Why More Pet Brands Are Hiring Fractional Social Media Teams in 2025 (+ Case Study)
Running a growing e-commerce pet brand in 2025 often means wearing too many hats. Social media quickly becomes:
- A full-time job on top of everything else
- Hard to maintain with consistency or clear direction
- Too important to ignore, but too draining to manage alone
You might want better content, more engagement, and a strategy that actually drives sales, but:
- Hiring a full in-house team is expensive
- Most agencies don’t understand your brand voice or your customers
That’s where fractional social media teams come in.
This lean, collaborative model gives you the strategy and execution of an in-house team without the overhead. In this article, we’ll break down how it works, why it’s perfect for pet care brands, and how we helped one brand grow through a fractional approach.
What is a Fractional Social Media Team?
A fractional social media team gives you the benefits of an in-house marketing department, but with more flexibility and at lower cost.
Instead of hiring multiple full-time roles, you partner with a small team that handles:
- Strategy: Clear plans that align with your brand’s goals
- Content Creation: High-quality, engaging content tailored to your audience
- Community Management: Consistent interaction that builds trust and loyalty
Unlike freelancers or virtual assistants, a fractional team delivers:
- Brand alignment and strategic thinking
- Consistent, quality-driven execution
- Content that directly supports growth and revenue goals
At Karya Studio, you work directly with our three founders.
We bring over 20 years of combined marketing experience across wellness, mental health, and pet care. We’ve helped more than 10 small businesses grow, not just in followers but in reach, conversions, and actual revenue.
Our focus is always on sustainable, values-driven marketing that gets results.
This model is ideal for growing pet brands that need expert support without the cost and complexity of building an in-house team.
Why It’s a Fit for E-Commerce Pet Brands in 2025
The pet care space in 2025 is more competitive than ever. It’s not enough to have a good product; pet owners expect brands to show up with emotional storytelling, educational content, and a sense of community.
A fractional social media team is built for this kind of environment. You get a strategic partner who can move quickly, test ideas, and help you grow without hiring a full in-house team.
Not in pet care? Still wondering if this model applies to you?
We also work with therapists, clinics, and wellness providers to build ethical, effective marketing systems that grow with purpose. See how we helped one mental health practice grow 317% in active users through SEO, social, and aligned content strategy.
What Pet Brands Need in 2025
| What’s Expected | Why It Matters |
|---|---|
| Emotionally resonant content | Pet parents want to feel a personal connection to the brand |
| Educational posts | Consumers are more ingredient-aware and expect to learn something |
| UGC and real pet stories | Builds trust and drives conversion better than branded ads |
| Influencer partnerships | Required to stay visible in a crowded market |
| Seasonal promotions | Keeps content fresh and supports product launches |
| Community interaction | Followers expect replies, shares, and authentic engagement |
Why Fractional Teams Work So Well
- Faster execution: No internal bottlenecks or overworked solo hires
- Lower cost: You get strategy and creative for less than hiring a full team
- More agility: Easily test new formats, promos, and messaging
- Pet industry fluency: We already understand the audience and trends
- Focus on revenue: Not just likes or reach, but how content supports conversion
Common Signs You’ve Outgrown DIY
- You skip posting because you’re too busy packing orders
- You want better content but don’t have time to brief or manage a freelancer
- Your social growth has stalled and you’re not sure why
- You’re posting reactively with no clear plan or results
- You have multiple product launches but no marketing support
- You’re stuck doing everything yourself and it’s no longer sustainable
Cost Comparison: What Pet Brands Pay for Social Media in 2025
| What’s Expected | Why It Matters |
|---|---|
| Emotionally resonant content | Pet parents want to feel a personal connection to the brand |
| Educational posts | Consumers are more ingredient-aware and expect to learn something |
| UGC and real pet stories | Builds trust and drives conversion better than branded ads |
| Influencer partnerships | Required to stay visible in a crowded market |
| Seasonal promotions | Keeps content fresh and supports product launches |
| Community interaction | Followers expect replies, shares, and authentic engagement |
What We’ve Done for Pet Brands Like CocoTherapy (A Case Study)
When CocoTherapy came to us, they already had loyal customers and strong product credibility in the pet wellness space. But like many growing e-commerce brands, most of their sales came from a handful of bestsellers. They had an incredible product range, but not enough visibility across the catalog.
Our goal was to help them unlock more of that potential. We didn’t just focus on traffic. We focused on helping more customers find, understand, and confidently purchase the full range of products CocoTherapy offers.
What We Delivered
| Focus Area | Our Approach | Results (Apr–May 2025) |
|---|---|---|
| Revenue Growth | Created product bundles, clarified messaging, and repurposed blog CTAs | +37% gross sales |
| Customer Retention | Developed email flows tailored to pet parent behaviour | 73.97% returning customer rate |
| Product Visibility | Spotlighted overlooked products like Hairball Plus | Broader catalog sales distribution |
| Content SEO | Built keyword clusters like “coconut oil for cats,” added schema | +80% organic shopping traffic |
| Conversion Optimisation | Streamlined mobile UX and added targeted CTAs | +20% completed checkouts |
| First-Time Purchases | Improved onboarding content and visibility for new visitors | +39.3% FTP rate |
| Purchaser Rate | Clearer offers and product guidance | +34.7% overall purchaser rate |
| Conversion Funnel | Improved across each step from add-to-cart to checkout | +38% total conversion rate |
CocoTherapy saw a 34.7% increase in overall purchaser rate and a 39.3% increase in first-time purchase rate, driven by better content strategy, product positioning, and UX optimisation.
- 37% increase in Add to Cart
- 36% increase in Checkout Started
- 20% increase in Completed Purchases
- 38% overall conversion improvement
Sales Performance
- 32% increase in total sales
- 21% increase in total orders
- 14% increase in orders fulfilled
How Fractional Marketing Drove CocoTherapy’s Channel Growth:
With a focused fractional marketing strategy, CocoTherapy saw significant growth across all channels:
- Organic search grew by 46%, driven by strategic SEO-focused blogs and product content.
- Paid social soared by 260.2%, showing the power of targeted and intentional social advertising.
- Organic social saw a 63.4% increase, thanks to engaging, educational, and shareable content.
- Direct traffic rose 66.9%, indicating stronger brand recognition and loyalty.
- Organic shopping traffic climbed 80%, demonstrating improved product discovery through optimized content.
- Search conversion rate improved by 37%, validating better audience targeting and on-site user experience.
Curious how we work behind the scenes with brands like CocoTherapy?
Read why we only work with 4–5 clients at a time and how this model lets us stay present, strategic, and growth-focused.
Ready to grow your pet brand without the stress of doing it all yourself?
A fractional marketing team can give you the strategy, content, and support you need, without the cost of building an in-house team. If you’re looking for a partner who understands pet care, moves fast, and cares about long-term growth, we’d love to meet you.
