Collaboration seems to be the buzzword in most industries today, and the e-commerce industry is no exception. Many marketers and advertisers are finding that their old strategies need an update in order to stay competitive in the ever-changing digital commerce environment.
But how does increased collaboration affect your organization's established workflows? And are there really enough benefits to outweigh the time and energy needed to make marketing efforts more collaborative?
We've done the research so you don't have to. In this article, we'll cover everything you need to know about using collaboration as a marketing tool, including:
With that, here are three reasons why you need to consider collaborative marketing:
When you hear people talk about collaborative marketing, they're usually referring to marketing strategies that rely on other companies' marketing campaigns to get the job done. We'll get to that, but first, let's address the often overlooked benefits of increased collaboration within your own internal marketing team.
Collaboration is essential within professional teams for several reasons, including:
It pools the talents and strengths of your team. You did not choose your team members because each of them has exactly the same skills. In fact, you probably chose them for the opposite reason! Creating more collaborative opportunities for your team allows you to take full advantage of each team member's unique talents and strengths.
It allows employees to develop new skills. No one on your team is an expert in everything. Creating opportunities that allow your employees to work together gives them opportunities for growth. Allow them to learn from each other. Helping your team hone new skills ultimately gives you a more skilled team and gives your team a major morale boost.
It makes problem solving more efficient. Whether your team takes a divide-and-win approach or prefers to tackle problems as a group, having more eyes on a project can help it get done faster and better than one. employee.
Plus, with tools like cloud content collaboration platforms, it's easier than ever for your team to collaborate on shared files and documents. There's no reason to pass up this opportunity to improve productivity and creativity!
Mentioning another brand in your content or marketing campaign can't help your organization, can it?
The answer might surprise you! When your brand shares content that boosts another brand's signal, you're doing more than just creating good karma for yourself.
If you are promoting other brands in addition to your own, you are actually engaging in a social or collaborative marketing strategy. By mentioning other brands, you increase the likelihood that they will mention you back. You can even stack your odds of this happening by tagging the other brand in your social media post or contacting them directly via email.
Not only does this make your marketing more credible because you're not promoting your own brand alone, but it also boosts your "credibility" with audiences you don't usually reach. Think about it.
Can big brands help small brands? The answer is probably quite obvious.
Of course, if a small brand is mentioned by a big brand, it will boost the credibility of the brand. But what if a small brand mentions a big brand? Perhaps surprisingly, the answer is always yes!
Small, independent businesses are generally respected in smaller, niche or community markets that larger brands might otherwise struggle to reach. By partnering, brands large and small can engage in an exchange of credibility that benefits both parties by increasing:
It's no secret that our world is becoming more connected by the minute, and that includes digital commerce. Every day, new mobile, digital and social tools are created to connect consumers with products.
In order to survive in a world where users can buy items directly from their Instagram feed and share the products they find in a brand's app on any social media feed they choose, online retailers need to adjust their marketing strategies accordingly.
Today's consumers are looking for both convenience and collaboration. To stay competitive, your marketing team must be prepared to offer just that.
It seems like everyone is talking about collaboration these days and there are very good reasons for that. We've covered the top 3. How has collaboration – within your team or with other brands – affected your marketing campaigns?
We'd love to hear your stories in the comments section below!
This is a sponsored post for Dropbox. All opinions are mine. Dropbox is not affiliated with or endorses any other products or services mentioned.
