In recent years, we’ve seen a huge uptick in the number of companies employing a brand partner in their marketing promotions. It’s common now for mascots to interact during commercials, brands to converse on social media and companies to advertise their co-branded products. When you look at the numbers, it’s clear why. Adidas, a brand well-known for collaborating with brands like Prada and celebrities like Kanye West, was the fastest-growing shoe brand in 2018 and increased their brand value by more than 50 percent, according to BrandZ.

You might wonder how your business can join forces find a successful brand partner if you’re not a Fortune 500 company, but forming connections with other companies is absolutely doable for any business. In our digital- and meme-obsessed world, there are a number of different routes you can take when connecting with other brands.

The best approach to take depends on what kind of connection you want. Do you want a loving, stable partnership? Some would rather have an edgy, controversial connection. Or perhaps you would prefer mingling with a bunch of different brands. Whichever route speaks to your business, you can learn from the best and discover how you make connections work for your brand in the future.

The Stable Partner

For some businesses, it makes most sense to find a loyal brand partner to include in a new campaign. During the Super Bowl this year, Tide partnered with both Bud Light and the new Wonder Woman movie in their ads, while Planters included the Kool-Aid man and Mr. Clean in their highly anticipated spot. Though each brand was only on screen for a couple seconds, it created a memorable impression for viewers and got audiences talking online.

A good brand partner doesn’t always have to collaborate on a product or develop a long-term initiative to be effective. Partners work best when you both have similar customer bases, even if you have different brand personalities. If you’re a smaller business, you may try finding a local company to collaborate with who shares your values or works within your same industry. For example, if you own a local bakery, you could partner with a florist to offer discounts and share photos of both your products on social media. You may take it even a step further and co-pitch your products to event planners in your area. In this example, the businesses have the same audience, but they don’t compete for each other’s sales. This kind of partnership would be relatively low-cost and low-risk to implement. It would also help increase your exposure to more potential customers.

It’s important to note that there are always risks when you publicly align yourself with a brand partner on a campaign. Even if it’s just for one short opportunity, be sure to thoroughly vet the brand you’re considering. Should they make a mistake or face a crisis during your partnership, you will unfortunately be tied to them, even if your brand did nothing wrong. Check out more marketing mishaps in this article.

A Controversial Connection

While some businesses try to avoid potential controversy at all costs, others prefer to dive right in. This past holiday season, you may have seen an ad for Ryan Reynolds’ gin brand, Aviation Gin, that featured the actress from the viral Peloton commercial. Aviation Gin played right into the digital conversation about the original Peloton ad, quickly earning the interest of anyone following the story.

Any brand can take a similar approach by simply following the stories trending in the news and on social media. Your company might not be able to employ an infamous actress in your next commercial, but you can use a controversial news story or hot debate subject to make a buzzworthy statement. For instance, a small local sporting goods shop earned national attention when they used a sign in front of their store to make a funny reference to the Houston Astros sign-stealing scandal. The message read, “Had a funny sign idea, but the Astros stole it.” The sign caused a stir both in the local community and across the country when a photo was widely shared on social media.

Joining highly viewed digital conversations can be beneficial to your brand even on this small scale. Just be careful to avoid making insensitive comments or discussing offensive topics. You don’t want your new audience members to see you acting rude or disrespectful to an individual or brand facing a real, personal crisis.

Stay Single & Mingle

Connecting on a larger campaign may be too much commitment for your company. Instead, you can try mingling among a number of other brands on social media. Brands have been on platforms like Twitter for over a decade now, but brand interactions really took off around 2017. That year, Wendy’s first went viral for picking on competitor McDonald’s. Today, “brand Twitter” produces moments that audiences pay attention to every single day. We saw this case in point when Netflix asked, “What’s something you can say during sex but also when you manage a brand Twitter account?” Hundreds of brands responded to the tweet, earning tens of thousands of likes on their answers.

Even if you don’t have a blue checkmark next to your name, you can still increase your engagement by interacting with other brands. For example, your plumbing business could post congratulations to a local hardware store for their 50^th anniversary. If you do this on Twitter, everyone who follows that store can see it. A complimentary, clever or helpful comment may inspire those users to reward you with a follow or click-through to your website. Because your audience bases overlap, this simple message can create new connections and potential customers. Remember to tag the brand’s handle so your tweet will show up when users search for it. Our agency uses this tactic frequently, and sometimes we get replies from the brands themselves. These opportunities for mini connections take very little time, and all it takes is one successful interaction to earn an increase in engagement and a new connection.