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Sweet marketing music

Tanner Montague came to town from Seattle having never owned his own music venue before. He’s a musician himself, so he has a pretty good sense of good music, but he also wandered into a crowded music scene filled with concert venues large and small.But the owner of Green Room thinks he found a void in the market. It’s lacking, he says, in places serving between 200 and 500 people, a sweet spot he thinks could be a draw for both some national acts not quite big enough yet for arena gigs and local acts looking for a launching pad.“I felt that size would do well in the city to offer more options,” he says. “My goal was to A, bring another option for national acts but then, B, have a great spot for local bands to start.”Right or wrong, something seems to be working, he says. He’s got a full calendar of concerts booked out several months. How did he, as a newcomer to the market in an industry filled with competition, get the attention of the local concertgoer?

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by Michelle Massman
September 2007

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Finding the right marketing partner

Michelle Massman,
Massman & Associates:
320.259.7108
www.massmanassociates.com

Find the right
marketing partner
to expand business

IT MAY HAVE STARTED  in small towns. You ask the local bank to sponsor your concert. The chamber of commerce creates a “shop local” card with discounts from several retailers. A gift shop showcases items from local artisans and manufacturers.

Business owners are open to collaboration. Established through a mutual need for survival, this type of marketing is evolving to global proportions as entrepreneurs seek opportunities for scalability and exposure through the right partners.

I emphasize the “right” partners because not all collaborations can work. There are several elements that make or break a corporate collaboration or partnership. When they are aligned, the resulting buzz is larger than any individual company could gain alone.

Expanded branding

Every company works hard to build a customer base, effective marketing tools and ways to reach the audience who believes in their value. Aligning with like-minded companies exponentially increases the value of your marketing efforts and dollars.

By partnering with a business whose reputation and values match your own, you can maintain consistent branding even as you reach a wider audience. Take some time to discuss the value systems and branding of each business to ensure a proper fit. Think about how your product or service adds to the value and reputation of your partner. Does it match their mission? Does it enhance the tone or mood that customers expect?

Collaborating also generates buzz in the traditional media and among customers.  If two or more companies are launching a new initiative together it’s worthy of a story. If you announce a new partnership in the customer e-letter, people will take notice.

When Minnesota a cappella group Tonic Sol-fa partnered with the national gourmet food direct seller Tastefully Simple last year, it was the first time that Tastefully Simple had included music in their gift packs.

Tonic Sol-fa had performed at the company’s national conference and fit the upbeat and fun Tastefully Simple brand; the consultants and customers of Tastefully Simple matched the target demographic of Tonic Sol-fa, so there was mutual branding and benefit for both companies.

The same thing happened when Tonic Sol-fa collaborated with Bose on a home listening party campaign. Bose reached its target audience right in their own homes and the buzz from the collaboration resulted in an article about the group in Newsweek.

Shared expectations

It is important to understand the expectations of each partner in collaborations, not only contractually but also from a marketing standpoint. A larger company may have different ideas about the depth and breadth of data to collect during the campaign, for example, and may assume that your company does it the same way.

Have a conversation about the expectations for tracking customer response and return on investment. Collaborate on the system for collecting data and discuss how each partner will be able to use the data for future marketing campaigns.

Contracts should spell out the responsibilities of each partner as well as who owns the resulting intellectual property and data. Determine when the relationship begins and when it ends.

Be clear on who covers incidentals and how to handle a premature end to the project. Your attorney should also outline unforeseen circumstances in the event that one or both partners cannot complete the project.

With proper planning and managing of expectations at the front end, your collaboration will have a greater chance of success.

Collaborative marketing increases your resources. There are financial resources, to be sure, but also human resources. By tapping into the knowledge and networks of your partner, your market expands exponentially.

Collaborators may have access to things you don’t, such as an outstanding e-mail database, incredible buying power with media (radio, television, newspaper) or storefronts with huge traffic. If you build on existing strengths it can save lots of money.

When negotiating the roles of each partner in a marketing campaign, review their professional skills. One partner could have a crack public relations team while the other partner excels in customer relationship management. Take this opportunity to learn from each other about best practices.

Each partner should share a power base where appropriate. Make a list of influencers who could support your collaboration through communication, endorsement or future partnership. Take professional networking to the next level by seeking national and global partners.

In my 15 years of producing the Women’s Showcase in St. Cloud, I have met countless influencers and always have asked them for referrals to other business partners. One of our recent partners, Schwan’s Home Food Service, committed to sponsoring the Women’s Showcase Food Experience and was able to use our event to launch a new dessert. The product development specialists came onsite to distribute samples and were able to gather customer comments first-hand.

Global focus

No matter the size of your business, technology is allowing collaboration on a global scale. A single collaborative e-mail campaign can put you in touch with the networks of several influencers and result in a bestselling book. Selling your idea to a global partner who is seeking the next great idea in your industry can make it available to millions in a matter of months.

Business owners are no longer constrained by geography to communicate their message and value. They can think bigger. But they must be strategic. A small introductory project can lead to more and larger projects as you build credibility and value with your partners. But you?ll never know until you ask.

Think about your core customer demographic. What do they buy, read or listen to in addition to your product or service? Can you align yourself with one of these companies to reach a higher number of your target customers?

Spend some time thinking about how this collaboration will benefit your collaborator. With a genuine goal of creating mutual success, you will be a collaborator of choice for many like-minded businesses.