How to find local partnerships for your business
Key takeaways:
Local partnerships are based on relationships with others in your community.
Attend and participate in local events to form new connections.
Never be afraid to ask for help!
Helpful info: Why partnerships are essential for brick-and-mortar businesses
If we’ve convinced you why you need to do partnership marketing, it’s time to explore the right types of partners to work with! How should you go about finding them?
This is the hardest to accomplish if you’re newer to a community and don’t have an established network. Part of finding local partnerships will be making introductions and putting feelers out online and in person. From attending local events to asking your customers to send messages to brands you want to work with, the overarching message of this post is to dig into different areas of where information is shared and where people spend time.
Here are seven ideas for finding local partnerships to get you started:
1. Visit your local Chamber and ask the leader of the group who typically does partnerships
People involved in Chambers are likely there to connect and collaborate with others to grow their network of allies and customers. These individuals are typically sponsoring events or attending various ribbon cuttings. They are naturally community-centric and plugged in. By joining your own local Chamber, you can get a feel for what businesses are actively doing partnership marketing. Can’t figure it out by attending Chamber events? Get to know the leaders of the Chamber – they want you to be successful and will help you make the right connections!
2. Ask your own customers or social media audience what brands they love
Your customers who already know you, love you, and follow you on social media will have opinions they’re willing to share. Ask them what other companies they love in your city. Thank them for their feedback and if you need an introduction to the owner or person you want to get in touch with, ask them if they would be willing to make an introduction.
3. Look at community calendars
Most communities have a form of a community calendar. Sometimes these are hosted by Chambers, other times you’ll see them from CVBs, other times local media brands create their own like parenting bloggers. Check out what brands are part of farmers markets, what companies are sponsoring different events or collaborating on different activities. As you investigate, you’ll start to see different companies emerge as community-minded and those are the ones you’ll likely want to collaborate with.
4. Listen to local podcasts other businesses are featured on
Are there podcasts in your city featuring small business owners? Take a listen to the podcasts available and how other small businesses get plugged in. Want to be on the podcast? Pitch yourself! It’s likely you have a great story to share.
5. Read your local newspaper or find hyperlocal content creator / media brands
Whether it’s a business-specific publication or a hyperlocal Instagram account, look for the brands being tagged, written about, or running sponsored content. They’re doing something right to get visibility in their community.
6. See what brands are working with Hummingbirds in your city
As a community-centric brand, we’re constantly bringing businesses onto our platform that find value in partnering with hyperlocal content creators and influencers. There’s no doubt that if they find value in working with people, they would find value in working with other brands to borrow the trust you have with your audience as well.
7. Simply ask! Don’t overthink exploring a conversation.
So much about partnership marketing is being bold enough to make the ask. Know what you bring to the table, have confidence around your ask, and ensure the value is there for both parties to benefit.
