What is cross marketing and what are its goals?
Кросс-маркетинг (также известный как перекрестный или взаимный маркетинг) представляет собой стратегию, которая применяется как в традиционном, так и в цифровом маркетинге, и имеет две основные цели — увеличение среднего чека и привлечение новых клиентов для бизнеса. Кроме того, существуют и другие побочные задачи, о которых мы расскажем подробнее в данной статье.
The essence of cross-marketing is the exchange of target audiences between companies, which means that customers of one company can become potential customers for another company.
The use of this tool is especially relevant in times of crisis, as it has a number of advantages over most lead generation channels and complements them. For example, a joint promotion by two partners can attract the target audience using targeted advertising on social networks. This is beneficial both for consumers, who receive a more attractive offer in terms of price and quality, and for companies, which save on their advertising budget.
The desire to save money through cross-marketing is combined with the desire to get more revenue from existing assets. In this article, we will look at the possibilities of increasing the average check in the restaurant business, online stores and in the service sector.
Types of cross-marketing
Cross-marketing can be implemented in several ways, each of which solves specific business problems.
- Кросс-акции: В рамках этого инструмента компании предлагают более привлекательные предложения целевой аудитории друг друга. Преимущество такого подхода усиливается с помощью аналитики — каждый партнер может удобно отслеживать количество клиентов, воспользовавшихся акцией, с помощью промо-кодов, QR-кодов или кросс-бонусных систем.
- Совместные мероприятия: Если у двух компаний есть пересекающаяся целевая аудитория и они не являются прямыми конкурентами, они могут совместно провести мероприятие. Например, гипермаркет строительных материалов может организовать совместный форум с крупным дизайнерским агентством, представив различные варианты отделки, планировки и материалов. В таких мероприятиях могут принимать участие несколько партнеров, таких как строительные компании, магазины мебели, производители кондиционеров и натяжных потолков. Также часто проводятся мероприятия, объединяющие производителей товаров разных категорий, но имеющих схожую целевую аудиторию, например: Red Bull, GoPro и Snickers — товары для молодых людей, любящих спорт, активный образ жизни.
- Кросс-постинг или кросс-стриминг: Простой способ обмена целевой аудиторией — это публикация взаимных материалов в социальных сетях, блогах или на сайтах. При этом компания может размещать информацию о новом продукте или акции партнера, а партнер — о начале распродаж или других предложениях. Главное, чтобы это выглядело естественно и не казалось прямой рекламой. Аналогичным подходом является проведение совместных прямых эфиров или создание совместных видеозаписей. Например, кондитер может взять интервью у другого кондитера, а два специалиста в области красоты могут провести совместную прямую трансляцию в Instagram. Таким образом, они не только обмениваются аудиторией, но и укрепляют свою репутацию в глазах зрителей.
- Cross-promotion: Many companies have their own internal advertising resources, such as a mailing list. Partners can combine their efforts and send mailings with each other's offers to their audiences. If internal resources are not enough, external advertising platforms can be used, such as search engines, social networks and other communication channels. For example, in television advertising, you can often see an invitation to visit a certain electronics store to buy a specific product from a certain manufacturer. In this way, the advertising budget can be distributed between the store and the manufacturer.
- Co-branding or collaborations
Механизм сотрудничества, который объединяет идентичность и фирменный стиль разных брендов, обслуживающих одну и ту же целевую аудиторию, представляет собой способ увеличить уникальность текста на 100%. Это особенно актуально при рассмотрении товарных групп, которые продаются совместно, например, бургеры McDonald’s и Coca Cola. Тем не менее, есть случаи, когда такое сотрудничество осуществляется по желанию одного из партнеров, чтобы получить доступ к лояльной аудитории другого. Примером такого сотрудничества может служить сеть супермаркетов «Пятерочка» и музыкальный лейбл Black Star. Даже модные бренды, выпускающие одежду, часто проводят совместные проекты с компаниями из смежных отраслей, такими как Supreme и Louis Vuitton. В Интернете можно найти коллаборации, созданные фантазией дизайнеров, но так и не получившие практического применения.
Cross-marketing performs additional tasks
Especially for small and medium-sized enterprises, one of the main goals is always to increase profits. A distinctive feature of Russian small businesses is their focus on the short term, that is, the desire to achieve growth in financial results immediately and here. Therefore, the main tasks that entrepreneurs set for cross-marketing are to increase the average check and attract new customers. However, there are additional goals that also contribute to increasing the total profit of the organization in the long term.
