The following comes from the March 2016 issue of Truck Parts & Service. To read a digital version of the magazine, please CLICK HERE.
Marketing is not an easy task for aftermarket distributors. When you carry hundreds of product lines and thousands of components there’s no easy way to promote all of them.
Fortunately for the independent aftermarket, this uphill battle does not have to be fought alone.
Supplier cooperative marketing programs provide distributors access to funds and marketing materials produced specifically to help them promote their vendors’ products in the aftermarket.
These programs are designed to lessen a distributor’s marketing load, and help both ends of the distribution channel target the end user. And because they are funded solely by vendors, there’s no reason every aftermarket distributor shouldn’t be using them.
Cooperative marketing helps distributors reach their customers, says Dan Bond, president at A-1 Truck Parts.
“It helps us get messages out,” he says. “And that helps, because I want to make sure we’re getting as many pieces of [promotional materials] in front of the guys that throw the box away as possible.”
