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Cross-Promoting:
Make Friends
with
your Competitors
By Jenna Glaztzer
My competitors are my best
promoters—and some of my best friends.
I was running a big promotion
for one of my books, Outwitting Writer’s Block and Other Problems of
the Pen, and I needed a way to hit my target market.I run a major
online magazine for writers (AbsoluteWrite.com), and although I was
friendly with several of the other editors of writers’ sites, I felt
a little uncomfortable writing to them to ask if they’d help me
announce the promotion.
“How pushy of me,” I thought.
“Why would they want to help me out when we’re in competition for
the same customers?”
But I pushed aside my fears and
contacted them. The response was overwhelming. With two exceptions,
every single editor I contacted was happy to help me.
One editor ran a blurb about my
promotion on her home page, ABOVE her announcement about her own
book for writers! Others sent out solo ads to their newsletter
subscribers. Others posted my announcement on message boards for me.
My aim was to get my book to the top of Amazon’s best-seller list.
With the help of my competitors, the book made it to #4... and I
turned into a sentimental goober. I couldn’t believe how many
competitors wrote to me to congratulate me or encourage me as the
rank went up.
It made me think about why
competitors would want to help each other, and ways to encourage
this behavior. In the hopes that it will help other small business
owners, here are my tips.
1. Build
friendships.
Don’t wait until you have a
favor to ask. Get in contact with people who have complementary
businesses and start talking. Offer advice, congratulate them when
they have special successes, and compliment them on jobs well done
(a beautiful web site, a well-written newsletter, nice products).
Send e-cards on their birthdays. In short, be an outgoing person and
be ready to help them with no strings attached.
2. Make it worth it for
them.
If you want them to promote
something for you, what can you do in return? Think creatively: It
doesn’t have to be “you promote my product to your customers and
I’ll promote yours to mine.” You could provide a testimonial, thank
them on a special sponsors page, hand out their samples or business
cards at your next event, send them free products, or review their
products on places like Amazon and Epinions. You can also barter in
other ways; maybe you’re good at creating banners or proofreading
and your competitor isn’t. Offer your skills.
3. Give them a reason to
tell their customers.
You might offer a referral fee
if they bring customers your way, but even if you can’t, give them
something special to offer their customers to make them look good.
You might offer their customers a special coupon code to get 10%
off, or a free product with purchase. You might offer a free e-book,
teleclass, online course, or report when their customers visit a
hidden link on your website. You can also give them articles to use
in their e-zines, which also benefits you by giving you extra
publicity.
4. Make it easy for
them.
Instead of leaving it up to
them to figure out how to promote your work, make it simple by
writing up several options—a few versions of ads (different
lengths), a few banners or buttons, an advertorial, etc. with your
links built in, and if they’re affiliates, with their affiliate link
already included.
5. Send a
reminder.
If your promotion is
time-sensitive, make sure you contact them well in advance— then
send a reminder just a couple of days before the event. Don't
assume that everyone will remember.
6. Stay in
touch.
Don’t forget to thank them for
their help, and to stay in touch even when you’re NOT asking for
favors. “Friends” are much more likely to want to help you than
“networking partners.” And that can make all the difference in the
world.
JENNA GLATZER is the author
of Make a Real Living as a Freelance Writer and several other
books. Visit her at www.jennaglatzer.com and
pick up a free editors' cheat sheet! She is also the editor of
www.absolutewrite.com,
the most popular online magazine for writers. Get a free list
of agents who are open to new writers when you
subscribe! | 
