Sunday, September 26, 2010

Partner Up to Create Media-Attracting First-Evers

Meetup and GE’s 

partnership startled many people who wrote about it yet the companies had a sweet spot of mutual benefit. They both serve people who care about clean technologySo joining forces to launch a crowdsourcing contest for best ideas for a smart grid made sense.

Each company has a different “personality” and could reach people in different ways. One was a global corporation (that will reward winners) and the other is a small, young company that enables face-to-face gatherings - many of them centered on outdoor and environmental interests.

There’s something innately interesting to reporters about big/small company partnerships as American Express confirmed years ago when it co-created evening events (turned into ads and a coffee table book) at picturesque diners like San Francisco’s Fog City Diner.

As with the GE/Meetup partnership, a global corporation, American Express, benefitted from the colorful, credible “faces” of smaller, local partners. Plus American Express also became a part of in-person experiences while paying the tab that the smaller partners could not afford – generating more visibility for the credit card firm and for the popular local bistros than any of them could have in a “solo” promotion.

See the movie, Waiting for Superman, in L.A. or N.Y. and get a $15 voucher fromDonorsChoose to give to a classroom of your choice. The movie producers, Participant Media and the online donation portal have an overlapping “mutual market” – people who want to improve education.

Via this campaign the backers of the movie motivate more people to see and talk about the movie while the non-profit gets introduced to a fresh audience of donors, many of whom may stay involved.

This campaign provides a clear, specific and time-limited reason for parents and school administrators and teachers to talk about it to secure money for a classroom.

Want a way to stand out from your competition? Like to attract more “customers” and resources without spending more?Whether you run a business, non-profit or even a government agency you can generate more value for those you serve and more visibility to attract more “customers”, credibility and support. How? By forging partnerships with those who serve the same kind of people as you do.

By partnering with the home value estimater ZillowMint, the popular online banking system can offer clients a broader picture of their financial situation so they can make smarter deicisons. Via previous partnerships Mint enabled users to track their bank accounts, credit card spending and loan payments. Each time Mint solidifies its position as a one-stop and one-of-a-kind tool.

Partners benefit by gaining a warmed-up introduction to prospective customers.

What companies or organizations could you partner with to offer customers more value and to achieve a first-ever that reporters and bloggers like to cover?

Plus how can you make it more convenient for customers to use your product or service? Both Mint and Zillow, for example, make their service available via Android or iPhone.

Of course, while  technology makes many new kinds of partnerships possible – and makes the hiccups that happen morevisible too.

Holiday Inn is also partnering up on a trial run to give guests with smart phones more convenience. Guests with an iPhone, Android or Blackberry can use them as room keys, bypassing the front desk.

Is it worth the risk of boldly trying something new?

To create a first-ever with partners, enjoy the success and fix the hiccups?

You’ll know the answer if your stiffest competition launches one first - with some of the most valuable partners -  and you are stuck in a “me too” position.

News Flash: I know from many of the emails I get from readers here that many of you are adept, value-building partners.  You have an opportunity for others to discover your expertise, beginning later this Fall when I co-launch an online portal and community for sharing best ideas about partnering, crowdsourcing, mutual support groups, self-organized teams and other ways to collaborate to accomplish greater things with others than one can alone. I’ll be announcing that launch here.

Accomplishing greater things with others than one can alone

Kare speaks, writes and consults on quotability, storyboarding and collaboration – vital traits in this increasingly bottom-up, complex, connected world. See how much others accomplished in just an hour of phone coaching with Kare http://www.sayitbetter.com/coaching.php - or bring her to speak http://www.sayitbetter.com/meeting_planners.php This Emmy-winning former NBC and Wall Street Journal reporter is the author of Walk Your Talk and Resolving Conflict Sooner. Voted one of Top 5 speakers on Communication: http://speaking.com/top5/ Two of her blogs are featured on http://collaboration.alltop.com/ http://twitter.com/KareAnderson

http://listiki.com/best-list-of-collaborationrelated-sites-and-books/kareanderson

Posted via email from Kare Anderson on Coummunicating to Connect

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