Creative Promotions and Partnerships: A necessity to building your business!

Last week, while on the flight to Las Vegas, about an hour from landing, the flight attendants came by and handed us each the small box pictured on the left. It was about the size of a deck of cards, but only 3/8 inch thick.

Inside was a pack of mints and seven cards, each one giving us a discount or added benefit for some aspect of the Cosmopolitan Hotel. This is continuity marketing at its very best. I have no idea how much the hotel spent on a marketing approach like this, but I can guarantee it was big bucks, but that's not the point you need to think about.


Think about the concept for your own business and doing something similar. I can't believe it would be that hard for most of you to get several non-competing companies together to split the cost four or five ways. Each company has a card or two with something relating to their business.

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The seven cards were a heavier stock paper, almost like an old baseball card. Each had a unique offer from a different hotel entity.

I have no idea whether this program did anything to help the Cosmopolitan, but in all honesty, it doesn't matter for my purpose in sharing it. This is about consumer bundling with other companies and the application fits with EVERY photographic specialty.

A wedding photographer together with a florist, travel agent, venue, salon and wedding planner gives you a six way split. A pet photographer working together with a veterinarian, groomer, pet rescue group and pet supply store is a five way split. A family photographer doing a Mother's Day/Father's Day/Graduation promotion could bring in a venue, florist, limo company, a gift boutique and men's/women's clothing store...there it is again a six or even seven way split.

Here are the benefits:

• You don't have to carry the complete burden for your promotions by yourself. Share them with other businesses in the community.

• Each participating company becomes an ambassador for the total mailing.

• You have the ability to cross-promote between each business or just do things exclusive to your own business.
• This is all about added value, creativity and reach. Merging each entity's customer base gives you some amazing reach in even the smallest community.
• The Promo-Pak becomes an outstanding give away for each business to their own clients.

Last on the list, you can scale it down and just use it to focus on your own business or maybe it's a great program to do with another photographer. For example, there are only so many weekends you can work as a wedding photographer before you simply implode. Why not work with another photographer and promote both of your businesses or, put a children/family photographer together with a wedding photographer and share the costs?

Survival today is not longer about the most fit - it's about who's the most creative!