Building a positive reputation
Бренд, который представляет собой набор обещаний и эмоциональных факторов, влияющих на решение потребителя, строится и укрепляется на основе двух основных составляющих: охвата и репутации. Другими словами, мнение потребителей о конкретной компании является одним из главных факторов успешного развития бренда. Существует множество способов укрепления репутации, и кросс-маркетинг также помогает «перенять» часть позитивной репутации партнера. Некоторые компании даже используют этот инструмент, чтобы ввести потребителей в заблуждение. Например, в некоторых сетевых маркетинговых компаниях часто публично заявляют, что они являются официальными партнерами крупного автопроизводителя, хотя на самом деле просто закупают автомобили для самых успешных дистрибьюторов. Такая рекламная тактика помогает создать доверие у будущих представителей, поскольку партнерство с автомобильным гигантом, по мнению обычных людей, доступно только для крупной и надежной компании.
Components of a positive reputation
Снижение затрат на привлечение новых клиентов (CAC, стоимость привлечения одного клиента) может существенно отличаться в разных сферах или даже в одной и той же сфере в разных регионах. При этом партнерский маркетинг помогает снизить этот показатель путем глубокой сегментации. Предположим, у нас есть интернет-магазин техники и электроники, который продает товары разных категорий: мобильные телефоны, бытовую технику, фототехнику и другие. Маркетологи могут запустить кросс-маркетинговые активности в категории «фототехника» с онлайн-школами фотографии, а в категории «роботы-пылесосы» — с магазином товаров для молодых мам (практика показывает, что мамы с маленькими детьми часто покупают такую технику, чтобы освободить больше времени для себя и ребенка). Такое точечное деление потребительских сегментов помогает снизить затраты на привлечение нового клиента путем предложения персонализированных услуг.
Marketing Budget Optimization
Один бюджет — это хорошо, а два бюджета — еще лучше. Когда несколько компаний объединяют свои усилия для достижения общих результатов, это приводит к множественному увеличению охвата с теми же вложениями с обеих сторон или, наоборот, к достижению запланированных показателей с минимальными затратами. В России часто считают, что отдел продаж приносит деньги, а отдел маркетинга только тратит их, поэтому оптимизация бюджета является существенным мотивирующим фактором для предпринимателей, чтобы начать партнерские активности.
Expanding the range through partners
A wide range of products or services is a competitive advantage in many industries, as it is more convenient for consumers to visit one place or website and make all the necessary purchases without wasting time. However, the formation of a wide range is always associated with the costs of a warehouse, merchandising, logistics and other factors. At the same time, a competitive advantage can still be obtained by supplying goods or services from partners, saving consumers from unnecessary hassle. Sometimes entrepreneurs simply resell partner products without increasing the price in order to use a wide range as one of the advantages for the consumer.
Examples and possible applications
Opportunities to increase average check through cross-marketing
In the restaurant business, where the average bill is 2,000 rubles, there are opportunities to increase revenue and attract more customers through the use of cross-marketing. Cross-marketing is a strategy of cooperation between companies operating in adjacent or complementary market segments for mutual benefit and increased sales.
One example of cross-marketing could be a restaurant's offer to order for 2,500 rubles and receive two tickets to a newly opened movie theater as a gift. The movie theater is interested in attracting customers, and this allows the restaurant to increase the average bill by 25%. Such cooperation allows all participants to win: the movie theater attracts customers without direct marketing costs, the restaurant increases the average bill, and customers receive a nice gift.
Similar cross-marketing strategies can be applied to other industries. For example, a nail salon could partner with a hair salon, offering customers joint services at a discount. A flower delivery service could partner with a jewelry store, offering its customers additional gifts or discounts on jewelry.
In business practice, there are also unusual partnerships between companies from different market segments. For example, luxury real estate developers can enter into agreements with manufacturers of expensive watches, adding prestige and added value to their properties. In this case, the watch brand receives reputational advantages and greater information coverage, and the developer can offer watches at a discount to its customers or collaborate with the manufacturer on advertising campaigns.
It is important to consider several key issues that may arise when implementing cross-marketing promotions:
- Revenue: Not all customers who receive an offer will activate coupons or promo codes. Even with a limited benefit, the revenue is usually no more than 30%. Therefore, it is important to use limited benefit triggers to motivate customers to make a purchase.
- Selection of partners: Partners should be in a similar price segment and serve a similar or related target audience. They should not compete directly, but should support similar values and have common interests.
- Negotiations with partners: It is important to find a win-win solution when collaborating and to consider the value of the tool for each business. Negotiations should be based on mutual benefit and take into account the economic aspects for each party.
