For the most successful businesses, creative partners are an essential part of the strategy. Having a creative partner on your team allows you to have access to multiple channels and methods of communicating with potential clients or current ones. Many businesses fail to realize the importance of having a strategic creative partner in place.

When establishing creative partnerships, businesses often look for individuals who have the same “insider qualities” as them. In general, creative partners share similar vision, values and styles. That said, there is often a difference in how they communicate, manage conflict, and prioritize tasks. A successful partnership will have creative partners who work together in a way that fosters good communication and mutually focused efforts.

Creativity is at the heart of all successful businesses, but not every creative partner will be the best performer. Most of us possess traits and behaviors that make us attractive to other creatives – but it takes more than mere physical attraction to create successful partnerships. To ensure that the partnership does as well as possible, we must rely on our partner’s creativeness and learn to identify their strengths and weaknesses.

The key to successful partnerships lies in identifying the partner’s strengths, but how do you know what their strengths are? Some creatives like to think bigger than themselves. They have a knack for vision and getting people excited. Other creative services may enjoy working with a smaller group, while others thrive working in groups of hundreds or thousands. Still others need the reassurance that come-from-behind, take-action type messages. And then, there are those who are great at delegating and modeling the proper behavior for others.

Creative partnership differs from a business owner looking for a quick fix, as both involve long-term investment in the business, but only one partner typically initiates the action. When looking for creative partners, consider whether you want to be involved in long-term strategic planning or if you prefer to be able to move product in a matter of days. Many of my creative partners are able to offer advice over the course of months or years. If Agency need a shorter term strategy, consider hiring a consultant.

A creative partnership works best when each partner brings something unique to the table. In order to determine if one partner can make a difference, ask them to join seminars, send you a pitch or come talk to your team. If they’re an expert in one area, share that with the other partner. If Agency have a track record of building teams that produce real results, put them out there. Remember, these are two individuals with different styles who still have to come together in a way that brings you a long-term ROI. If Agency are not ready to commit to long-term involvement, evaluate your options and pick someone who can make a difference today.

Ask your creative partner to help lead your strategy. Sometimes it is helpful to have a partner who acts as a sounding board for your ideas, helping you get more creative ideas on paper. Other times, it helps to let your creative partner know what you hope to accomplish by signing up for social media services, implementing a blog, or utilizing the viral marketing strategies I mentioned above. Let your creative partner know how you would like to receive helpful feedback, whether in the form of tweets, Facebook shares, blog posts, or customer testimonials.

Banner ads, mobile apps, videos – you can run into all kinds of creative opportunities using the right creative team. It’s important to remember though, that no great creative partnership will work unless you have goals to achieve. Are you looking for creative ways to increase the traffic to your website? Are you hoping to increase sales? Whatever your purpose, it is important to focus on those things before you consider a partner, because you may find yourself wasting time and energy with ideas that won’t get you the results you want.