Marketing was always something I despised, since I never had a plan in place for our B2B video and photo company. Everything from posting on social media platforms like Facebook or Instagram to email campaigns did not seem to work for me; these tactics work when done well, but I was struggling with them myself. A mentor suggested using the 80/20 rule as a starting point: to study all my best clients to identify commonalities – were they all similar businesses with similar products/services; did they all find us through Google?
Our ideal clients were those that invested with us repeatedly and enjoyed working together, whom we developed strong personal relationships with – they trusted us, knew our work well and kept coming back – something I took my mentor’s advice on board by prioritizing creating more authentic relationships in new business deals.
As we build relationships to expand our businesses, it’s important to remember that people can sense when you are being untruthful; no one likes fake friends! Therefore, while building business relationships is certainly necessary, being yourself as well is also key: don’t go straight for booking; go into situations that might help create connections you enjoy being around and enjoy having fun together – to learn more on this topic read my article “Business Is Personal: Leveraging Your Personality for More Business” published in November 2018 Shutter magazine.
Once I decided that building relationships was my goal, I needed to decide where best to invest my time and energy to accomplish this task. Networking can be effective, but many groups I visited end the day with little concrete business transactions taking place. My goal was to find an opportunity where I could make meaningful personal connections while being in a position of influence. At the same time, my little family had just recently relocated to a new city and we were attending local events as we became familiar with our surroundings. One event was hosted by Portland’s most well-known swim shop. Eclectic in nature and accommodating to customers of all sizes with custom alterations… and boasting an inviting tiki bar to enjoy while shopping – exactly the kind of company I wanted to partner with: progressive, mission-driven and successful.
How could I start building relationships with them? Inspiration struck. My company could sponsor the event and deliver an outstanding video as the end product, providing direct access to the owner of the swim shop and giving him insight into our work process and final deliverable. Reaching out was easy; they responded almost instantly with an enthusiastic “yes!”. Additionally, we even got our B2C Portrait Studio booth at the event in exchange for being there; already this had become a win-win relationship; since our sponsored video in 2016 it has now turned into almost 20 jobs with his companies and referrals with rave reviews by his company owners – making events the new marketing frontier!
Soon after the event we sponsored, my first paid gig with his company came almost instantly. He had plenty of work for us to do with his team. When I saw how successful this collaboration was, I began keeping tabs on all events happening in my new city – who sponsored or hosted them, as well as any companies associated with these events that might interest me for potential partnerships?
Recently in my city there was an event called the Zero Waste Conference that focused on ways we as individuals and businesses could move closer towards producing no trash. Since discovering and joining the zero waste movement earlier this year, this small conference held my attention. With my new marketing plan in motion, I began researching which other businesses were sponsoring or speaking at my event. When I saw that one of the coffee roasters I had been following for over a year was sponsoring and speaking at this particular event, it immediately gave me hope that this was my chance. Reaching out to the organizer, I inquired if they already had a video sponsor in place and was soon hired as their videographer and video sponsor for both highlight and speaker speeches. Yes, it was hard work but also essential in developing relationships between speakers and me; individual talks played an integral role in my strategy and gave me an even deeper connection.
At the event, I met two representatives of a coffee company – their marketing director and manager of their latest cafe. Following their presentation, I chatted with both representatives; after their talk I did not ask for new videos or present any ideas; instead I simply told them what I thought was great about their presentation before thanking them for joining in on our event.
As soon as I received their contact details from the organizer, I requested their speeches be personally delivered by me to each speaker. When delivery time came around, my goal was for this event sponsorship to become an ongoing relationship with a coffee company I had been admiring for years. I carefully crafted an email that conveyed both of these things with honesty and excitement, telling them how I had been following their company, how I found out about them, why I loved them, linking to their video and asking if they had planned out 2019 marketing videos yet. I mentioned to them a couple of ideas I wanted to present them, and their marketing director quickly replied they did not plan any video marketing in 2019 due to lacking resources; and wanted me to come speak at their new cafe location.
At that meeting, rather than offering ideas of my own, I simply asked questions. I inquired as to their goals for next year and which projects were of most significance – through which I learned so much about both their company and two major projects being pursued by marketing director. At the conclusion of our meeting, they requested two proposals – time was up!
This story hasn’t concluded yet; I don’t yet have a signed contract or filming date scheduled, but even if my proposals don’t match what they need exactly, due to our strong relationship, our conversations will continue until we find a way for us to work together – that is the power of building real relationships rather than cold calling or emailing!
Are there companies you would love to partner with but have no affiliation with? Find out which events they will be attending and use these as an opportunity for promotion; use events as marketing platforms; show up and build authentic relationships with specifically targeted people and companies at these events.