5 Keys to a Strategic Marketing Partnership

For the past several months, I have been working with a few companies developing strategic marketing partnerships. This is not something I have had much experience with in the past, so I wasn’t sure exactly how it would work. I had a few concerns about entering into such a shared arrangement. I worried about loss of control, division of responsibility, and trusting that each party would be responsible and timely. With all these concerns and lack of experience I was definitely walking in with my cautious shoes on.  But after several months, my worries have evaporated. I’ve come to realize some serious benefits from working with a strategic partner (and from my feedback, I would say our partners are very pleased as well).  To give you a brief idea of how and why these partnerships work, I’ve outlined the 5 keys to working in a strategic partnership.

1-      Expertise:

Both ends of the partnership should bring some level of expertise to the table. Whether it be design capabilities, project management, sales, PPC, etc. Both parties should bring a level of expertise to the table that the other is incapable of or less efficient in. Focusing on your expertise generally means efficiency, allowing you more time to focus on what you know and less time fumbling in areas that are not your strong suit. Working with an expert in another field lets you focus on your core competency, making sure the end client gets the best possible solutions.

2-      Reputation:

Working with a partner that has a strong reputation can help strengthen your own reputation. Providing top quality work to a client means satisfied reviews, positive word of mouth, and most likely a growing business. It’s imperative to work with a partner that can build reputation.

3-      Relationships:

Building a trusting relationship is incredibly important to the success of any partnership. If you can build and grow in your partnership, new opportunities, efficiencies, and personal growth will follow. Building relationships will improve your performance, open communication, and likely build business.

4-      Clear Division of Responsibility:

This rule applies to in office work as well as strategic partnerships. Every project should have a clear strategy outlined with division of responsibility. Each party should know 100% on which tasks they are responsible for. And for any of those crisis moments, grey areas, etc. clear communication is a must. The best way for a strategic partnership to do this is through a general hierarchy – from a project manager down to a coordinator, there should be a sense of ownership on every project and task.

5-      Team Work & Trained Eyes

As I said before, every partnership should have different people with different areas of expertise. The benefit of bringing together different minds is to see a different perspective, catch problems that might be outside of your general thought process, and to learn from each other for constant improvement.

Thinking about engaging in a digital partnerships or any strategic marketing agreement?  Feel free to contact us for more information.

As with any business decision, there are risks associated. As long as these elements are carried out successfully, a strategic partnership can be extremely beneficial to both parties. Go into each arrangement with an open mind, a strategic plan, and make sure you communicate to ensure a positive partnership. Londes Digital Marketing offers digital marketing partnerships. Our focus is on meeting the digital needs of clients of all sizes. For more information on a PPC, SEO, Analytics, or other digital related partnership please contact us at info@londes.com or call 585-617-3242.