Partnership marketing is a strategic way to increase your company’s presence in the market without expanding your marketing budget. These strategic alliances deliver your messaging in an environment that prospective customers trust. Well-crafted partnerships are a simple and effective way for brands to grow their audiences. A marketing agency that specializes in creating these relationships with other businesses can help achieve business goals in fostering these types of partnerships. Read on to learn more about the types of partnerships.
Partnerships with supermarkets present an excellent opportunity for cross-promotion, such as bag stuffers, in-store radio exposure, inclusion in the supermarket’s circulars, and coupon distribution through the customer service desk and/or point of sale. Reaching consumers where they shop every week not only re-enforces your messaging but also distributes savings/discounts to an ultra-specific target market, adding to your revenue goals.
A partnership with a local coffee shop or multi-location coffee chain provides access to co-branded, in-store materials. A marketing agency will often facilitate relationships for branded coffee sleeves, in-store signage, coupons at the point of sale, drive through signage, in-store radio, package stickers, and more to touch consumers in their everyday lives.
Corner store partnerships give your company cross-promotion, including bottleneck hangers, refrigerator signage, full beverage displays, and coupons at the point of sale. Work with a third party to activate corner store partnerships which will add significant shelf space and often they will cover the partnership activation costs. A marketing agency can help you achieve this activation.
Local bottlers, often including Coca-Cola, Pepsi, water companies and more, have access to significant shelf space in supermarkets, corner stores and quick-service restaurants. Leveraging a strategic offer that can help them drive sales will act as leverage to in-store promotion including end-caps, point of sale and more.
A successful public transportation partnership will result in out of home media exposure, in a mutually beneficial manner that utilizes their media space to advertise for a collective goal. A marketing agency can facilitate these types of relationships and ads. Text such as “Ride public transportation to [insert client’s name]” is often advertised on bus queens/kings/backs/interior car cards, at bus and train stations, and on e-communications. A partnership with a regional public transportation department can successfully reach consumers in and around city centers.
A partnership with the Convention and Visitor Bureau (CVB) is a great tool to garner access to the tourist market. These avenues of exposure can be through the CVB’s website, social media channels, and the like. Utilizing a relationship with the CVB can also create relationships with the hotels, airports, and train stations to gain promotional exposure through those tourist hot spots. The CVB often has a large reach across digital platforms and significant advertising in the market that clients may be able to tap into.
The Chamber of Commerce is a vital resource and partnership opportunity. This relationship will act as leverage to open the door to crucial local business partners and help you align with restaurants, small businesses, and other organizations that work with the Chamber.
Bars and restaurants provide an outstanding opportunity to reach your customer where they spend time with their friends and family. Contact a marketing agency that has experience working with local bars to put together branded coaster programs and partner with restaurants to garner bill stuffers, table tent displays, and more.
As high foot-traffic restaurants, quick service restaurants (QSRs) are apt to run partnership promotions. Communication avenues have been on tray-liners, drive-through signage, on cups, table tents, window clings and more. QSRs also spend significant money on local advertising in the market and when a strong enough promotional opportunity is on the table, they have proven able to customize creative to their monthly promotions which can garner our clients no-charge advertising.
Partnering with hotels is a proven tactic to reach the tourist market and often includes key card inserts, hotel lobby signage, in-room table tent ads, and much more. Hotel partnerships have proven to capture the eyes of tourists coming in and out of a market.
Cultural institutions are a strategic partner that can deliver high-income, highly educated prospects. They typically have large lists, engaged members, and a flexible infrastructure to run trade promotions.
Depending on your business, a variety of the above or other partners may apply. Immerse Agency succeeds by building programs that suit our clients’ needs, goals and target audience and as partnership marketing is not a cookie-cutter approach, we create custom pitch lists based on your industry & audience targets, providing the best opportunity to drive sales for your company. Reach out today and let’s get started!
Determining which businesses to partner with, what that partnership looks like, and everything that comes afterwards can be a daunting task. Contact our team today to learn how we can help you get the ball rolling on partnerships that will serve you and your business for years to come!
