Creating a Partnered Online Marketing Campaign

These days, executing a successful social media and email marketing campaign isn’t as easy as it once was.  The problem lies within the fact that today there are many more businesses out there bombarding consumers with spam like emails and social media posts.  For this reason, consumers are a bit more hesitant to “Like” your business’s Facebook page or subscribe to your email newsletter.  Many businesses entering the online marketing world today must purchase consumer email lists or pay Facebook a hefty premium to run a Facebook ad in the hopes of gaining new followers and email addresses.  Often, these costs outweigh the benefits and businesses eat the loss.

To be successful, you must be creative and think outside the box.  A new concept emerging in marketing is to create a partnered online marketing campaign .  Typically, one business will approach other businesses whose products/services compliment their own.  If in agreement, these businesses will form a marketing partnership where they commit to promote a single email newsletter, website, Facebook Page, and/or Twitter account.  For example, a number of businesses in the same downtown shopping district may partner together to publish “ABC Downtown Newsletter,” or manage the ABC Downtown Facebook page.  Possibly they will even create and launch www.abcDownTown.com.

This same concept can be applied to businesses of many different industries or geographic areas, even if they aren’t located right next to each other.  For example, organic bakeries and farms within a county could create a local organic marketing coalition.  A group of antique stores may join forces to display their featured collectibles through one website.  A vineyard in California may partner with a specialty cheese shop in New York that offers online ordering.  All tourist attraction venues in one town may create a centralized website and Facebook page.

The benefits of creating a partnered online marketing campaign can be substantial.  Below are just a few of the advantages:

• By each business directing their customers to a single common newsletter, Facebook page, or website – it’s possible to amass one large following.
• Each individual business no longer needs to pay the costs associated with managing their own website and Facebook page or producing their own newsletter.
• Consumers are now presented with a single, convenient marketing channel to receive information on products/services they may need.  No longer will they receive 5 separate newsletters or need to visit numerous websites.

An economical and effective way to direct customers of each business to a single Facebook page or email newsletter is by using OnSpot Social.  Picture this, each participating business within the partnership runs OnSpot Social at an iPad kiosk near their checkout counter.  The app will allow customers at each business to sign up for the same multi-business partnership’s newsletter, Facebook, and/or Twitter account.  Within a short time,  a large following can be built and each business will have basically shared their customers with each other.  How’s that for creative?