Collaborations are an effective tool in the communicators' treasury, which helps strengthen relationships with partners and attract new audiences.
However, collabs aren’t just about two logos appearing together in an ad. We have implemented various partnership projects with our client, BlaBlaCar, and would like to share some insights. Read on to learn more about the benefits of partnering and the secrets to successful collaborations.
What tasks do collaborations perform? First, collabs create an infomercial that they want to write and talk about. That is, bright projects help increase brand recognition and the number of organic mentions.
Collaborations allow you to strengthen your connection with the target audience and show that you are on the same page. They are also an opportunity to attract a new audience and interest them in your product. If you successfully choose a partner for cooperation, you can appeal to a slightly different segment of users who will pay attention to you.
Cross-industry collaborations have the greatest potential for attracting new audiences. Does the marketplace for shared trips and the clothing brand SVARGA combine? The main thing is to find the point of intersection. In this case, vyshyvankas from different regions were associated with long-awaited trips home. Ukrainians could receive a unique vyshyvanka as a gift if they find historical household items in family archives and make interesting posts about it, mentioning the two brands. The reach of this communication was ten times higher than the usual social media posts!
Cooperation has advantages for your business in general, as it allows you to exchange experience with other companies and test innovative ideas. It is also an opportunity to join forces for an important cause. Working together on an important cause demonstrates your corporate social responsibility and promotes socially important initiatives. For example, BlaBlaCar partnered with the All-Ukrainian Prosthetics and Rehabilitation Center Superhumans to conduct an international fundraising campaign. The purpose of the collaboration was to raise funds for people who lost limbs due to war, as well as to raise awareness of the problems faced by amputees. As a result, enough money was collected for the prosthetics of three Ukrainian veterans.
The most important thing is to get along with your partner. You must have common goals and values. Choosing a partner for cooperation is necessary based on shared values while remembering to care for each other’s interests. When BlaBlaCar merged with OLX, they were united by a common goal – the fight against fraud on digital platforms. The companies focused their efforts on advice about the safe use of online marketplaces, which not only highlighted their shared values but also increased the trust of CAs.
And finally, let us remind you of some principles of quality cooperation:
- Collaboration should impress both parties’ target audiences. When receiving a proposal for cooperation, or approaching a potential partner with such a proposal, make sure that it will be relevant to both segments of the audience
- The result of cooperation is often an exclusive product or offer. The more unique or limited they are, the more intrigued they will create
- Remember about multi-channel communication! The more people know about your collaboration, the more worthwhile your efforts will be.
