I am calling it now - 2019 is going to be a year of epic collaborations.

It seems to me, the most successful entrepreneurs I know are pushing right past fear of competition and, instead, choosing to work alongside like-minded brands and businesses. 

So, I'm just going to say it: If you have a total brand-crush on someone, it's time to make the first move. Start by taking some time to think strategically about how you could work together, create a proposal (or at least write your ideas down), then reach out! 

Still feeling those giddy nerves reminiscent of a high school romance? Let's break it down so you feel a bit more sure of yourself.

2. The Ability To Do More: As entrepreneurs and small business owners, we are often only one person (or a small team). That means, unless you have found a way to add more hours in the day… you can only do so much. However, when you collaborate, your bandwidth increases, making it possible to do more in less time! That being said, a word to the wise - be sure to outline in advance who is responsible for what within the collaboration to avoid confusion or frustration down the line.

3. Brand Strength: Working with a strong business like your own can help to validate each of you and position you both as experts within your industry. Clients will feel confident in knowing that another legitimate business thinks you are good enough to partner with.

4. Leads + Referrals: Ultimately the goal is to grow your business. With expanded reach and increased brand strength, you should see your leads and referrals rise as a direct result of your collaboration.

​I’ve said it before, and I will say it again – a rising tide raises all ships. Do your best, support other entrepreneurs just trying to do their best, be nice, and learn from one other.  If you are interested in ways to co-market your business and build your community, reach out! I am always happy to help brainstorm or make connections. 

If you are new to the #digitalmarketing game, you may hear marketers refer to an Editorial Calendar. If you are wondering what the heck that is and why people keep talking about it when discussing your marketing strategy – keep reading. This blog is for you.

If you read last month’s post, you know how much I love a good plan. Therefore, it should come as no surprise to you that I find great value in editorial calendars. In short, an editorial calendar is essentially a master plan for your content. Your content is organized in calendar form and planned in advance. The result of this effort has many amazing benefits. Here are my top three benefits to using an editorial calendar:

2. An Editorial Calendar Keeps Your Content Organized
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With a little bit of planning you can organize your content into categories. Categories are defined by your marketing goals and action points (I realize this requires a bit more explanation – but that’s a whole other blog post). What is important to note is - defining your content categories helps ensure that your content is relevant to your goals, and that you are sending consistent messaging about your brand and business to your audience. An editorial calendar is helpful in this endeavor because you can visually see your content spread out to cover ALL your goals over a time period. This way, you don’t keep hammering the same point home and missing all the others, or focusing on one goal and losing sight of the rest.

For example: Not all your posts should be a sales pitch. Not all your posts should be promoting an upcoming event. Your audience will get sick of hearing about it and lose interest in you all together (ouch).

So, there you have it! My top three benefits to using an editorial calendar. At this point - I think it is pretty clear I’m really into using Editorial Calendars, and I definitely think you should be, too.

If you need a hand getting started – contact me, I love this stuff.