Strategic Collaborations: A Powerful Way to Promote Yourself
Sometimes you can’t do everything yourself. You don’t have the budget to launch a big marketing campaign. Or you don’t even know where to start. One of the best ways to promote your website or business is to work together with others to achieve mutually beneficial outcomes.
The legal form of this is known as a joint venture, where two or more parties create a new entity by contributing equity and sharing revenue, expenses and control. Another form of collaboration is known as a strategic alliance, whereby the parties involved pursue common goals while remaining as independent organizations.
No matter what you call it, collaboration with others will benefit you in ways that go beyond what you can do on your own. Think about it. Each involved party comes with their own established audience, reputation, brand, networks and strengths. Some of them may overlap with your own but usually, they’ll reach people or own assets you don’t.
Some people may have more media contacts. Some may have a specific skill (e.g. design, programing) and others have an audience or customer base that you’re trying to reach. Partnering with them for short or long-term initiatives is a smart way to promote your business, on top of all the online marketing that you’re already doing.
How can you collaborate? The possibilities are endless. For example, you can run joint contests/competitions, set up incentivized referral networks, promote a co-op web product, create content together, exchange ad space or trade skills for exposure. There are many ways to collaborate for mutual benefits. It’s just about finding what works for you.
So how do you get started? Four simple steps:
- Identify your goals. This is what you want to get out of the collaboration. Your goals will determine who you should work with and having a clear idea of what you want from the beginning will give you an immediate idea of what kind of marketing strategy you want to take, and hence who is most suitable for you.
- Determine what you can offer. Make a list of benefits you can offer to the opposite party. For example you might have specific personal skills or a website with a built-in audience. Perhaps you’re launching a new product and give away free samples of it away. In other words, this list consists of what you can do for the other parties.
- Create a List of Potential Collaborators. Start writing down a list of people you want to work with based on your goals, what you can offer and who you think will be potentially interested. Make the list broad: there’ll always be people who’ll turn you down so you want as many secondary options as possible.
- Pitch the people involved. Draft up an email template and send it off to the people on your list. Try to customize your pitch by using each recipient’s name and including unique information/comments. Keep the emails short and frame them in terms of benefits. Alternatively, try pitching over the phone or a face-to-face meeting. Remember to follow up before permanently striking a recipient off from your collaborators list.
Nothing ventured, nothing gained. There’s no harm in reaching out to people, all you have to risk is your pride. When it comes to partnerships, you’ll be surprised with the people who will be interested in working together. Don’t automatically write yourself off, especially you have something valuable to offer to another party.
If you’ve never tried any strategic collaborations before, why not start today?
For more online marketing tips, subscribe to dosh dosh.
![[Post to Twitter]](http://www.doshdosh.com/wp-content/plugins/tweet-this/icons/tt-twitter.png){kind=icon}
Thanks!
I found those “Four simple steps” very helpful.
Thanks for the tips Maki, I’m off to make me a list.
And just like you said: “Nothing ventured, nothing gained” It’s time to venture.
This something that has been in the back of my mind but I had not taken any action so far…There is no harm in asking, right…I should put this into action soon…
Yep. If I can come up with a win-win plan, I can join the rank of winners. And let a lot of people win, I will be a big winner.
I have been doing a few of them. Namely, my interview series have been quite successful because it works for the interview guests’ advantage, too.
Thank you for a good post.
Very interesting, how about some examples?
I have just started a site and am inviting people to do guest post. I think this is good to project a sense of community. Anyone want to chip in with an article on topic of making money and its philosophy. A link back is the only way i can reward now.
What a fantastic idea. I often share my ideas, successes and misfortunes with other bloggers and a group of friends I have made online. I have never considered us collaborating on a project to make full use of everything that we have to offer.
I have been thinking about this topic for a while now. These tips are a good jumping-off point.
Maki, I can’t tell you how refreshing it is to read your blog.
As Alex mentioned, Rich Schefren and Brad Fallon have a big launch going on this topic. And yet — GASP! — you’re not including an affiliate link to it! If this were any other blog, as soon as I saw the topic was related to “strategic alliance,” I doubt I would’ve read it… because I know it would be a sales pitch for the “latest and greatest” guru product.
I have nothing against Rich and Brad’s product… or any of the others that are constantly being rolled out with massive launches these days (the free content their spitting out is great!). And yes, I’ve bought a few and will buy more.
But I get so tired of the constant selling disguised as commentary by most bloggers.
I know you could be making a LOT of money pitching affiliate products, Maki. You have a large and loyal following who would be eager to buy anything you recommend. I have no clue why you’re not doing it… but I, for one, appreciate that you’re not.
Thank you! (Oh, and thanks for the terrific tips about JVs, too!
I am happy to see other bloggers giving this powerful form of marketing some buzz. Cross-promotion and co-branding are really effective marketing strategies, not to mention time and money savers. If anyone is interested in more specific examples of how to cross-promote you might find this post http://www.brandtorrent.com/blog/how-to/five-ways-to-cross-promote-your-online-shop-on-a-tight-budget helpful. It’s geared to online retailers but the examples of cross-promotion listed can be used for other types of businesses too.
