How to Feature Local or Fellow Small Businesses in Your Own Marketing (and Grow Together)
One of my favorite parts of being a small business owner is connecting with others who are also chasing their entrepreneurial dreams. We all have unique strengths, audiences, and stories—and when we highlight each other, everybody wins.
I already love to feature some of my favorite businesses and organizations in my blog, my weekly newsletter, and on social media whenever I can tag or share their work. But there are so many other creative ways to collaborate and cross-promote that go beyond a quick mention.
Why Featuring Local Businesses Matters
Community over competition: Highlighting others builds goodwill and trust in your own brand.
Broader reach: When you share someone’s story, they often share your content in return.
Deeper relationships: Featuring local businesses can lead to partnerships, referrals, and long-term collaboration.
Client serving: Your audience gets recommendations for trusted businesses that may meet other needs in their lives.
Featuring others in your content is one way to shift from constant competing to standing out in your own unique way (something I shared more about in Stop Competing and Start Standing Out).
Ideas for Featuring Local Businesses in Your Marketing
1. Blog and Newsletter Spotlights
Weave other businesses into your blog posts and emails. For example:
A “local gift guide” post for the holidays.
A seasonal roundup of favorite shops or service providers.
A “community corner” in your weekly email highlighting one small business.
2. Shared Resource Guides
Collaborate with a few businesses to create a downloadable PDF or blog post guide. Ideas include:
“A Local’s Guide to Fall Events”
“Best Spots for Family-Friendly Fun in [Your Town]”
“Self-Care in [Your City]: Wellness Businesses You Should Know”
Each business can then share the guide with their own audience, multiplying your reach.
3. Social Media Cross-Promotion
Go beyond tags. Try:
Instagram “takeovers” where you swap stories for the day.
Share each other’s promotions in your stories.
Film a joint reel or live video together.
4. Collaborative Offers or Events
Host a joint workshop or seasonal event.
Bundle services or products together (like a florist + photographer offering fall minis).
Co-sponsor a fundraiser or local event.
5. Local SEO Boosts
Feature other businesses on your blog with backlinks, and ask for the same in return.
Share collaborative content on your Google Business Profile for added visibility.
Ways to Support Fellow Businesses Beyond Features
Featuring local businesses online is powerful, but the strongest connections often start in real life. Supporting each other in small, consistent ways builds trust that naturally carries into marketing.
Attend or Host Mixers: Community mixers are great for networking and visibility. Even showing up to support another business’s event matters.
Masterminds and Accountability Groups: Small, focused meetups to share wins, struggles, and strategies can become invaluable.
Local Meetups or Coffee Dates: A casual coffee chat can spark collaboration ideas or simply encourage one another.
Co-Working Sessions: Spend a morning working alongside another business owner—it’s motivating and often sparks fresh ideas.
Accountability Partners: Pair up with someone in a similar stage of business to set goals and check in weekly.
Collaborative Volunteering or Sponsorships: Partner with others to sponsor a community event or nonprofit project.
Volunteer Economic Groups: Join or get more involved with your local economic development group, chamber of commerce, or nonprofit board. These organizations are often looking for small business voices and can open doors for collaboration and community-wide growth.
The Connections Pillar in Action
In my life-first marketing workshop, I shared that one of the three pillars of a sustainable marketing system is Your Connections. Building genuine community relationships—with clients, collaborators, and other businesses—keeps your marketing human in an AI-filled world.
Featuring others isn’t about losing your spotlight. It’s about making your brand stronger by building trust, deepening relationships, and becoming part of a bigger story.
Final Encouragement
If you’re ready to strengthen your connections this season, start small: share about one local business you love, tag them on social, or add them to your next blog post. Over time, these simple actions build a ripple effect of trust and collaboration.
And if you want weekly encouragement and strategies for marketing your business with clarity and community in mind, join me for The Friday Mix.
Because when one small business grows, we all grow.