Ideally, every company that wants to produce great content would have an in-house, full time content marketing team.
But this isn’t always possible, whether it’s due to budget, lack of a marketing leadership or simply - lack of content marketers specifically in that industry.
So what if you could have a part time content marketer? Someone who is just as committed as a full time position, can build a team and manage both strategy and operations. Someone who makes sure that not only is the content great, but it actually grows revenue for the company. They do everything a full time content marketer does, but instead they come in just a couple of days per week.
Part time content marketers - aka fractional content marketers - are not a new concept. But with content marketing becoming an ever more important marketing channel, more companies are considering part time positions where marketers have a title and more of a leadership role.
In this post, I aim to explore what a fractional content marketer is, and why any company would want to hire one.
What is a fractional CMO?
If you’ve never heard of “fractional [position]”, you’re probably a bit confused. To put it simply, a fractional Chief Marketing Officer is essentially a “part time CMO”. The term is usually for fractional C-Suite positions, so you’ll also have fractional CFOs, CROs, etc.
In a Market Like a Fintech episode launching next week, Andrea Linehan, CMO of Currencyfair explains that fractional CMOs are great for startups that cannot afford a full time CMO. Instead of hiring someone junior that’s starting from the ground up, you’re often better off hiring someone with a lot of experience, but only for a couple of days per week.
A fractional CMO will hold a title at your company, manage personnel, inhouse subcontractors and build the overall strategy. Although they are part time, they work on long term growth. They also train employees, offer high level guidance and take a holistic marketing approach.
Fractional CMOs are becoming more and more popular, especially in the fintech industry where thanks to BaaS and lower barriers to entry, more fintech companies are popping up than ever, meaning the only way to stand out is with branding and marketing.
In these cases, it’s often more effective to hire a fractional CMO. Where do you find them? Often on websites like Chief Outsiders and CMOX.
What is a fractional content marketer?
Content marketing is becoming an ever more popular marketing channel for both B2C and B2B fintech companies. Consumers prefer researching information and making their own choices, and content will always be an essential part of the sales channel.
Since fintech is so centred around customer education, empowerment and explaining jargony financial concepts, content marketing plays an essential role in marketing.
You may like: 4 Essential Items to Include in Your Fintech Content Marketing Strategy
More companies are investing in content marketing than ever before, and the demand for content marketers is growing.
Although there are a lot of great content marketers out there, there aren’t many fintech content marketers. I am one, and I only know a handful of others. Andrea says herself that when she first started working at a fintech called GRID Finance, she couldn’t find any content marketers and had to hire journalism graduates.
So to summarise, a fractional content marketer is a part time content marketing manager.
“Why use the word “fractional”? Why not just say “part-time”, “freelance” “contractor”? Don’t we have enough jargon in the marketing industry?”
Two words: coined concepts. The whole reason jargon exists is to explain something more accurately. Andrea explains the difference between someone who is “fractional” and holds a title in your company, to someone who is a freelancer or contractor:
What’s interesting is the perception of ‘contractors’ and ‘freelancers’. For me, they don’t conjure words like ‘expert’, they are operational / tactical doers-on-demand. Whereas ‘consultants’ and ‘fractional roles’ immediately fall into the higher value bracket (and by higher value, you get higher fees but for perceived better quality output).
She also says:
I work with a network of marketing contractors and freelancers to help with surge capacity, short term or one-off projects. They are great operational resources, doers-on-demand that sit outside the business.
For me, a Fractional Marketer sits inside the business. They are there for a portion or fraction of the day/month/year and participate in strategy as well as operations. They help to formulate a role where the budget or full-time need does not yet exist, but will likely exist in the future.
I’m also using “fractional” because I haven’t seen anyone call themselves a fractional content marketer and I think it could be good branding for Mint Studios - there, I said it!
What does a fractional content marketer do?
Just like a fractional CMO, a fractional content marketer is a part time content marketer. They focus on the high level strategy, turning your content into customers, sales and profit - as well as training a team, if necessary.
I like how Dom Kent breaks down the various roles a content marketer does (as you can see, it’s a lot more than just writing):
- Planning
- Creating
- Optimising
- Publishing
- Promoting
- Updating
There are many subtasks in these, but essentially it’s all about creating content and making sure the content provides an ROI for your business.
It goes without saying that content marketers are different to writers (although all content marketers will be writers). Content marketers make sure that the content you produce translates into business revenue.
Why would you want to hire a fractional marketer?
If you’re wondering whether a fractional content marketer is for you, I believe there are three reasons why it’s the right answer for you:
1. You want your team to learn about content marketing
Having a content marketing leader that is part time means they will set up the processes and have a strategy in place so your team can work even if they leave. They will have the templates on hand, the Airtable set up and know how to prepare briefs. They can also answer questions and train employees who want to learn about content marketing.
2. You want to do content marketing that really stands out
You know your customers do a lot of research on your topic, and you know content marketing would be a great lead generator. But you don’t want more cookie cutter, typical SEO articles. What you want are articles that have an opinion, that interview experts and collect quotes from the industry so you really stand out.
In that case, I would argue you need someone who can build relationships and organise this strategy appropriately.
3. You don’t have the budget for a content marketing agency or want more flexibility
The most obvious reason you might want to hire a fractional content marketer is if you don’t have the budget for a full time hire or an agency. Many agencies require upfront commitments and month long contracts. Although content marketers are not cheap, you can hire them on a per day basis and still get results.
FCMs are also a lot more flexible, and you don’t need to commit to a 12 month contract. Not only that, but they may be open to going full time after a certain time period.
Mint Studios is a full service fintech content marketing agency that focuses on creating content is in-depth and interview based and focused on generating customers rather than impressions. How do we do it? We follow the Mint Studios framework.
