Easter holiday is almost here and you as a business owner, vendor or brand influencer, need to be smart with your Easter marketing efforts. The majority of businesses have now realised the importance of seasonal advertising and the failure to prepare festive collaborations with organisations you are friendly with – it might be the founder, employee vendor or brand influencer you are in good business relationship with and not in competition with.
But the truth still remains that marketing of products and services does not come cheap. First of all, powerful marketing campaigns that resonate with intended audience or target take lots of time, planning and in most cases, huge money is involved for a short term sales. Like it’s often said, it’s worth taking a step back to evaluate how you and your team will collaborate because you are all financially stable, more culturally aligned and with a higher engagement rate.
Again, lack of working capital should not stop you from connecting with your target market, as you can obtain additional funding from other organisations, vendors , business owners or brands that will join you.
Let me narrate this story , Angela is a perfumer , she has sold above 20 Thousands of perfumes because of her social media massive visibility . This time she organises a collaboration of about four other business owners in luxury and creative business for example Joy Collections (Shose and Fabrics ) , Jennifa’s Hair, ( Hair Extensions ), Hauwa the Skin boss ( Organic Cream Beauty ) and Dooshima, a Creatives Artist ( Shima Arts and exhibition.).. Angela , Joy , ,Jennifer, Hauwa and Dooshima, first met in one Entreprenuers Business Symposiums, a kind of Empowerment forum for young entreprenuers. Afterwards they were also involved in other business networks as well , they found out that they all had one thing in common which is entreprenueral strength. At this time , they just connected , there and then they discussed the challenges entreprenuers are facing business – wise. They came to a compromise and decided to embark on the journey of a collaboration to showcase what the do to the public. .The first one that was organized was very successful , a lot of Customers turned up and came out in Mass to support what they do. They the environment conducive. Disco Jockey with musical instruments was invited to spice it up. Infact new customers turned up too and did their Easter shopping.
Except for Dooshima , the creative artist, whose business did not make sales perhaps she is not a social media enthusiasti , she is the only person that complained she had no sale,, stressed that the little that trouped into place only came for sight seeing. They only feed their eyes with her colourfully well drawer portraits . But for Angela, the Perfumer, Jennifer , the extension Hair entreprenuer , Joy , the Ready to wear Fabrics and Shoes vendor and Hauwa, the organic Cream Skin Boss are all household names , who already had their customers offline and with massive followers hip and engagement online , Instagram precisely. They made massive sales and it was possible and much easy for them because they never went hunting for customers.. They all did a sponsored adverts online , did marketing campaign offline , their products are already customer – oriented because of their vase visibility online and offline.
Dooshima never made any sales reason, because her creative Art portraits are not aligned with luxury products like that of the other business owners. She would have sold if only she is with a group of people with same products for example Art exhibition.
NOW WHY IS COLLABORATION IMPORTANT?
Collaboration improves the way teams work together and goals are met and problems solved.. It calls for more innovation , efficient processed, increased success and improved communication.
This was the reason why I initially said that 5 business owners met and we’re vision driven as regards having a short term joint mini market outfit to showcase their products and services. They learned , were beneficial to each team and were able to meet their goals.
Collaboration is when a group of people come together as a team , work together, brainstorm on a new idea and contribute their expertise for the benefit of the shared objective, project, or something innovative.. Ilike I earlier mentioned, a Perfumer, Hair extension maker, Fashion designer and an Organic Beautician of course are all luxury goods that goes hand in and .they regularly convene with their marketing team to plug away at quarterly goals ( every other festive season ). In other words, collaboration is also the process of group work. But we are more concerned here about brands or obusiness owners collaborating to showcase and sell their products to their customers .. How well you collaborate with others will greatly impact the outcome of the desired goals
Lets look at 6 Reasons why Collaboration is important
1.It Increases Communication
Communication is key to all endeavours of life let alone in business collaboration. It spikes up , boost and strengthen relationship built .It also brings about empathy among one another in that problems are well understand when empathize. and helps every one bring out their best .It also leads to efficient, detailed and efficient completion of their collective tasks .
2. It boost Flexibility.
Flexibility in collaboration is an invaluable asset and if it’s absence , it becomes a a big problem in Collaborative business. It brings to a hold of healthy planning because every other person is rigid and wouldn’t want to let go a less efficient or effective idea. Rigidness stops or halts active functioning because of lack of flexibility to evolve. When your teams collaborates in a good atmosphere , they are more likely to work together unsupervised this, a path to finding newer or better ways of carrying out important analytical issues..Increased flexibility also works to further improve communication. Teammates who collaborate closely are more likely to be open to each other’s suggestions – creating a greater sense of equality among team members. A product being heard of is one thing but it’s visibility is another thing . Communication helps and flexibility is the vehicle that drives it Increased flexibility aids innovative ideas and willingness to change directives at any point in your business strategies, if a team member offers a suggestion of a better way to do it , you welcome it because it’s a team work , for example, because of demographical reasons, another location for sales might be suggested by another person. that might mean erasing every benefit of doubts or shedding away any form of fear of failure. or poor sales.
3. It Increases Productivity
The biggest benefit of collaboration,is its increases in productivity. When productivity increases, good sales results emerges and of course profit is massively maximized in the end.. Productivity increases when everyone knows the role they play respectively..
4. Learning Process is encouraged too. People leam, relearn and unlearn when they collaborate for a meaningful purpose in business in that it’s results is with each other, they can learn from one another. Just look at Angela the Perfumer, Joy Collections, Hauwa the Organic Cream Specialist, Jennifer Extension Hair and Dooshima ,creative Artist. When teams like them learn from one another they can also learn more about themselves, and begin to grow from there and their will more growth in their business .
As demonstrated by those typical examples of different entreprenuers above, creating a culture of collaboration starts with the environment. If you want your teams to learn from each other then they need to be encouraged to communicate with each other, this is where friendship that is earlier inculcated comes to play and thus making every other plannings easy and worthwhile.
I cononclude to say that colaboration will help you build a formidable strong business team that will give you more visibility , more productivity, more engagement and above all more connection. Connection by the networking is like a chain that takes you to your corridors of more financil stress – open doors .
Andrea Okoye
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