"Fractional" gets thrown around a lot, so let me make it concrete. A fractional marketer is your marketing department, for a set number of hours a month. You get a senior person who's always reachable, without the salary, benefits, and tools of a full-time hire, and without the layers of an agency.
Here's what that looks like in practice for a typical service business starting at 15 production hours a month.
A typical month, week by week
-
Week 1
Plan and batch
Lock in the month's priorities. Produce the blog batch. If it's the start of a quarter, produce and schedule the full quarter of social posts so they run on their own.
-
Week 2
Ads and optimization
Review Google Ads search terms, add negative keywords, tune bids and locations, and refresh ad copy. Launch or adjust Facebook campaigns if they're part of the mix.
-
Week 3
Publish and expand
Blogs go live with proper SEO. Google Business Profile gets fresh posts and photos. Any website pages or landing pages get built or improved.
-
Week 4
Report and plan ahead
Pull the numbers, write a plain-English report, and meet to talk through what worked. That call is free. Then set next month's priorities.
Where 15 hours usually goes
Your mix depends on your business. Hours shift month to month as priorities change.
The part that isn't on a schedule
The other half of the job is being available. You can email or call when a customer asks about something you saw online, when a competitor starts running ads, or when you get a great review you want to share. That's the difference between a fractional marketer and a vendor. I'm your marketer. I just happen to work for more than one business.
Fractional vs. full-time vs. agency
| Full-time hire | Agency | Fractional | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cost | Salary, benefits, and tools | $4,000 and up per month | From $1,875 per month |
| Experience level | Often junior at small-business budgets | Varies by who gets assigned | Senior, every hour |
| Who does the work | One person, learning on the job | Whoever has capacity | The person you talk to |
| Commitment | Hiring, onboarding, payroll | 6 to 12 month contracts | Month-to-month |
Signs you need one
- You're doing your own marketing at night, and it shows.
- You're paying an agency and can't say what you got last month.
- Your Google Business Profile hasn't been touched in months.
- You're running ads but don't know what a lead costs.
- You know you need more content but never have time to make it.
Alex Lamy16 years in marketing, from radio to agencies to running his own shop. Now a fractional marketer for St. Louis small businesses. You talk to him, he does the work.
Want this handled for you?
$125 per production hour. Meetings are free. Month-to-month, and you own everything. Want a reference first? I'll connect you with someone I did similar work for.
Book a 30-minute call
