When you’re running your social media business, it can sometimes feel like you are super lonely and having to do everything yourself. It’s not fun and thankfully it doesn’t have to be that way. Partnering takes away so many of those feelings.

Over the years, I have partnered up with lots of other business owners to expand my business and make it run a little smoother. It’s one of my favorite things to do. I get to choose who I am willing to work with, and in most cases, it’s my chance to work with some of the brightest minds. There is nothing more inspiring than working with someone at the top of their game.

And there are lots of ways to partner up. Let’s take a dive and look at them.

Partner for work

The most obvious way to partner is to win work for your social media business. There are so many aspects of social media that it makes sense to partner with someone who specializes in something you don’t so that you can get bigger and better jobs.

This can happen in a couple different ways.

I have people I have partnered up with in the proposal process and we’ve meshed our businesses in some way to go after the business. This can make your social media business look bigger and you can offer more services than either of you could alone. If you’re going to go this route, make sure you have worked with the other person before in some other capacity and you’re really sure of their work. There is nothing worse than being in this position and all of a sudden realizing that the other person can’t follow through on the work you have promised.

What I am most likely to do is bring someone I enjoy working with into a client I am already working with. I have a database of people I know who have different specialties and do great work (email betsy (at) badconsultingllc.com if you want to be on that database). I pull from it when the client mentions they need help in a particular area or when I see a place they might need help. Connecting my clients with great people makes me look good and solidifies our relationship. So I’m willing to connect my clients with great people at every chance. But this is also why I will be a bit picky about how I recommend.

And there is always that very special situation where there is too much work and it has to be passed on to someone else. I have been the recipient of this, and I have passed on work this way as well. For this reason, I also keep a database of people who have similar specializations. It’s a great feeling when you can pass on work to someone you like that you wouldn’t normally get to work with. It’s not quite partnering up for work, but creating partnerships in the first place is why I pass on work to certain people.

What to know

The best thing you can do is to throw the net wide as you network with social media professionals or other potential good partners. The larger your net, the more likely you are to catch the good ones for partnering. Try working with them in one of the other scenarios below where the stakes aren’t quite as high. And if you like working with them there, then it’s time to see what they can do on the real stage. Find the people you have the most fun with. You’re doing all of this because you want your life to be more flexible and fun. Make sure your work is that way as well and work with those you enjoy the most.

Partner for knowledge

I wish I was able to keep up with every single social media trend and how it could possibly work for my clients. The reality is that I’m a one-person shop. There is only so much I can do while also still doing work for clients. And that means, partnering for my social media business is vital to keeping me well informed.

Who do you want to find?

This is another area where you really have to look at people who complement your specializations. But it’s not such a bad idea to find some people who have the same specializations as well. The most important quality for this group of people is that they actually enjoy what they do. If there is even a question about whether they do, they’re not for this group of people.

Why is it so important they enjoy what they do? Because someone like this can’t help but get excited about new updates and what it can bring for their clients. It just bubbles right out of them and they need to tell someone about their ideas.

This is great for a lot of reasons. People who are bubbly like this are infectious. You will get some of that energy from them and be excited as well. Secondly, you will have new ideas to work with that will benefit your clients and your social media business.

Some people do formal get togethers once a month to collaborate like this, and it works great for them. I prefer the informal chats, because you just never know when you’re going to get super excited. When I get an idea, I know who I can spill to. And I make sure as many people as possible know they can spill to me as well.

Seriously, no matter what industry you’re in, you should have these kinds of people in your network. It makes working more fun.

Partnering for fun projects

We all have these fun ideas we want to try or new skills to learn. And that’s usually how fun side project is born. But why do all of the work yourself when there are other people out there wanting to do similar things?

If you know someone has some of the same interests as you do, it’s time to ask them about partnering up. It can be a fun way to test people for deeper partnerships, while also marketing what you can do. And if it doesn’t work out, no big deal. In most cases, the stakes are super low. You can abandon it without there being a big backlash against you. Keeping it more on the fun and light side can do that for you.

Partnerships should be about keeping you on your game and bringing in new and exciting clients for your social business. If they’re not doing that, it’s okay to say goodbye to them. Not every partnership has to be your jam. Just the ones you enjoy, as well as the ones who do great things for you.

Who are you partnering with? What has it brought to your social business?