Using Collaborations to Boost Sales

Collaborating with other brands can bring mutual benefits in sales and publicity. How can you find and make use of these valuable collaborations?

Collaborations are a great way to expand your reach, gain new customers and boost sales. They also save you money on advertising as these costs can be shared in a joint campaign. To see the true benefits, choose companies that have a similar audience but are not direct competitors. For example, if you sell casual clothing to young, sporty people, you could collaborate with a company that sells casual shoes to the same audience.

When approaching a brand or influencer/celebrity for a collaboration, be realistic and realise that it's about mutual benefit. If you have a new small business, it's best to aim for collaborators that are about the same level unless you're able to invest large sums for a larger company or celebrity's endorsement. Even if both businesses are small, you can both nearly double your reach by sharing email contacts and followers.

Agree on clear campaign goals from the beginning of the collaboration. It could be a bundle pack to boost holiday sales, a giveaway to spread brand awareness or a long-term cooperation across various campaigns. Focus your campaigns to meet these targets.

Collaboration campaigns work best when you encourage user-generated content. Incentivize followers to tag both brands in contests and giveaways. Ask them to be creative in taking photos that show how they use both of the products. Depending on the product, fun filters also encourage users to post more.

Another idea for a short-term collaboration is to sponsor or help raise awareness for a charity. This gives followers a positive impression of your brand and they may also be more likely to share a post that's for a good cause.