If you have a website where any user can find information about you and get your product or service, your company will be building a transparent reputation. This way, if you were to partner with another business that belongs to the hospitality industry and has the same transparency, you would establish a solid partnership for both your business and your potential customers.
As we have said, you have to start with social media. In fact, it is now easier to find tourism partners to partner with on platforms such as LinkedIn, the most professional social network. And before we give you some tips on how to build a partnership, let’s talk about the numbers, to give you a better idea.
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For example, LinkedIn is the sixth most used social media. As of today it has 97 million monthly active users, 76% of which are building relationships with other professionals. On the other hand, 74.1% of users state that LinkedIn has helped them contact people and companies.
That is the reason why, through social networks such as LinkedIn, you can build partnerships with other companies as well as strengthen existing ones. These partnerships are a commitment based on trust, a very important element when starting to build the relationship.
Step 1. Think about your audience.
You need to be very clear about who your audience is and what kind of brands they prefer to consume. You can use several tools that allow you to know the preferences of the users that are part of your target audience, when they are connected and what they follow. By analyzing this data, you will know what type of partners you should partner with. Not just anyone, but those that can complement the offer of your products or services and are not a direct competition.
And don’t just think about partnering with local businesses, local restaurants or even tour operators. Think outside the box! Social networks are full of influencers that trigger other users’ need to buy. And related to tourism, you are spoiled for choice. Keep in mind, in this case, what you can offer in return. If whoever you have in mind doesn’t clearly see their part in the partnership, it’s a lost cause.
Step 2. Set your objectives.
Before establishing a partnership, you have to ask yourself the right questions. In fact, at the beginning you have to figure out what your goal is to carry out this partnership. Do you want to gain more visibility among users and have them get to know you? Do you want to increase your sales volume? Always remember what your goals are. Don’t forget that partnerships are a win-win situation, both parties have to gain something, both brands have to benefit from it.
Step 3. Take care of relationships.
Once you come into contact with them, you can’t take anything for granted, as this is only the easy part. Establishing a strong partnership through social media requires as much effort as a face-to-face interaction.
Step 4. Think about the type of campaign.
When the foundations of your relationship are well established, it’s time to decide what kind of campaign or campaigns you could run together:
Co-branding. Imagine that you want to launch a new product. If you want additional exposure, co-branding is a good idea. On the one hand, you can incorporate your partner’s branding into the design and messaging. On the other hand, a collaboration could be made for some demos and reviews.
Awards. Now, let’s say you need exposure, but you don’t have any new products to offer, and yet you need to give coverage to another product you already offer. In this case, running a contest through your partner (such as a social media influencer ) for one of your products or services will be a simple and interesting option.
Also, don’t miss the opportunity to involve your partner more in your social media campaigns. Don’t be shy about asking for additional help, such as sharing other content you generate on their social networks, offering them the same in return. That way you will involve your partner much more in your social media campaigns. And if this is the case, you should create very compelling, interesting and valuable content to attract and retain users.
In short, joining such an association will allow you to become better known and ultimately increase the volume of your sales. As can be seen, social media has increased the possibilities for partner marketing and has lowered the barriers between formal and informal partnerships. So you can initiate as many relationships as you want, as long as you know that they will ultimately benefit your company. .
