Tips for making your cross promotion grab more customer's attention

Cross promotion is a form of advertising that can increase your customer base dramatically. It involves two or more parties, and together you work to promote each other's products or services.

Whether you recognize it or not, you see cross promotion on a daily basis. In commercials, for example, credit card companies are cross promoting when they feature their cards being used in certain retail stores. Or, airlines and beverage companies cross promote by the airline only providing a certain brand of drink, like Pepsi products. Companies that claim to be "proud sponsors of the Olympic Games" are also cross promoting.

Companies, both large and small, utilize cross promoting because it can be a very good promotional tool. It helps to add credibility to both companies and can increase the attention you get from more potential customers.

Cross promotions can occur in a number of ways. A number of companies cross-promote by offering bundled services (for example, a landscaping company and a floral company can cross-promote by offering the plants and the design together), joint media appearances or joint events they both sponsor, or sharing offices. When it comes to cross-promotion, there are dozens of ways you can get the attention of more customers, providing a win-win situation for both companies.

The following are some tips for using cross promotion to grab more customers' attention:

• Print cross-promotional messages on your receipts. This can be in the form of an advertisement from them, coupons for the company you are cross-promoting, or a suggestion to visit them for other needs. If you look at the back of the receipts you get in the grocery store, oftentimes they will have coupons or ads from other industries and services. This is one inexpensive form of cross-promotion.
• Put flyers or posters in your business promoting an event they are having, such as a sale or promotion. Hang them in your windows or put small flyers on your counter.
• Put a box in your business where your customers can fill out a form to win a free product or service from a company you are cross promoting. Car dealerships and gyms and health clubs often do this.
• Split the costs of a promotional or advertising tool you may not normally be able to afford, such as a commercial (either on television or radio), or an ad in a magazine. Advertise both of your services on the ads.
• Host a contest and have prizes donated from the company(s) you are cross-promoting.
• Hold a charity event, or co-sponsor it. You can do a run or walk, carnival, or other sort of event where participants donate money to a certain cause. Put the names of your companies on the T-shirts.
• Swap your mailing lists. Purchasing mailing lists can be expensive, but if you are cross-promoting with another company, you can swap mailing lists and mail your promotional materials to a whole new set of potential customers.
• Include flyers or brochures for each other's businesses in retail bags or with the products you offer.

Cross promotion is advantageous for a number of reasons. It helps you to get your name out to a number of potential customers in exchange for providing advertising for another company. This successful method has been adopted by a number of companies, both large and small.