3 Easy Ways Small Businesses Can Collaborate This Summer

Summerpalooza is in full swing! These summer days are few and precious, so the old routine goes out the window and we tend to find ourselves a bit distracted by the excitement of it all. If you’re anything like us, you’re craving time outside to enjoy the beautiful warm weather, maybe do a bit of gardening, hit the beach for some sun and sand, or just look for fun opportunities to keep the kids active and entertained.
 

This shift in attention hits your business’s audience as well. So how do you maximize  engagement with your brand when your patrons have one eye on a flamingo pool float? (Unless of course, you're selling flamingo pool floats.)

Try something fresh and new, find another business owner that has a similar audience or product and collaborate. Working cohesively with another business opens up a world of opportunity for both brands, you just need to start with a fun and creative idea. 

And because we like to help, we’re going to make it even simpler for you to get started. 

Here are some of our splashiest tips for easy collaboration: 

• Photography - take a series of photos that showcase both products or services. We really like flat lay shots for this, vary the layouts and post on both accounts, stories, being sure to add tags and promote. 
• Product bundles – we love these!  Have another business or product that you admire and find epic in every way? Put together a new offering to sell on Instagram (IG) or on both of your online stores. This is an excellent idea to do seasonally (think gardening products & hand balms) and drives interest to new audiences. You can also plan an IG Market Day for these bundles and offer discounts across businesses. Don’t forget to share all the details on IG stories! 
• Instagram Stories Takeover - yep, this is a winner, too! Create content that valuable to one another’s audiences and share on a set day, being sure to add tags. 

Pretty cool stuff, right? 

Ooooh, now we want ice cream…

---