So you are marketing a start up brand or even working for a small company that’s been under the radar for far too long. You may be experiencing some of the these problems:
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You have a small customer base
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Your brand recognition is basically zero
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If you don’t produce results soon your brand may falter
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Your marketing budget is lackluster
You realize that a marketing partnership can help resolve many of these problems. But who’s gonna want to partner with you? The Big Fish have many options when it comes to partnerships so why would they waste their time with you?
Here are a few tips that can help you open the door to a large scale partnership with a major reputable brand:
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Show Them the Money – You may not have a solid customer base or any marketing funds but if you have a product or service that appeals to consumers you can leverage this. You’ve got revenue as an asset at your disposal. Take a hard look at your long term customer value and your short term profits. Then consider a revenue sharing formula that seriously gets the Big Fish Partner thinking about your proposal.
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Co-branding – Offer to label or co-brand your product with the Big Fish brand. This will resonate more with their customer base and tap into their brand equity. You’ll still have to offer up the sweet revenue share as mentioned prior.
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Free Yourself Up – Do you have a free service or product to offer your partner? This could be as simple as content they find valuable or a product that costs you little versus the overall perceived value.
- Discount – If you can’t go with free maybe the Big Fish would appreciate a deep discount on your products and services that they can pass onto their customers. Many partners will never be thrilled by the revenue you can generate for them but they appreciate offering their customers a special offer that is exclusive to them.
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Multiply – You’ve got little to offer and the Big Fish isn’t biting. Bring in multiple partners that have the valuable marketing assets you are missing and retain your stake by being innovator that brings it together. As an example, you are a new tortilla company and would like to partner with a major sour cream brand. You are too small to get their attention so you offer to bring in a major salsa manufacturer. Take it one step further and bring in an avocado growers association
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Win with Creativity – Put together a great promotional idea that suits your partner’s target market. This may be a cool way to minimize the assets you have to put on the table. Creativity will cost you nothing but can be a big factor in a partner’s decision to move forward with you.