In the current marketing and media climate, it seems everyone is vying for attention—and there’s only so much attention to go around. Cross-promotion allows related businesses to join forces, allowing each participating business exposure to the other’s audience, which creates broader exposure for everyone. Cross-Promotion is all over the marketing landscape, from special offers of soft drinks at fast food restaurants and movie premieres to the “related products” you see listed when you buy from your favorite online retailer. To further drive the point home, one of the sources for this post is “sponsored content” in the form of a newspaper article sponsored by a car manufacturer.
Do You Need to Cross-Promote?
Cross-promotion can work for you whatever the size and scope of your company, if you pool your resources with appropriate partners and work the right strategy. For example, a local restaurant might partner with a local theatre, or a hairdresser might partner with a formalwear store. Determining whether you need a cross-promotional strategy rests on how (or if) you want to grow your customer or client base and whether your current marketing efforts are providing the growth you want.
What Does Cross Promotion Look Like?
Cross-promotional strategies can take any number of forms, and once you become aware of what these strategies are, you’ll likely start seeing them everywhere. In the brick-and-mortar world cross-promotions might be as simple as name-dropping or joint printing of promotional materials. You might extend cross-promotions to include special offers to your partner’s customers and vice versa. One advantage of cross-promotion is pooling of resources, so in partnership you may be able to produce promotional media or sponsor events that were once out of reach.
Online, cross-promotion becomes even easier and more cost effective. Partners might share one another’s social media posts to their respective feeds or add links to one another’s brands within their own promotional content. Partners may also work together to create new content that serves both parties and establishes a closer co-sponsorship or collaboration, including videos, podcasts, and events.
Where Should You Start?
Start with an assessment of your own goods and services and the market you’re currently reaching, then consider what non-competitors offer goods and services to a similar market. Look for potential partners who share similar values and work ethics, because a cross-promotional relationship is as much about collaboration as it is about mutual benefit. It’s entirely possible you already have a working relationship with your potential cross-promotional partners. Still, do your research and craft a pitch that highlights what the two of you can do for each other before you make the approach. Success lies in detailed planning and anticipating their needs as well as your own.
Sources
Enterpreneur. “5 Smart Ways to Integrate Cross Promotion with Online Marketing.”
Frugal Marketing. “19 Ways to Attract More Customers Through Cross-Promotion.”
The Guardian. “How to use cross-promotion as a marketing tool.”
Imperfect Concepts. “How to Establish Collaborations for Cross-Promotion.”