Brand collaborations
As a small business marketing consultant, I am passionate about using brand collaborations and other creative marketing strategies to the benefit of my SME clients.
Whether it’s to build trust and credibility for your brand, drive awareness to new audiences or enhance SEO, there’s a lot you can do through brand collaborations and partnerships.
There are a few things to bear in mind though, before you go running off with a million creative ideas.
Firstly… is this activity going to be a paid brand collaboration or based on a mutually beneficial win-win arrangement?
Small budgets? Prefer the unpaid option? You’ll need a reality check in terms of your brand status and who might want to associate themselves with you.
It’s then incredibly important to choose partner brands that:
- Attract your target audience.
(The whole point is to attract prospective customers…) - Are aligned with your key message and values.
(It can be damaging for you to be associated with a brand that stands for the opposite of what you do). - Are as committed as you for it to be a success.
Other important considerations are the wow factor of the idea that you will collaborate on and the quality of the output. Compelling words and photography are of real importance. I can help with both copywriting and photography (including professional photography involving models, hair and make-up artists and locations).
Digital Influencers
I have mostly worked with brands that collaborate with micro influencers. Micro-influencers are generally creators with around 10,000 to 100,000 followers, though definitions vary and some sources include creators starting from 1,000 followers (Source: shopify.com).
In my experience, there are opportunities for free product only, but anyone above a certain number of followers often falls into the paid collaboration category. They are also often particular about who they work with and how they are approached (often by PR firms).
Tapping Into The Digital World
The digital world offers powerful avenues for collaboration, especially through creator partnerships and the boom in live shopping.
For restaurant marketing, I have built relationships with multiple food influencers, and for fashion brands, I’ve enjoyed working with stylists and lifestyle creators. These partnerships can have incredible value, but the rules of engagement have become much stricter.
As of January 2026, the UK’s Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) and Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) have issued updated guidelines that all businesses must follow (Source: rpclegal.com). Any content you pay for – whether with money, free products, or commission – must be clearly and prominently labelled as an ad right from the start.
Acceptable labels: Ad, #ad, Advert, Paid Partnership
Insufficient labels: Collab, Spon, Thanks to [Brand]
These disclosures must appear at the beginning of a caption or be clearly overlaid on video content, and they apply to everything from posts and stories to podcasts and livestreams. Failure to comply can lead to serious penalties, including fines of up to 10% of global turnover.
Navigating this dynamic landscape of influencers, AI tools and new advertising regulations can be complex.
In my marketing consulting work, I’ve come across small business owners who have, through inexperience, wasted money on not knowing how to manage influencers and not been able to optimise results from them.
I can help you develop exciting and compliant opportunities that get your brand noticed.
Fill in the form and let’s chat.