Marketing Partnerships every brand should know

Marketing doesn’t mean going at it alone. “Partnership” can mean very different arrangements depending on your goals.

Here are the most common marketing partnerships and how they can work for your business. From simple promotions of collaboration posts to full agreements, from formal to informal, there is always a way to collab.

1.Collaborative Social Media Posts

This can be either two brands or one brand and a content creator creating content together. They appear on the joint accounts to create further reach for both brands.

Agree on the content and create it - either together or separately - and have the content featured on both feeds.

Instagram has pushed this even further with their collaborator function of the app, with more social media platforms integrating them.

2. Contra Agreements

A contra agreement is a partnership where no money is exchanged. Instead, both sides exchange goods and services of a similar value or media value.

For example, a design agency builds a website for a client in exchange for event sponsorship space.

3. Sponsorships (Event or Products)

Sponsorship is more formal, usually paid, where a brand may attach their name to an event, product, team or piece of content for visibility.

Types of sponsorship:

Event sponsorship - logo placement or branding, or speaking slots at a conference.

Product sponsorship - free products for an audience or event or influencer gift in exchange for on-screen or in-person visibility.

Media sponsorship - sponsoring a podcast episode, newsletter section or YouTube video.

The common thread across all three, a good partnership benefits both sides. Before proposing one, it helps to be able to answer clearly what’s in it for the other brand, not just for you.

If you need help building or drafting partnerships, feel free to reach out to marketing founder Katelyn Fouladgar katelyn@gigimarketingltd.com