Co-marketing is a collaborative strategy between suppliers and distributors to enhance product promotion and improve buyer/seller relationships while sharing strategies, execution, and costs. It allows companies to strengthen their marketing budget, reach new audiences, and effectively support customers with enhanced tools. This approach is increasingly recognized as a cost-effective way to market and boost sales within the distribution pipeline.

1. Co-marketing: Develop a Strong Relationship with your
Distributor
By Tom Marx – April 2010
Whether you are a manufacturer seeking a way to From a distributor's standpoint, the benefits of
push sales through the distribution pipeline, or a working with a supplier to develop a co-marketing
distributor looking for a creative way to promote program centers on the company's ability to:
products or services, co-marketing is one marketing • Leverage your marketing budget
tool that can boost sales while improving the • Highlight specific branded products
buyer/seller relationship. It is the ultimate way to o Introduce a price or product category
create synergy as both suppliers and distributors work leader
toward a common goal. o Round out a good-better-best product
scenario
Co-marketing in its simplest form is an agreement o Market a popular product that currently
between a supplier and their distributor(s) to work has high demand
together to promote products or services with shared o Introduce a premium product line
strategies, execution, costs and benefits. Shared o Create or bring attention to products with
strategies require a discussion and agreement on new features
goals; execution requires a conversation about who • Reach audiences that otherwise you would not
will do what to make the plan work; shared costs can be able to reach
be a 50/50 split or any combination that works for
both parties; and and both can reap the benefits of There's many reasons why a company should
increased sales, web hits, unique visitors and more. consider co-marketing as a way to stretch their
marketing budget. If you are still unsure if this is right
As a supplier, co-marketing allows you to: for you, begin to notice how many companies are
• Further enhance your relationship with your turning to co-marketing in their marketing mix. You
customer by improving communications may be surprised at how this is the new cost-effective
• Support your customer with expanded or way to market.
enhanced marketing tools to help sell more of
your products
Tom Marx President and CEO of The Marx Group. The Marx Group is
• Stand out among the crowd of suppliers as one
a full service marketing agency specializing in developing unique
that will spend extra effort to help their business strategies, public relations and award winning, results
customers be successful - think of it as earning driven creative for the automotive aftermarket and Heavy Duty and
brownie points commercial vehicle aftermarket. - www.themarxgrp.com
• Stretch your marketing budget to allow for even
more visibility of targeted messages
• Build company and brand awareness
• Allow you to target your audience in a more cost-
effective manner, rather than a shotgun
approach that may or may not directly impact
sales
• Increase the ROI for your marketing budget