Before I dig into what collaborations can do for you and your business, let's start at the beginning.
What are collaborations in business?
Collaborations are a strategic partnership that allows businesses to work together to achieve a goal. This might be sales, views, RSVPs, or anything of that sort. We most commonly see brands collaborating with influencers to increase sales or create brand awareness.
Collaborations aren't just for big brands with big marketing budgets, and they don't have to be a part of some extravagant campaign. In my professional opinion, collaboration is the most underutilized marketing strategy by small businesses - and these are the ones that can benefit the most.
What are the benefits of collaborations?
-Untapped markets: Collaborations can mean reaching beyond your audience and tapping into a new audience to create brand awareness.
-Builds credibility: When tapping into their audience, this automatically gives you credibility because this audience trusts their opinion. It's not like starting from scratch.
-Long-term partnerships: If all goes well, you can create partnerships that mutually benefit both parties for future campaigns.
What are some ideas that small businesses can do to collaborate?
-Guest bloggers
-Giveaways
-IG Takeovers
-Reel features
-Co-branded content
-Speaking engagements
How to find someone to collaborate with?
-Audience: Look at their audience. Does it align with yours?
-Values: Even though this person is their own person/company, collaborating makes them an extension of your brand. Is there any way they could be caught up in a controversy that ties them back to you?
-Do their strengths complement yours? While we are here for collaboration over competition, it's smart to make sure your skills and strengths complement each other so you are both bringing something different to the table.
Tips for executing the collaboration:
-Comprehensive outline: Before you get started, be sure to outline both parties' roles in the collaboration and set the expectation from the very beginning. Nail down specifics such as a timeline and deliverables.
-Use a project management software: This will help keep everyone organized.
-Have a contract in place: This is especially important if money is involved.
-Open/Good communication: Check-ins are important, especially if the collaboration takes place over a time span of more than a week.
-Continuously evaluate and adapt: Ensure that the collaboration is beneficial for everyone, constant monitoring is important.
I'm open and interested in collaborating with brands! Shoot me a message and let's start the conversation to see how we can mutually benefit from a partnership.