates carefully.

The resource-intensiveness of the recruiting process is another obstacle you’ll need to overcome. While fractional salaries are more affordable, you still need to invest time and effort into screening and interviewing. Even if you do so, there’s no guarantee that the candidate will be compatible and that you won’t need to recruit again.

Still, you can always partner with a recruiting agency or platform if you want to avoid handling the process yourself. While the upfront costs may be a bit higher, a recruiting platform offers you peace of mind in the form of candidate pre-vetting and satisfaction guarantees.

What To Look For in a Fractional Hiring Platform

Not all recruiting solutions are created the same. Pay attention to the following factors when selecting yours:

For a platform that meets all the above criteria, look no further than MarketerHire.

Why Is MarketerHire the Best Choice for Hiring Fractional Content Marketers?

MarketerHire is a marketing-oriented matchmaking platform that simplifies hiring. It can connect you with pre-vetted expert marketers for any niche, including content marketing, SEO, email, and social media—in just a few days.

The platform has a stellar track record of over 25,000 successful matches, some of which involved trusted brands such as Netflix, Forbes, and eBay.

Many of the marketers in MarketerHire’s network have also worked with well-known companies like HelloFresh, Unilever, and Puma. The platform’s marketing experts use a complex vetting process that comprises:

1. In-depth skills assessments
2. Video interviews
3. Test projects

Out of hundreds of candidates who undergo the vetting process, only the top 1% end up passing it. Besides technical skills, MarketerHire assesses their communication style, critical thinking, and professionalism.

MarketerHire eliminates the hassle and uncertainty of hiring with its white-glove approach. You’ll be assigned a dedicated marketing manager at the beginning who’ll work with you to understand your needs and guide you through the process. They’ll check in on you even after hiring to make sure you’re satisfied. If you realize that your new hire isn’t a suitable match during the free trial week, you’ll get a replacement for free.

Another major perk of MarketerHire is that its contract is short-term and scalable, so you can adapt it to your hiring needs or cancel obligation-free.

How MarketerHire Works

Hiring with MarketerHire is a piece of cake. All you need to do is:

1. Describe your needs: Hop on a short call with your dedicated marketing manager to discuss your content needs and goals
2. Meet your marketer(s): Using the MarketerMatch system that combines AI and hand-matching, the MarketerHire team will find the top candidate within 48 hours
3. Kick off your project: Start working alongside your new hire within three days

In case your marketing, design, or sales team is bogged down with any repetitive or tedious tasks, MarketerHire can recruit a full-time Expert Assistant to free up more time for value-adding work.

Whether you need a fractional CMO or a content marketer, contact MarketerHire and reap the benefits of the fractional model with no recruiting hassle.

Other Fractional Hiring Resources To Check Out

Use the articles below to learn more about fractional hiring in marketing: