It is true that it takes a village to raise a child, but it also takes a village to build a brand. You need your followers and brand warriors, but you can’t overlook the power of collaborating with brands who have a lot in common with you. So how do you take the steps to build a network of people who you can work with?
- Tag your favorite brands in your photos. My good friend since my preschool days is a rising chef and social media health food expert. While growing her brand on social media, she has taken advantage of shining light on her favorite brands and in return, they’ve given her some love.
Whether you’re a fashion blogger, food enthusiast, fitness guru or a college student, you can find brands that relate to you. Show them some love on social media and watch the relationship slowly start to develop.
- Slide in the DM. This step has worked for me on several occasions. As a public relations and marketing professional, I am no stranger to networking on social media. To land a recent client, I sent him a message on Instagram complementing his brand and offering my assistance. I will do another post next week on how to effectively slide into someone’s DM’s for business, but in short, don’t be afraid to message brands you’re interested in.
- Comment on the content. It is not enough to like a photo or RT a post these days. If you want to stand out, you have to start a conversation. Relationships are built on good communication. Don’t be afraid to comment and be sociable. It’s not creepy. They won’t think you’re a lame. It’s all in the name of building your brand and collaborating with someone who has your audience. Closed mouths (or lazy fingers in this case) don’t get fed!
- Highlight your favorites. The entire goal to collaborating with other brands is to get noticed. With that being said, the perfect way to start a relationship is to blog about them, shout them out in a video or even create a praise post showing them love on your social media account of choice. This tip goes hand in hand with tagging, yet the highlight should be more detailed and shine a light on the brand in a positive way.
Don’t be afraid to try these tips out. If you want to see your brand compete at the top-level, you have to be willing to put yourself out there and build relationships with other top brands. This begins by opening the line of communication to develop a relationship and collaborate in the future on projects. Your brand warriors are everything! Keep them in mind when creating and sharing content. All of your followers matter, but your brand warriors will help you get to the top. Go collaborate today!
Keiana Holleman 