Have you heard of the Golden Rule of Referrals? “The more you refer unto others, the more others will refer unto you.” Cross-marketing is one technique that makes giving and receiving referrals easier. Help your business — and your colleagues — gain more exposure, nurture more referrals and close more business with these four cross-marketing ideas.
1. Quote Others
Quoting others enables you to grow mutually beneficial relationships while doing less work and being time-efficient. Moreover, those you quote may be encouraged to share you with their circle of influence. Remember to link to those you quote in order to drive some traffic their way. Then, go the extra step and send them the article. It's a good idea to get permission to quote first if you’re unsure of how they’d react.
Quoting others is also a great way to nurture existing relationships. If they don’t have any articles that you can readily quote, email your contact a question. Make it short and simple.
In “5 Ways to Market Your Small Business on a $100 Budget,” Megan Totka, the Chief Editor for ChamberofCommerce.com, says, "Small business partnerships can garner great benefits for both parties. If prospects allow, you can share your contacts with other business owners whose target markets coincide with yours.”
Roundup articles are a very popular way to quote multiple experts in one article. Shane Barker does a great job with this technique here.
2. Interview Or Host Guests
Lorraine Ball hosts a business podcast called “More Than A Few Words.” Some weeks, she shares emerging trends. Others times, she invites marketing experts to share their insights. You can follow her model with your blog, podcast or videos. As you interview guests, you will nurture those relationships, share your expertise and enjoy cross-marketing through your guests’ promotion. Likewise, when you host guest bloggers, they may promote their feature, driving traffic to your website. They might then invite you to guest blog for them as well.
When you ask to guest appear on other sites, the host often considers your reputation, your other articles or interviews and your cross-marketing influence. Even when there is a formal application and vetting process, making guest appearances is often a matter of your relationship with the host blogger.
Hack #1: Engage on social media before pitching to bloggers or podcasters. Here’s the real hack: Comment on their blog, then end it with your email signature, including your name and web address link so the host and readers can easily learn more about you.
3. Coordinate Panel Events Or Co-Author Content
Can you find two or three complementary professionals who market to the same audience as you do? Each of you can confirm 10 attendees and present to an interested crowd. In similar fashion, you can co-author articles or books and enjoy the same cross-marketing benefits.
You don’t even have to present: You can invite your clients to share their professional accomplishments with your prospects. The world's largest business networking organization, BNI, and law firm management agency How to Manage a Small Law Firm both cross-market with their clients via success stories on their websites.
Hack #2: Public calendars and event discovery tools like Eventbrite can be effective in cross-marketing. It emulates the power of directories and conferences (where vendors & speakers benefit from each other’s marketing).
4. Introduce Via Triads
The next time you recommend someone, don’t just pass along their name or CC them on an email. Take an interest in each person's successes, and schedule a “triad introduction.” In such a meeting, you each take a few minutes elaborating on what you do, your value and how you can benefit each other. As the host, you may like to start by affirming why you brought the other two together: the mutual benefits. It’s a great opportunity for you to share more about your business while providing an opportunity for the other two. It’s an hour of one-to-one cross-marketing.
Triad introductions can also be a very fulfilling lunch: In his best-selling book Never Eat Alone: And Other Secrets to Success, One Relationship At a Time, Keith Ferrazzi says, “I’ve come to believe that connecting is one of the most important business skill sets you’ll ever learn. Why? Because — flat out — people do business with people they know and like.”
Hack #3: Next time you give someone a testimonial or introduction, mention how your business has benefited because of whom you’re recommending. (If you weren’t a client, though, make that clear.) Surely you can cite something you have gained by anyone you’re raving about. Be authentic. Enjoy the clever cross-marketing: “She inspired me to take time every day to thank each of my 12 employees.” That kind of "humblebragging" is an overlooked benefit of testimonials.
The more you rave about others, the more others will rave about you. What goes around comes around. Cross-marketing is a great way to hitch your wagon on a star and become a VIP to your VIP.
