By Jill Coomber, co-founder of OneChocolate,

Once upon a time, marketing partnerships were all about big investments translating loosely into ROI. Flashy sponsorship deals measured success on how many people had seen or could recall a TV ad or billboard, or how many had seen the logo by attending the sponsored event. So very little focus on behaviour change. What is so interesting about the surge in popularity for smaller scale tie-ups is the types brands are investing in and what is considered success at the end of it.

When done well micro partnerships, defined as an investment of £0k - £50k per year per partnership, are cost-effective and can show great ROI, as well as add heaps of value to your brand. OneChocolate research confirms companies are flocking to invest in them, with the main drivers being brand awareness and brand value, both ranked ahead of sales increase by our marketers.

This reflects the shift we’ve seen in brands investing more in content and experience over material which sells the product. The most successful companies are those which consumers want to buy from again and again. Audiences are now a lot savvier about brand reputation and more concerned with a company’s social responsibility than ever before. A micro partnership allows a brand to keep growing positive recall and establish itself as trustworthy and ethical, so sales are likely to keep increasing. This is far more valuable than a shorter-term sales spike, only to watch competitors take overtake that lead with a longer-term play.

We can see a move away from simple metrics towards more meaningful brand value measures, with engagement valued above traffic, clicks, reach or even sales. This is reflected in the areas we’ve seen the biggest investment increases: celebrity, affiliate and influencer partnerships. Brands are looking to align with personalities already trusted by their target audience, working with them to create meaningful content. While they aren’t without their challenges, micro partnerships are great for moving the needle for both awareness and engagement over the long-term. Brands are seeing that in spades now.

The next challenge is how to evaluate and prove the impact. We can see more sophisticated measures coming through, with advances in digital marketing meaning we can measure engagement in all shapes and sizes. But our research found marketers are still afraid to set ROI targets, which is the next hurdle. Doing the right research and having the right conversations with your partner at the beginning are crucial, as we talk about in more depth in the report.

While this shows a trend still in its infancy, we’ve also revealed a more sophisticated attitude to micro partnerships than we might have seen before with bigger sponsorships. There’s a real focus on the need to find the perfect partner and deliver something meaningful, looking at how people have connected with a brand as opposed to having just seen it. With the vast majority of marketers set to up their investment in micro partnerships and try new types, showing a better ROI will only get easier.

To read more on  identifying the right micro partner for you and proving ROI, download the full report here.

Photo by Marten Newhall on Unsplash