Two of my current favorite blogs (DoshDosh and College-Startup) had posts today on Joint ventures. Haha, strange coincidence, another great article as always!
It is true, there’s no harm in reaching out to people, all you have to risk is the possibility of getting a negative response. Problem is that you need to have something to offer to the potential partner in order to start an alliance. The key is to determine what you can offer of value to them.
Really very informative post…
Maki,
This is a totally new topic for me.
Collaboration is great but it can be a disadvantage in terms of profit-sharing.
I think you nailed it: Know what you bring to the table. Know what you need. Go for the win-win.
I think teaming up in today’s world is a great success strategy. If you’re a starter, pair with a finisher. If you’re a maxizer, pair with a simplifier. If you don’t have “the people skills,” pair with someone who does.
>Nothing ventured, nothing gained.
Oh, so true.
Excellent piece. Collaboration is one of the key elements of growth today. As you say, nothing ventured, nothing gained, is a major mistake of many business people who could be even more successful.
These are very vital tips you have shared. Making money online becomes much easier when you start working as a team and share expertise…
Nice list Makki
Mark
Editor
This is a very interesting article.
Thanks a lot !
Very concise but packed with usable information, Maki. I would suggest to your readers that one way to form relationships with other bloggers that can grow into strategic alliances later is to form a blog pack. As your pack grows in status, strategic collaborations with other pack members will be a natural outgrowth.
I use to set up business structures and joint ventures.
It’s important to make sure the party you’re looking to “hook up with” also has your best interests in mind. Don’t let it be a one way ticket unless that other company has something of value you can use of theirs (in other words, you can use their services for your customers but that company won’t necessarily bring business to you).
As you suggest, set up some kind of agreement. When money is involved, people do weird things.
Maki, I totally agree with you. I have many different skills but I get tired doing the same work all the time. I also like to learn new things.
For example, I have been working as a developer for about 8 years now. While I love to code, you brain get fried and you want to take a break from it.
Currently I am looking for a developer to collaborate with me on an Anti-Spam filter technology. I would like to stay as an administrator and marketer for the project while delegating development duties to an interested party.
Anyone interested in joining me on PHSDL Anti-Spam project please let me know.
http://www.phsdl.net
The project was inspired to stop actual Spam not penalize commentators like Akismet does.
So only real bad Spam domains go on the Spam list, like Malware domains and redirect domains.
I have been talking with Andy Beard about this project and he is sort of giving me advice as to how to grow it.
The problem is mainly with very young blogs or blogs that are just getting started. Nobody will agree on any larger scale “strategic collaboration” because there are just no guarantees that the blog will be a success, that it won’t die in few weeks/months. There is surely an option for young blogs to co-operate and help each other, to create a small blog network aimed at some niche… but that is a point where whole “strategic collaboration” looses its meaning as there are almost no benefits of such co-operation. Moreover, there is no guarantee that one bog will grow much faster than others thus it’s not a fair-play anymore - the benefits are far from equal for all sides.
@SEO Web Tips
I have to disagree with you. Yes brands that have a smaller following that cross-promote will see a smaller number of new followers than brands with large followings but that doesn’t mean the smaller brands will get nothing out of their collaboration. Let’s say two young/new blogs with only an average of 100 readers/day guest blog on each other’s blogs. They’ve now doubled the number of people who’ve been exposed to their writing and created an opportunity to increase their own readership. If each of those bloggers guest blogs with three small guest blogs each month that’s now 300 more people that might start reading their blog each month. They can keep doing this until their own readership slowly starts to grow. If the blogger’s writing is good, the audience could easily double and triple over the course of these activities. Yes, we’re still talking about a small number but it’s statistically significant uptick in readership and as more people get exposed to the blog or brand and tell their friends it will grow even more and eventually the small new blog becomes a bigger established one.
@ Akemi
You’re welcome. Yes, interviews are a good first step when it comes to eventually collaborating with other bloggers in the same niche.
@ Julian
I’ve already mentioned some examples of what you can do in the post (contests/ad space exchange etc). Basically, its only limited to your creativity. Think about what you want, what you have to offer and devise one way to get it by working with another party. Sometimes you can even brainstorm with the party involved!
@ kleninggan
Yes, guest posting is a good way to get started. Move on to other things with people you feel comfortable with after that first move..
@ Bonnie
I actually don’t keep up with the affiliate marketing gurus so I didn’t know that Rich and Brad had a product. I used to subscribe to their lists but opt-ed out after I didn’t get much value from them.
Personally I like to keep all commercial activity separate from editorial… so I don’t normally pitch affiliate products unless I REALLY like it or believe in it. I too am kinda tired of reading blogs that constantly pitch products so I guess I’m subconsciously moving away from that direction on dosh dosh.
@ Meredith
Yes, cross-promotion is a terrific marketing strategy. Everyone wins. And thanks for the link!
@ KevinS
Thanks!
@ Javier
There’s always something to offer to someone when you own a site or have some skills. I have found that people usually take me up on my offer when I least expect it so I think having a little confidence is quite important. I can’t emphasize this part enough. Sometimes you just have to keep reaching out to get people to bite.
