We do permissionless co-marketing all the time at SparkToro. We gave love to some of our favorite local or small businesses in our recent food & drink gift guide<\/a> \u2014 and no, there was no formal application process beyond Rand\u2019s tweet<\/a>. Nearly every time Rand or I host an Office Hours<\/a> or speak on a podcast, we’re all too happy to name drop the various agencies, SaaS companies, and other brands that we admire.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For marketers already doing this, permissionless co-marketing may seem obvious. It’s just citing sources in a friendly way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But for the marketers who have been trained (or instructed) to never give other companies free press, it’s a hard sell. Having worked in public relations for years, I empathize. We\u2019re all competing for attention. Mentioning another source dilutes branding, memorability, and clickthroughs. There\u2019s even the risk that the other brand has done something awful (or will in the future) and your association could look bad.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Are there risks if you never do<\/em> permissionless co-marketing?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Absolutely.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When you recognize brands who share your audience but are also not direct competitors, you\u2019re showing that you pay attention to trends, and that you\u2019re open to collaboration. It\u2019s a low-effort way to set the foundation for formalized co-marketing efforts. It\u2019s also an efficient way to ensure your message resonates with your audience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Here are three use cases for permissionless co-marketing, with examples for each:<\/p>\n\n\n\n My friend Corey Haines, founder of marketing resource and community Swipe Files<\/a>, is the master of permissionless co-marketing, and it\u2019s a phrase we coined together on his podcast, Everything Is Marketing<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In his own words, Corey defines it as:<\/p>\n\n\n\n “Permissionless co-marketing is having a ‘give first’ approach to the way that you interact with people you eventually want to collaborate with in the future.”<\/p>Corey Haines, Founder, Swipe Files<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n Here are some examples: <\/p>\n\n\n\n The beauty of all these examples is that they require zero budget. They\u2019re successful because of the thought and timing put into each effort.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A gentle word of caution when name-dropping:<\/strong> To do this right, make sure your efforts are relevant to the topic and that you don\u2019t falsely imply a prior agreement. Linking to SaaS brands in the SavvyCal blog post works because all the organic mentions were highly relevant to asynchronous communication, and thus, served the reader. <\/p>\n\n\n\n You don\u2019t need a case study to show the value of your product or service (it\u2019s better if you do<\/a>, of course). What you need are clear examples that demonstrate your value in the most relevant context possible. And whenever you’re explaining a new concept \u2014 be it a software functionality, B2B outcome, or how a physical product works \u2014 citing a well-known product or brand helps to clearly paint the picture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Last fall, I spoke on a media panel at Demand Curve\u2019s Growth Summit<\/a>. In preparation for this session with Shopify Lead Writer Fadeke Adegbuyi and Morning Brew Co-founder and Executive Chairman Alex Lieberman, I ran multiple SparkToro queries for Shopify\u2019s and Morning Brew\u2019s audiences. I took notes on the data, and even used some of the insights on Morning Brew<\/a> to promote the event<\/a> itself. This instance of permissionless co-marketing fueled my talking points and gave me promotional materials.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Not me doing last-minute prep for my Growth Summit session. Talking media growth with @businessbarista<\/a> and @fadeke_adegbuyi<\/a>. ![\"\"](\"https:\/\/images.sparktoro.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/PermissionlessComarketing4-1024x576.png\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n1. Elevate your brand.<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
2. Demonstrate the value of your product.<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
For my talking points: researching @MorningBrew<\/a>‘s audience in SparkToro. Cool to see some of their top words in bios and what they talk about online. pic.twitter.com\/Xsv26yUGWM<\/a><\/p>\u2014 Amanda Natividad (@amandanat) November 4, 2021<\/a><\/blockquote>