A joint venture (JV) is when two or more people work together on a mutually beneficial project.
It’s a kind of “I’ll scratch your back if you scratch mine” arrangement where you agree to do something that benefits someone else and in return, they do something to benefit you.
Joint ventures are a powerful way of building traffic to your own site by leveraging the work and assets of others to your benefit. They are also a great way to build professional relationships that can last for years.
There are many ways you can use joint ventures to get more traffic to your site, which are:
1. If you have a mailing list, you could agree to send out an email promoting another website in exchange for the site’s owner doing the same for you.
You could reach a whole new audience that has never heard of you before.
2. You could trade content. You write a series of articles to be posted on another website (with a link back to your own site), and you post their articles on your site.
3. Create a joint blog or website. If you’re a great writer but you’re no good with graphics and you know someone who is just the opposite, work together to put your best skills to work for both of you.
Include links to both of your own websites so you can both share in the traffic generated by the shared site.
4. Create a community blog where several others have the ability to post. Each author can have his own column and links back to his own sites.
5. Let another website owner interview you and post it on her site.
She’ll be getting unique content to add to her site, and you’ll be gaining valuable exposure and building your reputation as an expert.
JVs are only limited by your own imagination. Be creative.
How do I find partners to joint venture with?
I recommend starting small with someone you know and trust. Promoting each other’s lists is a great way to start with little financial risk.
If all goes smoothly you can look for a bigger project to work on together. Just make sure you both agree on what is expected of each party and you stick to your end of the agreement. JVs are as much about building relationships as anything else.
