WHAT IS DISTRIBUTED MARKETING?

The business world is full of vague-but-important-sounding terms. “Distributed marketing” is one of those terms. When you first hear it, a lot of questions probably spring to mind. What is distributed marketing? Does it apply to my business? Is distributed marketing something that could benefit my business?

Let’s break it down.

What is Distributed Marketing?

We‘re all familiar with the word “distribution”. In the business world, distribution simply refers to the process of moving goods and services out to the consumer through different channels. At the heart of that process are different entities: the original source, the distribution channels that handle the go-between, and ultimately the customer. “Distributed organizations” are those companies that have multiple distribution partners spread out over a wide geographic range. Good examples would be franchise restaurants, retail chain stores and networks of dealers, such as you find in the automobile industry.

Having a distributed workforce can present a lot of challenges, especially from a marketing standpoint. How do you create a holistic marketing strategy that allows local distributors the freedom to customize their marketing to their regional audience, all while still maintaining brand control?

That‘s where distributed marketing comes into play. A good distributed marketing plan will allow you to serve the needs of both the overall brand and the local marketer – all while streamlining processes, saving you time and money.

How to Identify Your Organization‘s Needs

Developing a solid marketing strategy requires you to identify, assess and target the needs of your organization at two levels: the corporate level and the local level.

Corporate Level: Your corporate marketing team is the one responsible for setting the overall strategy. They take care of setting brand standards and making the decision on what local users can and cannot customize in terms of marketing messaging.

Local Level: No one knows your customers better than the local sales teams who serve them. Those at the local level are better in-tune with what the customers in their area need and will respond to. Unfortunately, these local marketers don’t always have the time and resources to create the messaging and marketing materials necessary to quickly respond to local needs.

The Importance of Distributed Marketing to Your Business

As technology evolves, so does the marketing industry. Although traditional media channels are still as valid as ever, we’re seeing a shift toward emerging channels such as web, email, mobile and social media. In addition to shifts in channel preferences, constant changes in regulations can make it difficult and costly for local producers to develop marketing materials. Fines for inaccurate information can cost up to 5% of total revenue.

With more channels than ever in the mix, it’s becoming harder for parent organizations to effectively control and regulate franchises or dealers in a time- and cost-effective manner – meaning it‘s becoming increasingly important for distributed organizations to establish a strategy that allows the local levels the delicate balance of freedom they need to market the national brand while staying in compliance with company standards. A good distributed marketing strategy can simplify your process from top to bottom – and help you cut costs, too.

Save Time and Money with the Right Tool

The latest in web-based marketing tools, Conduit is a distributed marketing platform that can help distributed organizations maximize efficiency by allowing local dealers or representatives the freedom to customize marketing materials and execute a multi-channel campaign, all while following corporate brand standards. With Conduit, you maintain control over what local users can alter – as well as who has access to accounts.

Conduit also allows users to manage brand, messaging and consistency across all marketing materials – giving the materials a more “professional” look to it. Want to know how your campaigns are performing? Conduit also includes real-time tracking, analytics and reporting, allowing you to discover what‘s working and what’s not.

With Conduit, timely, sales-driven marketing has never been easier.

If you‘re ready to develop and implement a distributed marketing strategy that actually works, we‘re ready to help you. Contact us today to learn more about Conduit to request a demo.