Want a Great Fractional Marketing Partner? (A Short Guide)

Marketing is an unavoidable expense for any business that has serious plans for growth; even small business owners need it. The cost of an in-house campaign on top of advertising is not practical for all, though. Fortunately, a fractional marketing partner can deliver the same benefits at a lower cost.

Here are points to know before hiring a San Diego fractional marketing agency for help:

• The jobs and responsibilities of a San Diego fractional marketing agency
• Where, how, and why fractional marketing services fit into SEO strategies
• Five invaluable tips for finding the perfect partner for your small business

There is much to discuss, so get ready to take notes.

Let’s go!

Wondering what a Fractional CMO can do for your business? Watch this video below.

What Does a Fractional Marketing Partner Do?

Fractional marketing is the practice of outsourcing certain parts of your marketing needs to an external service provider, often an agency or a part-time CMO. Many businesses are shifting to this model to increase their efficiency and maximize the benefits of their marketing strategies.

A San Diego fractional marketing agency offers a variety of digital marketing strategies available to any local business. These include content, social media, email, local, and paid ad strategies, depending on your specific goals. It offers a great degree of flexibility to meet any client’s needs.

On the other hand, a fractional CMO provides a myriad of services. These include developing a marketing strategy, advising a business on branding, and training an entire marketing team. The focus of fractional marketing services is to provide leadership, guidance, and structure for plans.

Using Fractional Marketing Services in Your SEO Strategy

As mentioned, businesses have many options on what and how to use fractional marketing services. The first step to adding any of them to your marketing strategy is to take a long, hard look at your short- and long-term goals. Identify the key areas where your current methods are not succeeding as you’d like, including search engine optimization (SEO).

Fractional marketing is an excellent answer to gaps in SEO because many digital marketing strategies are tied to it. For example, local marketing for a San Diego business means publishing quality content to serve a specific nearby target demographic.

A hotel in San Diego’s Gaslamp Quarter, for example, would greatly benefit from working with a San Diego fractional marketing agency to deliver top local SEO content. Posting articles about the leisure, nightlife, and dining options around their location can enable that hotel to attract more people.

Five Tips to Find a Great Partner for Your San Diego Business

Finding a fractional marketing partner isn’t necessarily an easy task. Many factors come into play to make one agency or CMO better than others for your business. It is, therefore, vital that you consider your needs first of all.

Here are five steps to follow to make the process easier and ensure you find the best partner:

     1. Get Information on Potential Partners

You would not hire someone on a whim or designate a supplier without canvassing first. Similarly, the first step to finding a fractional marketing partner is to gather information. It is important that you review sources to verify the accuracy and validity of information on all prospective partners.

For instance, if they cite awards on their website, cross-check with the relevant authorities to confirm their claims. Sometimes you may have to call or email someone to check; at other times, you may be able to refer to news articles, industry sites, or website entries from trusted sources to verify information.

     2. Find Out What Services They Provide

Most services a San Diego fractional marketing agency provides are tied to digital marketing. A prime example of this is creating and executing a content strategy for a client business, just like in the Gaslamp Quarter hotel case. However, agencies develop unique approaches to content.

For instance, one agency dedicates more time or resources to mining excellent keywords, or another agency does a better job connecting content topics. These nuances have a real effect on the speed and quality of the service. This rule applies to fractional marketing as a whole.

     3. Ask Past or Current Clients for Insight

Speaking with clients is another way to get a reliable and honest idea of a fractional marketing partner. Most agencies post reviews or highlight their top clients on their website, so leads are not hard to find. Getting a positive response to questions is entirely another issue, though.

That said, if you do get the chance to hear the insights of past or current clients, gather both the good and the bad to ensure a rounded perspective. Prepare a list of questions to send or ask, and consider how much time you are asking them to spend on this. A time-consuming task might be off-putting.

     4. Review Their Past Accomplishments

Some reviews might not be entirely accurate, or clients might change their minds down the line, which means their opinions are not always objective. Refer to the agency's or CMO’s own list of success stories and verify each one. These should appear on their website alongside reviews.

This is important to assess because you want to know if they can deliver. For example, a CMO from Pacific Beach does not necessarily know the best way to market to people in that area. In fact, they might actually know more about the state of local businesses in Ocean Beach instead.

Look at the agency’s or CMO’s accomplishments in full context before making your final choice.

     5. Discuss Contract Terms and Payment

A great partner should fit your budget as well as your needs, so discussing the terms of the services you receive and pay for is an absolute must before hiring anyone. Make sure you know in depth exactly what is being included, and tie them back to the pricing to avoid any surprises. That way, you have a reference.

It is also crucial to ensure that all the terms of your working relationship are clearly and explicitly laid out so that there is accountability. You otherwise lose any potential recourse in the event you do not get the results or outputs you expected. Contact and availability are other key items to discuss.

Summing Up

A great fractional marketing partner knows what you want and can get the job done for you. However, finding the right agency or CMO depends on factors such as skill, availability, and cost. That is why it is critical that you thoroughly assess your options from all angles first.

Need help with fractional marketing? Contact Digital Authority Partners to learn how we can help.