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It's not unusual for national brands to work with local businesses to advertise and create better brand awareness. Believe it or not, the smaller affiliates or associated companies don't even have to carry the entire cost of that advertising. Instead, national brands often set aside a budget entirely for this process.

These co-op advertising programs mean smaller organizations, or channels, don't have to shoulder quite as much of the advertising burden. Instead, the national brand will typically assume thirty to eighty percent of the cost. Finding these channel marketing programs can be a challenge - but it is worth the effort.

Finding the Opportunities

Your best first step in finding the opportunities is to look to your sales rep or your backend software for help. If you carry several national brands, decide which ones are best suited for your customers and your ad dollars. You may need to contact several before you find one that's right for you.

Once you learn about an opportunity, make sure you obtain all of the information involved about it. Often big brands will publish entire manuals about how to qualify for the advertising dollars, so ensure you read everything to make sure it's right.

Even if your sales rep tells you about an opportunity, be sure to contact the home office regarding the details so you know what you're getting into step by step. The devil is in the details; to receive reimbursement, you need to follow their standards to the letter.

Using Them

After you find an opportunity that fits, the next step is to design your ad campaign. Before you run it, however, you will need to obtain preapproval from your national brand. That preapproval is key to obtaining the reimbursement involved, so once you get that documentation, hang on to it.

From there, you run your ad, then send proof of preapproval and the actual ad campaign back to the home office to get the agreed-upon percentage of your expenditure back.

Where To Use Them

You probably have various channel marketing strategies for your company in place now, and co-op advertising can work with all of them. You have to understand your national brand's concerns before you choose the right channel, though. While you can certainly use them on Facebook or in a PPC ad, it's important to check with the brand before you do so to ensure that it falls within the guidelines.

Co-op advertising programs are a great way to stretch your budget. It's just a matter of finding that perfect option to meet your needs and getting it approved. Then you'll be on your way to a bit of extra marketing cash this year. Need help? Let us know.