What is Collaborative Marketing?
I help people decide what social media tools fit their business or creative goals.
I’d like to make you comfortable here on my website. So I’ll be frank — we have a lot of new terms and titles showing up as we ride the huge wave of online communication. We have new areas of marketing that we just have to find a way to describe to each other. So, take courage, and a dose of humor, as you learn the different aspects which web professionals bring to the table. I’m here to help you make sense of it all, reduce the overwhelm, and guide you to get on with the most meaningful aspects of running your business.
The term collaborative marketing simply means that marketing today is interactive.
Your clients and customers are interacting with each other. You can participate in that interaction. Your business can also benefit from collaboration with many other businesses. These are activities which should be considered as you create your strategy to meet your goals.
This is what is new about marketing today. “Collaborative marketing” describes what modern technology offers businesses in today’s consumer-informed media environment.
We’ve made a leap — a giant leap — which changed the playing field for marketing. The fundamentals of traditional marketing are the same. New media has made it possible to build more trust and authority through tools of connectivity. The importance of relationships, of course, remains. It takes time and sincere communication to deepen trust and mutual understanding in relationships.
This change occurred very recently, (beginning in mid 2008) and is now being recognized by innovative businesses and individuals as essential tools of modern marketing. Why? Because it makes it possible to reach a large, even global audience, through a tightly targeted niche, with very low-cost tools. That means you cannot compete unless you are able to think collaboratively.
Collaborative marketing is about “the conversation.” (Yes! Another important term!) Business owners must enter the ongoing conversation which their clients and customers are now using to evaluate products and services. The collaboration happens naturally. It’s a result of effective use of blogs and social media.
Great News
Business owners and entrepreneurs can reach their target market for a fraction of the cost required in years past. This change should be seen as a redirecting of the marketing budget. Web communication today requires a minimal investment in software. The larger commitment is to a consistent presence, building relationships, and becoming efficient with the tools. While some businesses still need larger, more complex websites, many businesses can build a powerful campaign of engagement through simple blogs.
Some business owners will find balance in hiring seasoned web communicators to create content and manage their business blogs and media. Others will choose the do-it-yourself route, and will need help with set-up and training.
Recognize the landscape
In the past, the professionals were web designers and web masters who built and managed websites. While many business owners have a productive and satisfactory relationship with the person controlling their web presence, others have found it expensive and cumbersome.
Landscape change: Web professionals who understand collaborative marketing recommend blog sites over websites, or including blogs in websites for the vast majority of businesses. Blogs are much easier to set up and maintain.
The skills needed for successful collaborative marketing (or community management) have more to do with a history of professional blogging, a track record on social media, and demonstrable skills which are often seen in the instructive content offered on the professional’s own blog. This shows a healthy engagement with these evolving tools which can bring the best results to the client.
To your success in meaningful, productive collaboration!
I am at your service.
Suzanna Stinnett
Learn about my services by clicking on the “Services” tab at the top of this page.
