The title of this post alone is enough to make you think I’ve lost it, but I promise I’m sane. Every site owner gets so caught up in beating out his/her competitors, watching what they’re doing, copying what they’re doing, and engaging in a never ending battle for rankings. I’m suggesting a different strategy whereby you identify “complimenters” to work with. Not every competitor in your niche is a good fit, but if you find one that offers something different than you do, that competitor could make a good cross-promotion partner.
Find “Complimenters” at Trade Shows
Trade shows provide the ideal setting to see what others in your industry are doing. Although another site owner may be pursuing the same keywords you are, when you see what they display to the public, you have the opportunity to identify those whose offering could compliment your business.
Take for instance the experience I had at a cake show. I own a cake decorating social network and met someone affiliated with a website competing for the same keywords. She was the editor of the magazine – a print magazine which is the primary source of income for this company. Speaking to someone face to face can never be replaced by emails. You get to make eye contact, laugh at one another’s jokes, see how that company presents itself, etc. The end result is that I’m promoting her website and will get print advertising in return.
Online Prospecting
But, you can still find “complimenters” without meeting the site owners in person. Take the time to identify those websites in your niche that have something to offer that could work with your website.
Every niche has different paths it could take online:
- E-commerce
- Blog
- Forum
- Social Community
- Local Business
- Information
Just identify those websites that fall into a different category than yours does. Working together can be as simple as a social network cross-promotion, contest sponsorship, or inclusion in a newsletter. Working together introduces your website to a brand new set of site visitors. If you think about it, there really is no downside.
You can either run the eternal race against competitors to a fictional finish line or just walk leisurely down a different path that bring you to the same place. When you make connections, sometimes the benefits are not apparent right away, but when you do things for people, they tend to remember you favorably and return the favor down the line.
About the guest author: Theresa Happe works with Name Find, a new online tool for businesses to discover business names, social handles, trademark information and get set up online.
This is a unique article published on SEO Desk with exclusivity.
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Twitter: josephfinkelber
says:
I agree with this. It’s a good strategy to make partnership to those whose business is different but will compliment yours. Not everyone is your competitor, you can help yourself and at the same time make friends through this strategy..