Nicola Russill-Roy from Propose PR is encouraging bridal retailers to start thinking about collaborating with other related companies by educating them on the benefits it can have for their business.

Collaborating with related companies can have a significant positive impact on your brand and will help you reach a new audience and potential customers. Whether it’s a message you want to get out there on social media or a styled shoot that you really want to create then collaborating with a partner could mean new opportunities for your business.

Read More: 10 PR Tips for Your Bridal Business

Collaborate With Brands That Are Right For You

Take a step back and think about your brand, then take some time to think about which brands are the right fit for you. It’s all about finding the right balance between widening your reach and staying true to your own brand.

Nicola advises to, “Choose companies that are like-minded and have a similar style, work ethos and values to you. If they offer a different service but have a similar target audience and brand positioning, then you will both be able to help each other create a wider reach within the bridal industry.”

Try to Collaborate With Successful Brands

Where you can, collaborate with brands that have a strong presence within the market - it’s a great way to learn more about your industry and to meet new people that you could work with in the future. By associating with respected companies you are helping your brand make stronger relationships in the industry.

However, this doesn’t mean that you should ignore smaller brands. If you are in a strong position to help a start-out business or a smaller brand, be helpful where you can be. You also never know where a company could go in the future so always being polite, helpful and courteous.

Read More: Seven Easy Ways to Revamp Your Business

Referral Marketing

It is getting more difficult to reach the audience that matters to your brand, that’s why now more than ever, collaborating with other companies is important for your business.

This allows you to take full advantage of referral marketing, meaning you are able to use each other’s audiences to spread news and information.

Nicola adds, “As you work in the same industry but offer different services, you don’t need to worry about that competitive angle and can focus on making the most of each other’s audiences to really help bring new leads, web traffic and customers.”

Achieving More Than You Would On Your Own

Another great aspect of collaborating is that the outcome is often something far more remarkable than anything each individual brand could have brought together by themselves.

“As a bridal retailer, you will have access to so many gorgeous wedding dresses and can offer the perfect styling advice. You will also know which dress styles will have the best impact and mix in a combination of trusted favourite styles and more unique eye-catching designs that will get you noticed. You may team up with a florist or a decor stylist that can perfect your styled shoot and of course, a wedding photographer will be able to capture pictures with the best lighting” says Nicola.

Additionally, there are practical benefits from collaborating with other business, such as mitigating costs. For example, if you decide to team up with a photographer or makeup artist costs can be cut or even eliminated because you are offering exposure of their work.

Furthermore, fees such as models and room hire can also be split between you all, meaning a far lower cost or the ability to afford a more elaborate setting that you couldn’t have otherwise afforded.

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Dealing With Hurdles

Like everything, collaborating with other brands can come with is hurdles, however, these are usually quite easy to resolve.

Nicola adds, “If you are working with brands and companies that you have not previously worked with then it may take some time to get used to each other. Be aware that by collaborating with others you may come up against resistance to your ideas and you might have different visions on what you want the outcome to be. During the process, there will be a lot of creative influences so it may take some time to get through that creative process and settle on a style and idea that is right for all of you.”

While there may be creative differences it’s important to remember that others may have experience and strengths in areas that you do not and vice versa. Therefore try to stay open-minded and take advantage of all the different viewpoints because if you do it’s likely that you’ll both create a fantastic end result.

Be Clear on Expectations

One of the most important aspects of collaborating with other companies is setting expectations and making sure everyone understands them. Ensure each person is aware of their own goals and what they need to deliver.

“Start by drawing up a list of responsibilities and consider appointing a project leader who will be responsible for checking in with each member of the team and making sure each aspect runs smoothly, is on budget and on time” adds Nicola.

If you love the idea of a collaborative project but you’re not sure where to start then first think about your current industry contacts - have you worked with someone or met someone previously who you could collaborate with? You never know what contacts they may have so it’s always a great place to begin.

Word of mouth and recommendations are also a great way to start. If there’s someone you want to work with but you haven’t actually met, see if you have any mutual contacts that could recommend you or put you in touch.

And don’t forget about social media as it is also a great way to touch base and make a connection with people and businesses you admire; just ensure you build a relationship over time. Start by liking and commenting on their pictures to build a rapport and then get in touch over private message to swap information.

For more information about how collaborating could benefit your business contact Nicola through her website Propose PR.