Alliance Marketing for Dummies

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
(Free-Press-Release.com) February 23, 2006 -- All of us have, at one time or another in the life of our business, sunk huge piles of cash into marketing ideas that we hoped would work, only to be let down by their lackluster performance. The list was bad, the message was wrong, the mail was late�bottom line, it didn�t work and we didn�t know why.

So here we are, preparing to enter Q2 of 2006. For many businesses, both large and small, it can seem like more of the same- trying to reach the masses with their message and yet struggling to justify investing major marketing dollars in the same old strategies that haven�t generated much of anything lately. There is real solution to the monotony of traditional marketing. I call it Alliance Marketing and it�s easier and more cost effective than you think.

What I�m talking about is much more than just �networking� or �getting a referral� from a business friend. It�s about developing a well-oiled strategy between companies who are doing business with the same prospects on a daily basis but are not competing with each other. It�s a strategy that leverages each company�s strengths and database for each other while yielding major results at the end of the day. The best part? It costs almost nothing to do!

Here are my top 5 best practices for developing an incredible strategic alliance marketing plan:

1. �Dance with the one who brung ya�: When choosing alliance partners, don�t try to be flashy or go for the big guys. Do business with the people and businesses who have brought you this far. Select the best vendors in your circle of influence that you�ll be proud to put your logo beside. These are the guys you trust and who trust you.

2. Motivate and educate your team: Invest time and resources into training everyone involved so they can clearly articulate the real benefit of the relationship to prospective clients. Talk about the strategies among the team and let them know it�s a real priority.

3. Develop a clear strategy with measurable goals: Measuring the success of a strategy can be as easy as using purchase or access codes, asking prospects �how did you hear about us� in their initial inquiry or creating special �landing pages� on your websites to funnel all the new sales leads.

4. Focus on Relationship: Alliance marketing is built on relationship. You don�t have to win the prospect�s trust because you�ve earned it already through your partner. What does this mean in terms of strategy? Endorse each other; don�t just use each other�s database. Let the client know that you trust this company and so should they. And lastly, make sure to communicate the benefit to the client when they use your trusted alliance partner as opposed to someone else.

5. Utilize Technology: Using intelligent auto-responders, email marketing, websites, search engine optimization and the like cost very little to implement and yet can yield huge return on investment. Simple things like advertising in your signature lines on emails, adding a personalized insert to invoice envelopes, or collecting sales leads via a database driven website that integrates with your contact management system are all easy ways to make technology work for you.

So have fun planning your marketing strategies and consider implementing some alliances this year.