THE IMPORTANCE OF COLLABORATION WHEN IT COMES TO SOCIAL MEDIA

“I don’t shine if you don’t shine” - Aminatou Sow & Ann Friedman

This quote is one of my absolute favourites - because it’s a simple reminder that (especially for us girls!) we shouldn’t be pitting ourselves against each other. It’s so easy to see someone else succeeding and feel jealous, or believe that we will never experience that sort of success. Nothing could be further for the truth. When it comes to business, as well as life, so often when we help other people shine their brightest is when we start to shine too. When we work together, we are at our absolute best. It’s something we see all the time at TLSE, especially when it comes to social media. Because social media is all about building connections and, well, being social, it makes total sense that collaboration is a key factor when it comes to growth!

TLSE is built on this type of collaboration - that’s where our Edit came from, and now our Digital Magazine. From editorial to socials to shoots... we take every opportunity to feature and promote other brands, 'coz in turn, our brand is built up too!

Social media prioritises this sort of collaboration, giving us opportunities to tag accounts and share their content easily. We love doing this at our shoots, we always make sure to tag both the brand we are featuring as well as the brands who offered their products for collateral, so that both get to see and share the gorgeous images and behind the scenes content we have created. And if they share our content, we've unlocked a whole new audience!

So how do you grow your collaborative opportunities online? It cab be a tricky one - especially if you aren’t working with different brands everyday like we are!

Tag as many accounts as you can (but don’t get spammy!)

Look out for opportunities to feature the accounts for products you are already working with. If you go to a cafe and snap a picture, tag them. If you are learning from an online course, tag the creator. They’ll get a notification to check out your account and might even share your content. Make sure you aren’t tagging irrelevant accounts (that can be seen as annoying) but look out for opportunities like this!

Find people serving the same niche

This is a great way to build giveaways and introduce your products to a new audience of people who will resonate with you! If you are a candle brand, maybe start to look for a skincare brand or a kids toys brand - both have a strong female audience and could be a perfect opportunity to create a gift pack or giveaway, particularly in the lead up to Christmas.

Say Yes!

Obviously you can’t say yes to everything, but be open to new opportunities. You’ll never know where the next connection will come from or who it will introduce you to. Growing a brand is a long term game, but it sure is made easier by the people you meet along the way!

What are your best collaborative ideas? Want to collaborate with us - why not say hello!