While a one-man-marketing-department made sense in the past, it doesn’t cut it for most businesses nowadays. The industry is changing rapidly, and new marketing channels and strategies are popping up before you can even catch your breath. No matter how skilled, one person can’t be an expert at everything.
Big companies have adapted to these changes by hiring an in-house marketer for every marketing niche and vertical. But for most small and midsize businesses with limited budgets, that isn’t an option. That’s where fractional employment comes in.
A fractional marketing framework allows startups and other emerging enterprises to access the marketing expertise they need to keep growing and competing without going bankrupt.
This article will explain what fractional marketing is, why so many businesses are opting for it, and what obstacles you may encounter while adopting it. We’ll also share tips for hiring fractional marketing talent and ensuring successful collaboration. Finally, we’ll introduce a platform that makes it easy to connect with pre-vetted fractional marketers.
What Is Fractional Marketing?
Fractional marketing refers to the marketing services and experts you can hire on a part-time, as-needed basis. These experts dedicate a “fraction” of their time to you while typically working for multiple other employers.
Still, unlike traditional part-time employees, fractional marketers are hired to achieve a particular goal, and their engagement is more temporary. Their schedules are flexible, though, so they can increase their work hours during peak periods if necessary. They may even work full-time for a company when needed.
Legally, fractional marketers are contractors, like freelancers. Both these types of employees divide their time among multiple employers, but fractional marketers engage with them continuously, not on a project basis.
While freelancers are external contractors, fractional employees are integrated into the company and considered a part of the collective. Additionally, the salary arrangements for fractional marketers are more structured than those for freelancers, who are often paid by the hour.
Fractional marketers typically have a narrower scope of work than their full-time counterparts. For example, a fractional marketing director might focus more on strategy or team management, depending on the company’s needs.
For comparison, the table below provides a brief overview of the popular work models:
Popular Fractional Marketing Roles
The fractional model is widely used for high-level executive roles, such as CMO and marketing director. It’s also common among roles that entail specific expertise, like SEO and content marketing.
Check out the table below to discover roles that can be hired fractionally and their typical duties:
If you run a small company, chances are you don’t need all these experts year-round. That’s where the fractional model shines—it allows you to meet your specific needs precisely when they arise. With no long-term contracts to tie you down, you can get fractional marketing services when and for however long you need them.
For example, if you’re hosting a company event but don’t plan on doing so regularly, you can hire a fractional event marketer to plan or run the campaign.
You can also have a team that consists of in-house and fractional marketers. Identify which roles are crucial for your marketing approach and which ones you need occasionally or seasonally, then adjust your team structure accordingly.
Key Benefits of Fractional Marketing
The fractional model has revolutionized the way businesses hire marketing talent. Its biggest advantages include:
- Affordability: Many companies, especially startups, can’t afford full-time marketers. Some businesses don’t even need full-time engagement, but they pay for it because they lack better options. With the fractional model, you can pay only for the service you need and get expertise without committing to expensive full-time contracts
- Flexibility: Marketing trends shift constantly, and you must stay agile to stay relevant. Fractional hiring allows you to adapt to these changes, fill temporary skills gaps, and solve pressing problems promptly
- Scalability: Being able to hire quickly and affordably is crucial for managing product launches and business expansions. You can get additional help from fractional marketers to ensure uninterrupted growth
- Diversity: With a flexible fractional marketing team, you can access a wide range of perspectives. They can breathe innovation into your marketing efforts and introduce you to game-changing tools and methods
- Efficiency: Fractional marketers are experienced and used to completing work in record time. Also, fractional hiring is faster since it doesn’t require you to screen and negotiate as extensively
When To Adopt Fractional Marketing
While large companies can justify having an in-house marketing team, small and midsize businesses will likely benefit more from a fractional or semi-fractional marketing team. You should consider switching to this model if:
- Your marketing budget is limited
- You have various projects and your marketing workload fluctuates
- You’re experiencing high turnover
- You lack innovation
- Your current marketing team is not productive or is achieving subpar results
You can also hire individual fractional marketers when you require specific expertise. Here are some scenarios that warrant hiring fractional marketing support:
- Temporary vacancy: If one of your key marketers is on leave, you can hire a fractional employee to substitute them. They can also act as a stand-in while you’re looking for a full-time marketer
- Testing new tactics: For example, a fractional marketer who specializes in influencer marketing can help you explore that medium and assess if it’s the right fit for you
- Making tough decisions: During financial difficulties, an executive such as a fractional CMO can help you figure out the next best steps
- Starting out: When your business is at an early stage, a fractional executive like a CMO or director can help you build a marketing foundation with a solid strategy and team
- Campaign not working out: The external perspective of a fractional specialist is invaluable in identifying the bottlenecks and resolving them
How To Assemble a Fractional Marketing Team
Before you start sourcing a fractional marketing team, you need to figure out:
- What fractional marketers you need
- What tasks they’ll be doing
- How much time those tasks will take
- What budget you’re dealing with
The first role you should pay attention to is the leader. If you don’t have anyone to lead your marketing efforts, consider hiring a fractional CMO or marketing director.
