The importance of collaboration over competition

Whether you run a marketing agency or company, you will most likely specialise in one area, which will be why you do what you do. Over the years, it may have seemed more beneficial for your brand to become a multiservice provider. The saying jack of all trades but master of none may come to mind. Whilst we offer a multiservice offering here at GottaBe! Ethnic, we have a set purpose: to build a bridge between consumers and brands through tailor-made solutions to enable targeting of the hard-to-reach audiences, to ensure we’re all represented, and everyone has equal opportunities in today’s society. 

Over the years and to this day, we have outsourced services such as printing and translation to ensure that our clients receive the best possible service allowing GottaBe! Ethnic to effectively deliver campaigns. Over this time, we have built trusted partnerships with external agencies and contractors whom we work closely with. 

But for some, outsourcing or connections with other agencies and companies is seen as a no go. Within this post, GottaBe! Ethnic will be sharing the importance of collaboration over competition and how adapting your mindset can help your business grow.  

Why should I consider collaboration over competition? 

The end goal for any business should be to build bonds with clients so that they choose your brand over the competition, so it may seem strange to consider bringing another company on board with a campaign. However, you can deliver top-level campaigns/solutions to your clients by collaborating with other specialist agencies or companies without viewing one another as competition. By connecting your clients with the top specialist in each area of interest, they are more likely to trust your brand and build brand loyalty if you deliver the best service. Consumers will also come back if you make the collaboration process more beneficial as they will want the best service. 

How does cross-agency collaboration work? 

Cross agency collaboration isn’t necessarily something your brand may be used to, so it is essential to put some steps into place when you first start. 

Transparency 

Make it open and transparent to your customers when you think you cannot provide a service but look to collaborate with someone else. For the campaign to be effective, things must be transparent at all ends of the campaign. As the initial contact with the client, you will be responsible for the campaign progress, so transparency across the board is essential. 

Full transparency will allow you to work as a team rather than as 2 separate agencies, making the customer process smoother. 

Partnership 

Don’t see your agency as the higher level just because you are the lead. See it as a partnership. You are the primary contact, so the relationship you build with a partner is crucial as, without it, your campaign will not run smoothly. Your brand will need to find a way to work with the second agency as one team rather than 2 separate bodies. This could be through regular catchups or campaign leads from each agency. No matter the case, your consumer must not feel that the partnership affects the quality of the campaign. 

Communication 

Communication between the client, partner, and agency must be clear, and nothing must be hidden. We would suggest that a member from each party do regular check-ins between partners to ensure that everything is running smoothly and everyone is clear on the campaign objectives. 

What are the benefits of collaboration?

Specialist agencies can work together to collectively engage audiences in successful campaigns, both gaining recognition from clients and consumers. 

Recognising the strengths and weaknesses in your company rather than adding services your team is unable to succeed at will avoid being seen as average. All aspects of collaboration allow for creative exploration, which could see iconic results and greater return than solo work. 

Be confident in your agency; if you do not offer all of the services your client needs but can be transparent in saying we don’t do this, but we do offer this, and we work with a partner agency who is a specialist in the field your client will prefer to work with you. Clients want to feel they are getting the best service, and by being transparent in partnerships, they respect your brand more, allowing your brand purpose to increase. This will enable you to continue to focus on your speciality without losing clients. 

Collaboration leads to more efficient campaigns and business, allowing you to be the best in your specialist field. By removing the pressure of offering so many services, your brand can focus on your area and become the top choice for consumers. But by adapting to a collaboration over competition mindset, your brand can still deliver solutions to clients’ challenges even if they aren’t directly done in-house but through a partnership. 

Collaboration also increases profitability as you do not need to hire extra staff, providing more materials and large office spaces. You are paying another agency for their productivity/ service, so you are guaranteed to get the best out of them. A 2019 study showed that 52% of small businesses planned to outsource a business process that year. The trend continued into 2020, with most marketing firms surveyed by S2 Research saying they plan to hire marketing firms to do everything from help answer marketing-related questions to assist with in-house marketing projects over the next one to two years.

How collaborating with a multicultural marketing agency can benefit your brand.

By connecting with multicultural marketing specialists, your brand is guaranteed to expand your reach as you can effectively deliver your marketing strategy to new audiences. With over 14 years of experience, GottaBe! Ethnic has strong ties with ethnic media channels and within the ethnic communities in the UK. Not only do our marketing experts have experience, but we also have over 4,500 community ambassadors giving us an updated insight into the everchanging ethnic minorities. 

Our dedicated team has the time to effectively plan and execute the campaigns your brand has not managed to do so far. While every brand needs to become more aware of equity, diversity and inclusion, you may not have the time and resources to put towards a dedicated ethnic campaign. That’s where we come in. GottaBe! Ethnic can become an extension of your team, expanding your reach to new audiences and giving advice based on our expert knowledge. We work with both brands and agencies to ensure that all consumers are recognised and that the opportunities for all are equal. 

As a diverse team, each campaign can be directly managed by industry experts who have personal and professional experience with ethnic communities. If you want to expand your reach or are a marketing agency looking to help your client reach ethnic audiences, then get in touch! We welcome collaboration here at GottaBe! and believe we can all succeed if we come together to share our expert knowledge.