Henry Ford once said, ‘Coming together is the beginning, staying together progress, and working together success.’ To this day, Ford’s assertion has remained true especially when it comes to collaborative marketing. It has proved to be one of the guiding principles and foundation to successfully scaling a business regardless of industry.

While many brands have achieved success from working together for single events, many brands opt to enter into a long-term partnerships which lends itself to increased brand growth and visibility in a saturated dtc market. In a nutshell, collaborating with like-minded companies and incorporating distinguished product photography could effectively double your brand’s exposure leading to more leads and business. But where do you start?

Set your goals

You want to be able to assess the ROI of your joint efforts, so specify your goals first. Goals are also handy in evaluating potential collaborators, a crucial step in co-campaigns.

Brand-to-brand collaborations are tremendously powerful, and you can aim for practically anything - raised product awareness, an upshot in engagement, and new subscriptions to your service, among others.

Types of collaborative campaigns

There are different co-marketing strategies available, each ideal for diverse scenarios. You and the other team can deploy the following:

• Cross-Promotion: Either party will be promoting each other’s product(s) to their respective following.  This may involve cross-selling, so you need to agree on revenue-sharing. You can provide a custom discount to drive sales with each other’s client base.

• Content Collaboration: The two brands co-develop content recommending each other. You simultaneously share to each other’s audience. 

• Co-Branding: You team up on a short-term strategic campaign where each brand includes their partner’s identifiers like logos and color schemes on its products or promotional materials.  

The scope is quite broad, so use a content creation studio with creative insights to innovate a productive campaign, even adopting a novel approach.

For example, Hello Kitty, the omnipresent Japanese-originated white cat sometimes requests collaborating brands to ask their audiences to vote for their best-loved Sanrio character. The resultant vibe – they have participated in several ingenious campaigns with multiple players - has seen the character slowly become a global phenomenon.

Identify potential brands that you could partner with in a mutual win/win.

You don’t have to restrict yourself when choosing a mate, although naturally, working with direct competitors won’t make sense.

For instance, while both were individually recording good sales, Uber and Spotify knew that running a joint promotional campaign would unlock each other’s bulging customer base.

It proved a masterstroke as each company netted tons of eager users from their partner while generating massive hype from which they would reap dividends for months.

Scour the marketplace and create a list of ambitious players who won’t mind exploring co-marketing opportunities to gain access to a new fan base. A list of 5-10 candidates can be a reasonable starting point.

Make the first move

Contact the marketing teams in your list who have topnotch expertise and share your ideas. Vet each prospective collaborator depending on mutual interest and the likelihood of a joint campaign appealing to both audiences.

Ultimately, your goal is to add value to each other, and you want to settle for the best. 

Work out a master plan

Map out key topics of conversation for a brainstorming and strategy meeting. This is vital since the project can only be fruitful if you’re on the same page.

Bring your heads together and be candid on your ambitions, fears, and hopes. You want to be in agreement on everything including:

• Marketing Channels

• Content Format

• Visual Content Creation

• Calendar

• Shared Theme and Hashtags

• Shared and Partner Responsibilities

• Performance Metrics

• Budget 

Most important - get it in writing - especially where cross-selling is involved.

Creation and Launch

You should select a professional photography studio or social media content creation group to ensure you get impressive results on multiple platforms at this significant step. 

With everything set, it’s time to unleash your shared campaign across the selected platforms.  The first reactions from your followers are essential and can help you know where to tweak.

Like any other union, the survival of your brand marriage depends on your continued consensus on emerging issues, so keep consulting. 

Measure and Review

Use analytics and other data to examine the performance jointly and individually as per the calendar.

Measuring the results will point you to missteps early enough to ensure rewards for both brands eventually.

The outcome is also beneficial when planning the next stage of the co-campaign.

Final thoughts

Collaboration with like-minded companies can be a super-effective way to boost your exposure, build brand awareness, and open doors to new business. However, for the partnership to bear the desired fruits, you have to make it a win/win for both players.

Use your branding and content creation studio to guide you on what will work best for all parties. Essentially, both audiences must find value and see the potential for ROI. The good news is that there’s immense potential to profit from your initial success and to build a long-term successful relationship.