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Building Our Marketing Team: Requirements vs. Resources<\/h2>\n
You know how it goes \u2014 the classic “requirements vs. resources” conundrum. In mid-2023, Catalant Consulting Services<\/a> reported that the hiring challenges of previous years merged with resource constraints, and boy, did we feel that on our end, too!<\/p>\n Along with the 2022 force reduction, team churn, and budget cut, 2023 presented additional challenges. One of our key players was on maternity leave, we lost even more of our marketing operating expenses, and we had to make the tough call to part ways with another person in our crew. Suddenly, we were left very short-staffed with a ton of work to do. Sound familiar?<\/p>\n We needed skilled marketing and content resources yesterday. Finding and onboarding new people could take ages \u2014 and that’s if we nailed the hiring process on the first try. Budget constraints were the cherry on top.<\/p>\n The good news is we\u2019re ClearVoice \u2014 an outsourced content production solution for mid-market and enterprise teams. We know how to build freelance content production teams. We\u2019re a subsidiary of Fiverr, so we know the future of work looks different from the past. Reflecting broader industry trends, half of B2B marketing teams outsource<\/a> at least one content marketing activity. After weighing our options, with the support of our General Manager, we decided to jump into fractional feet first.<\/p>\n Most businesses look at fractional resourcing from the perspective of the C-Suite. They engage a fractional COO or fractional CMO to lead their more junior (and more cost-affordable) team. We have a different view \u2014 full-time departmental leadership that remains entrenched in the brand and strategy while building a team of fractional contributors.<\/p>\n The increasing demand for skilled labor and flexible roles is changing how we all work:<\/p>\n Here\u2019s the scoop on why we\u2019re all in on using fractional talent<\/a>:<\/span><\/p>\n Deciding if a fractional talent strategy is right for your company requires a thorough look at your current team and the tasks at hand. Here\u2019s what we considered when making the choice:<\/p>\n In our ClearVoice team, we had a Director of Marketing (hey, that\u2019s me!), a Social Media Manager, and two Marketing Designers. We were missing content marketing management, multimedia\/video production, brand copywriting, campaign management, search engine optimization, sales enablement, and marketing web development (… to name a few). While some of the above functions were split across the existing team, it meant:<\/p>\n Once we recognized the areas of focus, we started training and developing our team where we could and then finding people to fill in the gaps while being mindful not to repeat the same mistakes (e.g., hiring a senior content strategist who spends a lot of time doing coordinator work).<\/p>\n Typically, when you hire someone full-time, there’s a career trajectory in place \u2014 think a salesperson rising to sales manager. But what if there\u2019s no clear upward path for roles like copywriters or content strategists? We faced a similar issue here in our ClearVoice marketing team. We\u2019re small, so upward growth is, admittedly, limited. So, for us, going fractional was a strategic choice so we could engage the right talent at the right level.<\/p>\n In most organizations, mid-level executives often serve both as individual contributors and managers. At ClearVoice, our directors and VPs are deeply involved in daily tasks. However, in our case, the marketing lead (again, me) spent too much time in the weeds of content review and publishing, brand copywriting, sales enablement, and email marketing \u2014 even when taking advantage of ClearVoice\u2019s content production solutions \u2014 than focusing on bigger-picture planning and strategy.<\/p>\n This situation highlights a common scenario in large organizations where, interestingly, <\/span>75 percent of B2B organizations outsource<\/a> three-quarters of their content marketing activities to focus more on strategic initiatives rather than day-to-day operations.<\/span><\/p>\n With our limited budget \u2014 seriously, we were maxed out in the paid campaigns we could do \u2014 our main focus was doubling down on our earned and outbound channels. But as most marketers know, those programs take people to execute. We needed expertise in content strategy, SEO, and multimedia production, and we needed people who could execute day-to-day content refreshing, publishing, distribution, etc.