Elevating brands through strategic partnerships

FIND THE UNIQUE POINT OF INTERSECTION WHERE TWO BRANDS ALIGN.

THAT’S WHERE GREAT IDEAS ARE BORN.

The sweet spot: Creating truly unique collaborations that make brands stand apart from their competitors can be a very effective (and often overlooked) marketing tactic. Super cool collabs have the potential to create a ripple effect, generating a lot of free exposure! Yep - I said it . . . FREE EXPOSURE. Which, for marketers, is like finding gold at the end of a rainbow. Getting access to new customers for nothing? Sign me up!

This is where I shine.

I have a passion for bringing brands together to create one-of-a-kind experiences, resulting in cross-exposure to like-minded, but previously untapped target audiences.

Where the magic happens: Thinking outside the box is my superpower. I have an innate ability to see the potential for unusual and engaging partnerships. I love to get crafty, identify what would provide the most value to potential partners, and propose an in-kind trade of services, products, advertising, social media shout-outs or other types of cross-promotion. It’s a win-win!

The challenge: Often, pitching ideas for novel collaborations requires buy-in from senior leadership who may not grasp the critical function that exposure plays in elevating brand awareness. Let’s face it… most folks who don’t have a marketing background are unable to conceptualize the exorbitant amount of $$$ it would cost to access that same audience through paid advertising, purchased contact lists or costly campaigns. And to be fair, it’s not their job to know. Additionally, they may view an in-kind trade of services being provided as lost revenue.

However, in most instances, the new audience is likely unaware of your brand and therefore would not have purchased your services (thus there is no revenue lost - only exposure gained). By gaining exposure to the new audience, there is now an opportunity to convert them into first-time (and hopefully life-long) customers. As a marketer, it’s my job to translate the approximate $$ value gained through the in-kind trade and resulting exposure, thus translating perceived revenue lost into potential revenue gained!

The ripple effect (aka the big payoff!): Everyone’s heard the old adage “Word of mouth is the most effective form of marketing.” I am a firm believer that this is true. While difficult to quantify, the most successful marketing efforts engage consumers and create a sense of excitement about the product or mission. Establishing this sense of buy-in is often reflected in their daily encounters and ongoing dialogues with friends, family and coworkers. Compounded by the exposure gained through partner cross-promotions, new followers gained, social media shares, influencer mentions and potential media coverage — and the ripple effect has now grown exponentially!

Make sure to check out the video highlight above featuring some of my favorite Forest partnerships!