I did management consulting for many years and am part of a small team of volunteers developing Maktaba.org. 

We are still working on our core features as well as trying techniques to reach new readers and people that might enjoy participating in our community....but I thought I'd share some of the ideas we are considering to help out other social entrepreneurs.

Based on research and experience with previous online projects, I have developed a small list of free ideas of how any non-profit might collaborate with influencers and bloggers. Of course influencers and bloggers will promote a website if you pay them, but since we have a limited marketing budget, we are looking for free marketing opportunities. Hopefully others can benefit from these ideas as well.

We'll keep everyone posted on various endeavors we pursue, but our guiding principle is to establish mutually beneficial partnerships that align with both our organizational goals and our collaborator's interests.

Step 1: Establish clear organizational goals (see Maktaba's goals, or a book on defining goals as a Social Enterprise)
Step 2: Generate a list of bloggers and influencers
Step 3: Summarize their general interests (what is it that they care about?)
Step 4: Propose a partnership based on one of the following ideas
Step 5: De-brief and analyze the effectiveness of the partnership

Guest posting: Offer to write a guest post for their blog or website, which will give you exposure to their audience and help build your credibility.

Product or service reviews: Reach out to influencers and bloggers in your niche and offer them a free product or service in exchange for a review on their website or social media channels.

Content co-creation: Partner with an influencer or blogger to co-create content such as an e-book, infographic, or video that you can both promote and share with your respective audiences.

Cross-promotion: Reach out to other brands or businesses in your niche and offer to cross-promote each other's content on social media, email, or your respective websites.

Social media shoutouts: Collaborate with influencers and bloggers by giving them a shoutout on your social media channels in exchange for a shoutout on theirs.

Joint webinars or events: Organize a joint webinar or event with an influencer or blogger to reach their audience and build your brand.


Does anyone know of good influencers or bloggers that we should reach out to? 
Does anyone have other ideas that we should consider?