<\/p>\n Instead of hiring one person to cover all of these areas, we engaged four different people on a fractional basis \u2014 content strategy and production, brand copywriting, multimedia production, and web development \u2014\u00a0 to focus on their areas of expertise. And there were some real pros to this approach:<\/p>\n This is how we saw a 30 percent increase year-over-year in Sales Qualified Leads (SQL) \u2014 our marketing North star metric \u2014 while saving nearly 40 percent in our marketing operating expenses.<\/span> Other achievements include:<\/p>\n And, my favorite is that we helped innovate a new program for ClearVoice \u2014 ClearVoice Flex.<\/p>\n ClearVoice Flex<\/a> is our answer to the common dilemma of marketing resource constraints. Via Flex, we provide access to seasoned marketing and content professionals who aren’t just temporary fixes but strategic additions to your team.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n These experts bring a wealth of experience and are capable of supervising teams, crafting compelling copy, and overseeing the writing and editing process.<\/span><\/p>\n The difference boils down to how you connect with and manage talent. Our classic ClearVoice Subscription solution is great for straightforward, project-based needs \u2014 think a set amount of articles each month. It\u2019s all about quick and easy access to freelance talent for ongoing content production managed by a trusted partner<\/a>. ClearVoice On-Demand is an extension of that solution but for companies with less predictability in their content needs.<\/p>\n Flex, on the other hand, is like your content marketing Swiss Army knife. It’s perfect for businesses that require continuous content creation and production with consistent quality but also need to enhance their marketing apparatus with people to help fill functions. Flex lets you embed seasoned pros into your team but aligned with your actual time requirements (and not 40+ hours per week). These aren\u2019t just freelancers; they\u2019re like part-time team members who are constant and consistent, fully aligned with your brand and goals, and keep pace with your ongoing business needs.<\/p>\n Let\u2019s talk about one of our Flex customers \u2014 a company behind a popular daily stock news reporting app. Staying relevant means updating with fresh, accurate content every single day. That\u2019s a daunting task for any team, but with ClearVoice Flex, it\u2019s business as usual.<\/p>\n Our solution for them includes a team of freelancer creators who pitch and produce high-quality articles daily but are also managed by a top-tier, fractional content manager, strategist, and editor. This fractional content pro not only guides the writing team but also contributes articles, ensuring all content is up to the mark and publishes the content on the application as it is complete.<\/p>\n These specialists are part of the ClearVoice Talent Network and are available to work on Flex projects. They dedicate time each week to the customer instead of responding to one-off projects. They’re compensated in a retainer model rather than per assignment, which aligns perfectly with the client\u2019s needs for steady, reliable content output.<\/p>\n At ClearVoice, we’ve been in your shoes \u2014 needing to amp up our marketing game amidst a real crunch for top talent and that never-ending push to keep innovating.\u00a0 It\u2019s a common challenge, one that many companies face, and it definitely demands a smart, flexible strategy.<\/p>\n![\"Half](\"https:\/\/www.clearvoice.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Image9_Animated.gif\")
<\/p>\nChoosing fractional talent over full-time<\/h3>\n
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<\/p>\nBenefits of fractional talent<\/h3>\n
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<\/p>\nThe ClearVoice Choice: Fractional Talent for Our Marketing Team<\/h2>\n
What skills do we have vs. what we need?\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n
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Do we have a growth path for an in-house role?<\/h3>\n
What are our leaders \u2014<\/span> marketing and organizationally \u2014<\/span> caught up in day-to-day?<\/h3>\n
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<\/p>\nHow do we grow amid our (very real) budget constraints?<\/b><\/h3>\n
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<\/p>\nRolling It Out: ClearVoice Flex<\/h2>\n
ClearVoice Flex vs. ClearVoice Subscription & On Demand<\/h3>\n
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<\/p>\nClearVoice Flex in Action<\/h2>\n
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<\/p>\nClearVoice Flex: Your Strategic Advantage<\/h2>\n