@ Human Hyena
Its possible to collaborate without sharing profits… in order to just get web traffic or exposure. This will actually lead to an increase in income, if you’re selling a product and have a well designed sales funnel to convert any extra traffic you get from a collaboration.
@ JD Meier
Definitely. The smart entrepreneur knows what he/she lacks and makes it up by working with others who can help them achieve their goals.
@ Remarkablogger
I like the blog pack idea. I played around with something similar by getting bloggers together in a marketing team (private forum) but unfortunately activity died after a while because people lost interest or got busy. But like you said… it was a great way to meet people and work with them together in the future, when the opportunity arises.
@ John Hoff
Thanks for the tips. I think sometimes its pretty hard to find people you can trust so a black and white agreement is definitely worth setting up when money is involved.
@ Igor The Troll
Good luck with your anti-spam project!
@ SEO Web Tips
Meredith has given a pretty example of how collaboration between small blogs can work continuously to bring benefits. I’ll add that collaboration must be mutually agreeable, if one party notices that he/she is not getting the benefits that they want… there’s always the option of pulling out of the collaboration, looking for another person work with or changing the terms of the agreement.
All in all, it’s something you need to tweak every now and then according to your goals… not a magical formula for perpetual success.
@ Everyone else
Thanks for all your comments!
Very interesting article. I totally agree with you Maki.
We just started a contest with collaboration with another site and we hope it will work as expected.
Maki you have shared very useful tips.
I’m also a big believer in forming strategic alliance to pursue common goals.
Cheers,
Codrut Turcanu - “Succeeding Against All Odds!”
Simple… nice but effective method that would surely work on advertising and marketing.
I like the post but it could go a little deeper. From my 10+ years experience you also need to ensure is that your JV or strategic alliance creates added value to you and your potential partner. Do your homework and research on the other business/website before your approach them to understand their objectives and the strategic-fit. Focus on the key partnerships that can deliver real tangible value (win-win) so narrow down your list so you don’t waste your time or that of others.
One more strategy you may want to consider when contacting potential jv partners is to do so via direct mail. If you are pursuing an expert in internet marketing for example, you may have a better chance of he/she reading your proposal if you were to send a flashy yet professional direct mail piece via first class with a detailed offer enclosed.
Hi,
Thank you for very useful and informative article!
For me, the problem is that I can’t find anybody who’s up to snuff. Nobody seems to know what they’re doing. And then the people who DO know what they’re doing, know better than to be working with me. So you have one of those twisty twirly, catch-22, chicken in the egg things. But you’re absolutely right that if you find somebody, if even just one person then you’re productivity can increase by a factor of 15. Instead of 1 + 1 = 2, it’s 1+1 = 15, because you can both be twice as productive.
Quite True, forging complementary relationships is very challenging.
Just imagine how hard it is for humans to find a Social Partner like boyfriend and girlfriend!
Hi Maki,
Very interesting post. I’m glad strategic alliances get some quality coverage, they’ve been overlooked too long as marketing tools. I used to benefit a lot from joint ventures or strategic alliances when I was still working for eBay.
One of the key elements indeed is to be very specific in what you can offer. For many people, even experienced professional marketeers, strategic alliances, joint ventures, cross-promotion or cross-marketing just don’t ring a bell. It’s only when you present a real example that you can see comprehension dawn: win-win deals when we market each other!
I’ve also written a little piece about cross-marketing or cross-promotion (as I prefer to call it, what’s in a name?). For your consideration:
http://www.introniche.com/faq/how-do-i-write-good-cross-promotion-marketing-classified.htm
I also recommend mesh-box.com as a great source of information on cooperative marketing (as they like to call it…)
I recently started a collaboration of web development professionals: http://uncompany.co.nz/
I agree with much in this article. In our case, we decided to market ourselves collectively as a way to attract larger clients than we might otherwise, working as individuals. We are approaching it as a no-obligation, mutual benefit kind of situation.
Way to go..
I believe the ‘complementary skills’ bit is the key - I have been in several partnerships over the years in business and found that each having different skills is a real blessing. The sum is greater than the individual parts in that the range of expertise/talent/experience is much superior to that which any individual can offer.
great post. I think partnerships are a great way to bring the different skills everyone has together and by combining taking things to the next level. I know for a fact that doing this in the blogging world really works. It allows all parties in a partnership to grow and benefit.
hmmm,, i think i’ll take these great steps.. thanks
I think these steps helps to get yourself about the predetermined objective for what purpose the blog has started for???
will be applying the steps,let you know the results.
Gee…you do make it all sound very simple. I agree with this a lot
“There’s no harm in reaching out to people, all you have to risk is your pride. When it comes to partnerships, you’ll be surprised with the people who will be interested in working together.”
Very interesting how the wheels are turning after reading this post.
You got me thinking there Maki…strategic collaboration is something we haven’t done yet and from what you’ve written, it does merit some serious consideration. Thanks for another great post.
Thanks, the four steps help me that much!!