Market your brand with local partnerships
Key takeaways:
Form relationships with other brands based on common causes and interests.
Share information and resources to give each other a boost.
Download a free Instagram template to support other local brands.
If you’re considering partnership marketing to grow your brand, here are reasons why we recommend doing it at a local level.
In this post, I’ share 6 different ways to think about structuring partnerships with local businesses to get your wheels turning.
1. Find a cause another local business champions and co-promote it together
If you own a company that cares deeply for a nonprofit or cause in your community, is there another business owner or company that also contributes to the cause? If you find a company that also actively promotes a nonprofit, find a way to give back by incentivizing your customers to visit the other business.
Here’s how you can think about it. If you’re Emily’s Coffee Shop that donates regularly to the Animal Rescue League, you could tell your customers “if you visit Ichi Bike and make a $100 purchase or more, we’ll donate $10 to the Animal Rescue League.” Ichi Bike could also do the same for Emily’s Coffee Shop. The more they shop, the more you’re able to give. It’s a win for the nonprofit and a win for each local business.
2. Launch a collaborative event together
Are you two women-owned businesses that cares about supporting other women-owned businesses? Create a collaborative event where you bring women business owners together. Whether it’s an informal networking event or a full-blown pitch event or an innovative shopping experience, find the businesses that would get excited to work with you to bring something new to the market that ultimately grows your company.
3. Create a shopping event or experience on an annual or monthly basis for your neighborhood or commercial district
Do you want to see more activity in your area? Create an experience that gets locals out. It can be something as simple as a paper passport or it can be as complex as hosting a farmers market type of event with dozens of vendors. There are likely dozens if not hundreds of locals who want to come to your business, but when you give them an experience, it could push them over the edge. What experiences can you create with fellow business owners in your neighborhood?
4. Host a pop up at their location
Is there an established local business with an ideal customer you also want? Reach out to them to see if they open their space to other local businesses for pop ups. Need to get them excited about having you? Share all the ways why partnering is beneficial.
5. Share one another’s info via email marketing platform
Want a lighter lift? If you’re currently using email marketing to reach your customers and you know another local business doing the same, cross-promote unique offers to one anothers’ email list, especially if you have a significant overlap in targeted customers you’re trying to reach.
6. Create a “support local” Instagram Story template to share out with other local business friends and allies to get locals tagging you
Instagram Story templates, such as the one below, is a great way to create buzz among other local businesses and get your local community involved in also promoting your business.
Want a template for this? Download it below! The first image is for you to share your favorite brands, the second image is instructions, and the third image is for your followers to save and post on their own stories.
