The Nearbound Daily is now officially the ELG Insider Daily! 

Welcome to the ELG Insider Daily—the #1 newsletter in the world keeping thousands of GTM professionals on top of the latest Ecosystem-Led principles, tactics, and trends. Join the movement here.

PRINCIPLES

Test the waters before diving in

Most of us want to know the temperature of the water before jumping in; few people want to get married before being completely sure they want to spend the rest of their lives together. At least, not if they want decent odds of happiness.

It’s not so different in business. 

You shouldn’t sign a deal without knowing if your customer is a good fit, and it’s unwise to launch a co-marketing campaign without making sure your partner is 100% committed. 

To avoid pitfalls, run small-scale, low-risk experiments or small co-marketing initiatives to evaluate the effectiveness and compatibility with your partnership before making a larger investment.

TACTICS

9 micro co-marketing motions for warming up a partnership

You have identified an excellent partnership opportunity, but you haven’t worked with that partner before (and neither have your partners) — so before you commit money and time to the relationship, start small, and if everything goes well, then you can scale. 

It’s like dating before getting married. 

So before you “marry” your partner, here are nine micro-marketing motions you can use to taste the waters with your new partner: 

Motion #1: Exchange posts

Offer to share one of your partner’s blog posts on one or more of your social media — LinkedIn, X, Instagram, or Facebook, wherever your most relevant audience is.

The article’s relevant to your customers, so why not? You can gauge your audience’s interest in your partner’s content through “likes” and comments. Plus, your partner will do the same for you.  

Motion #2: Offer a blog swap

Write an article for your partner’s blog that:

• Ties back to your product’s value proposition
• Ties into your partner’s value proposition 
• Is helpful and relevant to your partner’s audience

And then your partner does the same for you — you reach new audiences, gain new content, and share valuable content to your audience. 

Plug the article into your social media schedule, and link to it in your newsletter. Win, win, win. 

Motion #3: Link to your partner in an upcoming blog post

The results on this one may not be as measurable as a blog swap, but you can track referral traffic from your partner’s site in your analytics dashboard. Plus, your potential partner will appreciate that you thought of them. 

Linking to your partner may also help to warm up your readers to the idea of a potential integration or strategic alliance with your partner. 

Motion #4: Mention your partner in existing content

Mention or quote them in an existing blog post, and use that as an excuse to reshare your content on social media and tag them. 

Your partner will appreciate that you are using their ideas and expertise as a reference point  — nobody gets mad when you make them famous. And this way, you leverage the trust your partner already has with your prospects. 

Motion #5:  Invite your partner to participate in a webinar 

If you’re already working on webinar content that aligns with your partner’s value proposition (think: tying marketing automation in with account-based marketing), consider bringing your partner on board.

If the pieces fall into place, you and your partners may end up with even more ecosystem qualified leads (EQLs) than you were initially anticipating. 

Access the rest of the motions here.

FROM THE ECOSYSTEM

This is how you earn your audience’s trust

Don’t expect your prospects to follow your company’s LinkedIn page, that doesn’t add much value for them. Instead, partner with those they already trust. 

 When your partner mentions you in a blog, in a social media post, on a webinar, they are pulling their influence card — you rely on their trust to reach new audiences. 

UPCOMING EVENT

‘Appy Hour

We’ve teamed up with Suger, G2, Superglue, Magentrix, and Partner Fleet to bring you an exciting shindig on August 15th at 5:30 pm CT.

Meet our Crossbeam team, enjoy "app"etizers and drinks, groove to a live jazz band, and snap memories at our photobooth.

Save your place here. 

Stuff you don't want to miss!

• TOMORROW. August 14th — From Data to Dollars: Strategies for Nurturing Event Leads to Drive Success: Benito Aguila (Events Marketing Manager from Google) and Airmeet’s CEO, Lalit Mangal will share how to capture valuable data at events to implement targeted follow-up strategies. Register here. 
• August 20th — Exploring the Power of the Benefits Broker Channel: Leveraging HR’s Most Trusted Consultants: Ryan Taguding (Founder and Principal at Temio Consulting) will share where to begin, how to identify your ICP and distinguish sales blockers from champions. Register here.

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