As for the rest of the marketers, you should first figure out what your business goals are and how you’ll achieve them. Knowing the tactics and channels you’ll be using most allows you to prioritize the positions you should fill first. For example, if you’re in the B2B sector and your strategy relies on content marketing, content marketers should be at the top of your list. Knowing the short- and long-term goals will also help you identify the roles that should be fractional.
Next, you should define the goals for the specific channels you’ll use. This will help you figure out the amount of work your fractional marketer will do and the number of hours they’ll put in. Compare that info against your available budget and start looking for a compatible candidate.
Making the Most Out of Fractional Recruiting
The following tips will help you maximize the value you get from fractional marketing:
- Know when to use it: Not all marketing roles should be fractional. Consider your goals and take the time to figure out the ideal structure for your marketing team
- Define the role: Before you even start hiring, set the objectives and define the duties of your fractional marketer. This will help you identify the top qualities to look for and shortlist candidates
- Communicate clearly: To make sure you’re always on the same page, communicate openly and regularly with your fractional marketers
- Nurture the relationships: Since they’re not present all the time, fractional marketers may feel like outsiders. You should include them in company activities to help them integrate into the team and facilitate collaboration
Challenges of Adopting Fractional Marketing
The most challenging aspect of fractional marketing is finding a candidate who can meet you where you’re at.
In the table below, you can learn about some of the specific problems you may encounter and their prevention:
Where To Source Fractional Marketers
You have two options for finding fractional marketers:
- Taking on the recruiting process yourself
- Leveraging a recruiting service or platform
Keep in mind that recruiting is often a resource-intensive process. While websites like Freelancer and Upwork are mostly free and have made it easier to connect with fractional talent, they can’t guarantee talent quality. You still need to do all the screening yourself.
Even if you’re a marketing expert, there’s a chance you’ll miss the mark and hire the wrong person. In that case, you’ll need to start from scratch and use more resources on top of those already wasted on the bad hire.
A much more reliable option is to partner with a recruitment service with a track record of success. You should choose your provider carefully and make sure they can consistently supply high-quality talent.
How To Choose the Best Fractional Marketing Recruiting Platform
Consider the following factors when selecting the platform or service to handle your fractional recruiting:
- Marketing verticalization: Your chosen platform should specialize in hiring for marketing roles. Having industry knowledge and experience allows it to better understand your needs and identify top fractional candidates
- Talent pre-vetting: The screening process should be extensive and designed by industry experts who know what makes a great marketer. Also, pre-vetting candidates helps ensure faster hiring
- Satisfaction guarantee: If the candidate ends up being the wrong fit, the platform should offer to find a replacement or give you a refund
- White-glove support: The platform should guide and support you throughout the hiring process. The less time and effort you need to invest in the process, the more you can focus on your core work
- Flexible contract: You should opt for a platform that offers flexibility in the form of a short-term scalable contract
- Transparent pricing: Knowing the approximate cost of the service beforehand will help you plan your budget accurately
Why MarketerHire Is the Best Choice for Hiring Fractional Marketing Talent
MarketerHire is a matchmaking platform built by marketers for hiring marketers. It streamlines the entire recruitment process, allowing you to connect with pre-vetted fractional talent within days and hire them on an hourly, part-time, or full-time basis.
So far, MarketerHire has made over 25,000 successful matches. Some of today’s best-known companies have used the platform to recruit marketers, including:
- Netflix
- Skillshare
- eBay
- HP
MarketerHire does all the heavy lifting for you. Its in-house marketing experts pre-screen marketers through a multi-step vetting process that comprises:
- In-depth skills reviews
- Video interviews
- Test projects
Only the top 3% of applicants are accepted into the network, and MarketerHire monitors their work to ensure they have a perfect track record with clients. Many marketers from the platform’s network have worked with familiar brands, such as Postmates, Unilever, and Yelp.
You only need to describe your hiring needs, and MarketerHire will find you a match in no time. It uses a proprietary system called MarketerMatch, which combines AI and hand-matching to pinpoint the top candidate. You’ll receive support from your dedicated marketing manager during and after the hiring process.
MarketerHire gives you a free trial week to assess the fit of each match. If you’re not satisfied with their work, you’ll get a replacement for free. The contract is short-term and flexible, so you can also scale up, scale down, or cancel whenever you want to.
How MarketerHire Works
Unlike the recruiting process you’d carry out yourself, MarketerHire’s is simple and consists of only three steps:
- Describe your project: Hop on a short call with your dedicated marketing manager to discuss your company and needs
- Meet your marketer: MarketerHire’s team will find the most suitable fractional candidate within 48 hours
- Start making an impact: Your new fractional marketer can join your team within three days
MarketerHire is compatible with most marketing roles, including fractional CMO, paid search marketer, and social media manager. It can also help you hire Expert Assistants if your marketing, sales, or design team is ever stuck with any repetitive or tedious tasks.
Whether you’d like to give fractional marketing a try or prefer to do it old-school, contact MarketerHire and get access to today’s leading marketing talent.
Other Fractional Hiring Resources To Check Out
See the table below to discover our other fractional marketing guides: