Be Supportive Of Your Peers

It may seem counterproductive to promote each other’s work. Whether it be a coworker or the work of another business that you compete with. But this is a great way to build strong relationships, interest and loyalty amongst colleagues, customers, clients and users.

All businesses have a great opportunity to form relationships with their customers or soon-to-be customers by establishing themselves within their field of expertise and within the community. All businesses can position themselves as being friendly and supportive by participating in the community and promoting the work of others. The bottom line: this helps strengthen your network.

Interact – take time to chat with others that have created the work that you’ll be sharing and then make sure you chat with your end-users or potential end-users about this.

Don’t be sarcastic – the best practice in this case is to simply say what you have to say in a direct manner and do so with a smile.

Be genuine – by sharing what others are doing and not trying to make a connection back to your own business will be the best move as this will be more likely to attract individuals rather than turning them away. 

Cross boundaries – if there is a business or individual in a completely unrelated field that is doing something that you can relate to within your community, share it. Look for an opportunity to learn from what else is being done.

Don’t promote – you don’t have to be a promotional machine for your direct competitors but it might be a good idea to know what others in your industry are doing to serve your community.

Explain – always make the effort to explain or share a quick note about why you are sharing the work of others. Did it move you in some fashion? Did you think that it was clever? Are there certain design elements that caught your attention?

Overall the message that you want others to receive is that you play nicely with others. It also shows that it’s important for you to exist in a connected and well supported world. That kind of feeling can lead others to do the same and be supportive of your work.

-RG