All the vitamin D Wilmington tends to get seems to be spreading the love around our small yet expanding city. From the beach to the downtown bridge and everywhere in-between, locals are reaching out in any way to help their fellow locals. More specifically, the businesses in Wilmington seem to be reaching out to other businesses in any way they can.
The idea for this post first came to me while sitting at my job at a local apartment complex here in Wilmington. A rep for Planet Fitness came in and spoke to me about the possibility of placing ads for PF in our move-in packets, and in return we could put brochures of our business in their local branch. Our new residents get a discount when they present a coupon to Planet Fitness and in return, Colonial Parke receives credibility for having sustainable relationships with the neighboring businesses as well as exposure to outside consumers at their facility.This type of deal is beneficial to both and very commonly used.
Another example of this concept is Encore Restaurant Week which recently showcased dozens of the top rated restaurants in Wilmington. Encore, a magazine and newspaper publication, takes on the task of compiling a list every year to advertise the cuisines of Wilmington, those of which run daily specials to draw in new and returning customers. The rules are simple: There are no passes to buy, no coupons to carry and no cards to punch! Simply attend the participating restaurant of your choice, request the Encore Restaurant Week menu and enjoy. Throughout the newspaper, ads for the participating restaurants are shown promoting their current specials, happy hours, and daily deals. In this type of situation, Encore is receiving a considerable more amount of exposure as well as the restaurants featured.
On their Facebook page, Encore even posts links and snippets of info about local charities that support the food industry of Wilmington such as Half United, in which for every unique and hand crafted piece of jewelry purchased “HALF UNITED will give HALF of all profits to feed children in need”. The support of these businesses are crucial in a smaller city like Wilmington and needed in order to thrive. If your neighboring businesses don’t have your back, it’s hard to succeed.
What do you guys think is the best part about having B2B relationships? Also, if any of you participated in Encore Restaurant Week drop a comment and let us know your experience!
-Crystan Weaver
IMC Hawks Blog 
I feel that business to business advertising is very important. It can be beneficial in many ways. It is a good way to let people who are new to the area know what is here. Also, people may be more comfortable going to a new if another business is willing to put their reputation on the line by promoting the company.
Susan Willetts
I have noticed this during my employment at Boseman’s Sporting Goods, also. Businesses call at least 10 times during my shift and request to speak with the owner in regards to assisting each other reach a higher number of people. Boseman’s frequently prints discount cards to place in other stores, and in return other companies do the same with their business cards. This is beneficial because without gaining these relationships a company may only serve or favor one demographic when hundreds more are willing to purchase the product.