The truth is, sometimes it can take time to build up to a collaboration opportunity. You might have to get to know one another and develop a stronger business relationship before testing the collaboration waters- and that’s ok!
Here are some ideas of ways to meet and connect with business owners (both on and offline) before pursuing a collaboration opportunity on social media.
Ways to meet business owners this year
In the Social Curator Community (of course!)
Connect with others in the comments of Facebook groups or social posts
Attend a virtual (or in-person, if available) networking event/conference
Get to know your local small business owners
Meet up for coffee with a business owner you’ve met (or set up a virtual coffee call)
Volunteer and mingle with fellow volunteers (as well as the organization hosting the volunteer opportunity)
Get to know your customers who have their own businesses
Once you’ve found fellow Curators or business owners you have something in common with (such as sharing an ideal client or having a similar vision) you’ll want to put some effort into building the relationship.
We encourage you to build business relationships by
Reaching out to check in with them every now and then
Finding ways to support their business
Meeting up every so often (virtually or in-person)
When you go into business relationships with more than a one-time collaboration in mind, you create the opportunity for something bigger to happen. You never know where this can lead until you give it a try!
As always, we encourage you to go in without any expectation and with the intention of giving more than you get. This heart of service approach pays off in more ways than one.
👉 Wanna Dig Deeper?
Check out How to Use a Facebook Group to Market Your Business. There, you’ll learn how to effectively and powerfully leverage Facebook groups to drive connections and ultimately - sales!