- Economic calculation: When developing cross-marketing mechanics, it is important to consider the cost of the product, the average cost of attracting a customer, and the average check. Economic analysis will help to assess the potential profit and effectiveness of cross-marketing campaigns.
- Consumer Offer: The offer must be attractive to customers, but at the same time not lead to significant revenue losses. It is necessary to find a balance between the benefit for the customer and the growth of revenue for the companies.
Cross-marketing offers significant opportunities to increase the average check and attract new customers. Properly selected partners, effective negotiations and mutually beneficial terms of agreements will allow companies to achieve success through cooperation and mutual support.
Advantages
The point of engaging your company in cross-marketing is to reap significant benefits. Here are a few ways this can manifest itself:
- Reduced Advertising Costs: When two companies collaborate on a single advertising project, it usually costs less than if each company were to conduct its own advertising campaign separately. Splitting costs helps save money and get more value for your money.
- Establishing good partnerships: Cross-marketing helps develop partnerships with other companies. This can open up additional opportunities for your business, such as joint products, joint events, or mutual support. Partnering with other companies can strengthen your position in the market and attract new customers.
- Expanding Brand Promotion Opportunities: Cross-marketing allows you to expand your brand promotion opportunities through joint promotions. You gain access to new audiences, diverse approaches, and new advertising channels. This allows you to increase your brand visibility and attract more potential customers.
- Increased advertising campaign impact: When two companies join forces in an advertising campaign, the impact can be increased by 1.5-2 times. Joint promotion allows for greater reach and impact on the target audience. This can lead to increased conversion, sales, and strengthening of both brands.
- Evaluating the effectiveness of a campaign: Cross-marketing allows you to evaluate the effectiveness of a campaign almost immediately after it has been completed.
Search for a company for a joint action
Finding the right co-marketing partner can take some time, as the success of your advertising campaign directly depends on your choice. The ideal partner will be a company that can complement your business, has a similar audience, operates in a comparable price segment, and is not your direct competitor.
To find the right co-marketing partner, there are a few steps you should take:
- Define your goal. Understand what exactly you want to achieve. Whether you want to attract more leads and sales, increase your social media following, or improve your company's visibility. A clearly defined goal will help you choose the right partner and develop an effective advertising strategy.
- Identify your target audience. Research your audience and determine which specific group of people you want to focus your advertising on. Consider attracting new customers who may be interested in your product or service. This could be an expansion of your existing audience or attracting a new target group.
- Identify potential partners. Research the industries the companies operate in and make a list of potential partners who may have common interests and goals with your company. Offer them cooperation and demonstrate the benefits they can get from partnering with you.
- Make formal agreements. Pay attention to the formal side of cooperation. Agree with your partner on the strategy of a joint advertising campaign and draw up the relevant documents that will define the duties and responsibilities of each party.
When collaborating with a partner on a joint advertising campaign, the following issues should be discussed:
- Develop an advertising strategy and campaign goals.
- Determine the timing of the campaign.
- Create the necessary promotional materials, such as posters, flyers or discount cards.
- Estimate the budget and costs of the advertising campaign.
- Conduct a final evaluation of the campaign results.
Working with a partner on a joint advertising campaign can be a profitable way to promote your brand and attract new customers. Be sure to carefully select a partner based on your goals, audience, and common interests to maximize the effectiveness of your advertising campaign.
Conclusion
Cross-marketing is an effective strategic approach that allows companies to expand their audience, increase brand awareness, and achieve greater results in their advertising efforts. Partnering with relevant companies that have similar audiences allows them to jointly create campaigns that attract the attention and interest of potential customers.
Finding and establishing partnerships takes time and careful analysis, but the results can be significant. Defining common goals, target audiences, and developing an effective advertising strategy will help achieve synergy and mutual benefit for all partners.
Cross-marketing allows companies to expand their reach and attract new customers, while joint advertising campaigns improve the results and effectiveness of marketing efforts. Ultimately, cross-marketing helps strengthen the brand, increase sales, and develop long-term partnerships.
However, it is important to remember that successful cross-marketing requires mutual trust, clear definition of roles and responsibilities, and close cooperation between partners. Companies must be prepared to adapt and make adjustments as they work on joint campaigns to achieve maximum impact on the target audience.
Overall, cross-marketing is a powerful tool that allows companies to strengthen their market position and gain an advantage over competitors. This approach allows for the pooling of resources, expertise, and experience to achieve common goals and increase the effectiveness of marketing efforts.
English 
Russian