[Welcome back to our Word of Mouth Marketing Lessons newsletter. This is text from the great issue all of our email subscribers just received. Sign yourself up using this handy form.]
Chances are — whether you sell the same thing or not — you have an audience another small business would love to reach. Why not share some of that reach (and creativity) to do something remarkable together?
Here are three examples of small business partnerships working together to reach their customers in new ways:
1. Guest content
2. Space sharing
3. Event staffing
1. Guest content
Modern Farmer magazine shares stories about modern agriculture, farms, and the people behind them. And every once in a while, the magazine lets small farms take over their Instagram account. For example, this May, Door Creek Orchard shared photos of the bee hives that help them pollinate, hawks that help them with gopher control, and an old photo of the owner’s mom on Mother’s Day. The content is interesting, personal, and great exposure for both the farm and the magazine. Do you have a platform to showcase another company’s content? Or would your content help make someone else’s platform more interesting?
2. Space sharing
Exile Brewing Company in Des Moines holds monthly yoga classes with Power Life Yoga in their parking lot. People come for a complimentary class and glass of beer. But the real draw is the community and hanging out that follows. Both companies have something to offer that brings people together, helps them make friends, and gives them a reason to come back. And by sharing their space and their time, they turn a parking lot and an hour yoga class into a remarkable event.
3. Event staffing
Texas Roller Derby, a roller derby league in Austin, stays visible in the community by offering to do door security for local events decked out in their skates and gear. The rollergirls get exposure for the sport by meeting attendees and event organizers, and the event hosts get a complimentary service that’s much more remarkable than someone wearing an “Event Staff” shirt at the front door. What service could you offer to help make someone’s event more exciting? Do you have a role in your next event that a local group would love to fill?
