Posted by Ashley
Marketing rules are changing daily- especially in a digital world. There are many new ways of getting your business out there, platforms and algorithms, and… It can be overwhelming! While a few years ago, most businesses, even small businesses, could successfully navigate the marketing world with a small in-house team. But these days, those in-house teams are quickly overwhelmed! So what’s the solution?
This is where Fractional Marketing comes in. This innovative way of outsourcing your marketing has been wildly successful at helping businesses master the marketing landscape.
What exactly does Fractional Marketing mean?
Fractional Marketing, at its very basis, is outsourcing a part (or “fraction”) of your business’s marketing efforts to an agency of established experts. It would be like hiring a part-time employee- if that employee was a master at every aspect of marketing.
Many in-house marketing teams utilize this version by hiring freelancers for specific jobs like content writing or graphic design. However, the benefits of the Fractional Marketing model is that you get both a content writer and a graphic designer in addition to a marketing strategist, a web team, an SEO expert, a branding officer, and dozens of other specified experts in the marketing world – all for the exact cost!
How Does it Work?
Every agency works differently, but let me explain how Pulse Marketing models a Fractional approach to Marketing.
We offer a Creative Retainer. The Creative retainer includes a set number of hours your business has each month to use how you would like (with limitations, of course!). We have some clients who use their hours to create content for social media and SEO, and that’s it, while other clients use their hours to maintain their online inventory, digital ads campaign, and create event flyers. Others still utilize our team for print ads and email marketing.
When you hire our fractional marketing team, you pay for a set number of hours each month, and you choose what projects those hours are allotted to. This means your in-house team can focus on generating ideas and events and handling the internal side of things while our team works on researching and developing the assets and advertisements your business needs to thrive.
Fractional Marketing means your in-house team can create new materials faster and at a higher quality without overextending themselves. It also means you get a team on your side who can make helpful suggestions based on their expertise in various fields without hiring many new employees!
What are the Benefits of a Fractional Marketing Team?
One of the biggest benefits of hiring a Fractional Marketing Agency is the low overhead costs. If your business were to hire the individuals that make up an agency team, the cost would be drastic and alarming! Our team at Pulse is relatively small, but even hiring the ten of us means paying wages, benefits, insurance, and equipment, not to mention office space, and that all adds up QUICKLY!
By hiring an agency team, you pay one flat rate for your retainer, and that only changes if you ever need to go over your allotted hours. In the long run, this can save you thousands of dollars per year while still getting the marketing results you need.
Another significant benefit of the Fractional Marketing model is that you can access a larger pool of resources. Not just individuals with a specific set of skills, but also their unique perspectives and backgrounds. The people who make up an agency team have put in years to become masters of their field, meaning you benefit from their knowledge of the industry and their specific area of expertise.
Our team, for instance, continuously collaborates on each project, no matter the client or specifics of the project. So that means when we present our work to our clients, we’ve already internally offered our expertise and researched to make sure what we suggest is not only the best work we can offer but what’s going to work for the best interest of our clients.
Lastly, Fractional Marketing Agencies must be results driven to stay in business. If our clients aren’t succeeding, neither will we. This means we put in the extra work to research and refine our work to deliver on our promises. As essentially part-time employees, our clients can release us at any time If you’re not ready to fully commit or just need a little space, we will honor your request.
At Pulse, we have a saying, “Data Drives Decisions.” This means that we find the answers we need to make the best decision for our clients. A Fractional Marketing Agency is motivated by the facts or data that lead to successful campaigns and strategies, not personal tastes or preferences. They do what’s best for the client every time.
How Do I Know If Fractional Marketing Is Right For Me?
In some businesses and cases, Fractional Marketing isn’t the best option. For instance, large multi-million to multi-billion dollar companies may be better off hiring in-house corporate marketing teams. This is because they can not only afford it, but it also allows these companies to keep their strategies and messaging close.
That can be one of the few drawbacks to the Fractional Marketing model; agencies don’t automatically know all the ins and outs of your specific field or business. You may need to spend some initial time upfront educating your Fractional Team on the specifics like jargon, terminology, and specific knowledge. For some companies, it just makes sense not to outsource that knowledge!
That being said, Fractional Marketing is the most effective return on investment when it comes to marketing for the majority of small-mid-sized businesses. This model is meant to alleviate stress and increase efficiency for your in-house marketing team. So if you and your team feel lost in the marketing wilderness, can’t quite keep up with the changes in trends and digital marketing, or don’t have enough staffing to cover all the aspects of marketing your business needs, Fractional Marketing is perfect for you!
What Do I Do Now?
The short answer? Click the contact button, and let’s talk!
The long answer? Sit down with your team and identify what your marketing needs are. Do you need a rebrand? Is your website out of date? Do you know what platforms you need to be on and utilizing? Find the areas your team is struggling with and schedule a call so we can discuss your needs and find out if a Fractional Marketing model is suitable for you.
Our team at Pulse is passionate about our work, but more than anything, we’re passionate about people. It’s our mission to empower others to greatness. Let us empower you.