How Fractional Content Marketing Gives You Superpowers

It feels like everything is on demand now, doesn’t it? From the TV shows we watch, to the music we hear, to the car rides we take. (Sometimes all three at the same time.)

For years, on demand has also been prevalent in high-growth industries. Brands have leveraged the capabilities of fractional executives—in C-suite and VP roles—to fill timely gaps or provide ongoing strategic support.

In recent years, as industries have grappled with increasing content demands, many brands have relied on fractional CMOs and fractional marketing teams to help support and optimize the impact they make.

What is fractional content marketing?

Think Uber, but for organizational content needs. Fractional content marketing allows organizations to tap into the services and expertise of subject matter experts and digital marketing teams who bring unique and diverse strategies to the table.

Brands invest in fractional content marketing support for different reasons.

They expand bandwidth. In house, you may have a content marketing team that drives results, but not enough to scale at will. Depending on seasonal needs—or post-COVID pivots—fractional content marketing support can help scale in-market and go-to-market efforts. There are just more hands on deck.

They write expertly. Often, brands have glaring content needs that come down to one thing—a lack of skilled writers. Understandably so. Founders typically have founder things to focus on. Marketing and sales leaders have metrics to obsess over. Having subject matter expertise and content that sounds human? Those are real needs. Fractional content marketing teams take content from so-so or good to great.

They think strategically. In digital universes that demand more content, most marketers understand they can’t get away with having a rudderless content strategy. Yet only about 40% of marketers today say content marketing fits into their larger marketing strategy. That’s a gap fractional content teams can help fill—turning content marketing into a brand’s superpower requires strategic thinking.

They help prioritize the right marketing needs. CRM data degrades every year, and 40% of business objectives fail because of bad data. For brand marketers, bad data can be the difference between nailing target audience building and tanking on email and ad delivery rates. Because of the relatively lower costs of investing in a fractional content marketing team, that’s money better distributed among two core business needs—better data and more content.

They build what’s necessary. For brands starting out, budget and head count are often on the back burner. There are other pressing needs, and content marketing—from strategy to content calendar to content distribution plan—may not be something they can readily take on. Fractional content marketing teams help build the groundwork for impact now and later. For early-stage and growing brands, that support could be the difference between an extended runway and a dead end.

The support is “fractional” in name only. Fractional content marketing may feel like a means to an end, but it’s often providing the engine for successful content marketing machines.

{{free-consult="/style-guide"}}

Do you need it?

All brands are not created equal. The same goes for content teams. Some could benefit from fractional content marketing support.

Here’s how you can tell if your organization would be a good fit and what fractional marketing support could look like.

You need great content but don’t want to hire a full-time content team. A fractional content marketing team can plug your content gaps with the quality digital audiences demand, at a fraction of the cost of a full-time workforce.

You need experts at content marketing, writing, and/or SEO. Fractional content marketing teams are less one-trick pony and more unicorn. Armed with the ability to think strategically about technology and process, you’ll also find they’ve got the chops for great copy and razor-sharp analytical skills that help prove content efforts.

You need subject matter experts. The difference between any brand and your brand should be the extra dose of industry expertise you bring to the table. Fractional content teams bring industry knowledge and research skills with them, allowing them to fit like a piece of the puzzle into the unique messaging you’re trying to publish to the world.

You need to build a content strategy that scales. Whether it’s for content on the website, social channels, or paid programs, brands are only as successful as their content marketing efforts last. As brands increasingly carve out their niche as digital publishing houses, fractional content marketing teams help build those houses and furnish them, too. Tying to the underlying technologies, building nurture programs, and creating processes? It’s part of the job description for fractional marketers.

{{related-pillar__content-distribution="/style-guide"}}

Your superpower awaits

Let’s face it—on-demand content is here to stay. Audiences are seeking more content to consume on various devices. Brands are trying to stay top of mind and ahead of the curve.

That’s where we come in.