| name | co-marketing-plan |
| description | Plans co-marketing campaigns with partner selection criteria, shared content, cross-promotion tactics, and attribution. |
| allowed-tools | Read Write Glob |
| metadata | {"author":"matthewhitcham","version":"1.0"} |
Co-Marketing Plan
When to Use This Skill
Use this skill when you need to:
- Plan a co-marketing campaign with a complementary brand or business
- Design cross-promotion tactics with shared content and audience exchange
- Create partner selection criteria and evaluation frameworks
- Build attribution systems to measure each partner's contribution
DO NOT use this skill for affiliate marketing, paid advertising campaigns, or solo marketing plans. This is for collaborative marketing where two brands co-create and co-promote.
Core Principle
CO-MARKETING WORKS ONLY WHEN BOTH AUDIENCES GENUINELY BENEFIT — IF THE PARTNERSHIP FEELS FORCED OR ONE-SIDED, BOTH BRANDS LOSE TRUST WITH THEIR PEOPLE.
Phase 1: Brief
Required Inputs
| Input | What to Ask | Default |
|---|
| Campaign goal | "What do you want from this co-marketing effort? (leads, sales, awareness)" | Lead generation |
| Partner | "Do you have a specific partner in mind, or do you need selection criteria?" | Need selection criteria |
| Your audience | "Describe your audience size, platform, and demographics." | No default — must be provided |
| Campaign type | "Webinar, co-authored content, bundle, giveaway, or something else?" | Co-authored content + cross-promotion |
| Timeline | "When does this campaign need to launch?" | 4-6 weeks from now |
| Budget | "What is the combined budget for this campaign?" | $0 (sweat equity only) |
GATE: Confirm the brief before proceeding.
Phase 2: Plan
Partner Selection Criteria
If no partner is identified, use this evaluation matrix:
| Criteria | Weight | Score (1-5) | Notes |
|----------|--------|-------------|-------|
| Audience overlap (same buyer, different product) | 25% | | |
| Audience size relative to yours (0.5x-3x ideal) | 20% | | |
| Brand alignment (values, tone, quality) | 20% | | |
| Engagement quality (active audience, not just big) | 15% | | |
| Responsiveness and reliability | 10% | | |
| Previous collaboration track record | 10% | | |
Campaign Structure
## Campaign: [Name]
**Type:** [Webinar / Co-authored content / Bundle / Giveaway]
**Timeline:** [Start to end date]
**Shared deliverable:** [What you create together]
**Your promotion:** [What you promote and where]
**Their promotion:** [What they promote and where]
**Shared asset:** [Landing page, content piece, or offer]
**Goal metric:** [Specific number — leads, downloads, sales]
Cross-Promotion Plan
| Channel | Your Promotion | Partner's Promotion | Timing |
|---------|---------------|-------------------|--------|
| Email | [What you send] | [What they send] | [Date] |
| Social | [Posts/stories] | [Posts/stories] | [Date] |
| Blog | [Article/mention] | [Article/mention] | [Date] |
| Other | [Podcast, video, etc.] | [Podcast, video, etc.] | [Date] |
GATE: Present the campaign plan for approval.
Phase 3: Build
Shared Content Creation
For each co-created asset, define:
- Who drafts the first version
- Who reviews and edits
- Brand guidelines both parties must follow
- Approval process and timeline
- Where the final asset lives (whose website)
Attribution System
## Tracking and Attribution
**UTM parameters:**
- Your traffic: ?utm_source=partner_name&utm_medium=co-marketing&utm_campaign=[name]
- Their traffic: ?utm_source=your_name&utm_medium=co-marketing&utm_campaign=[name]
**Tracking method:** [Shared Google Analytics dashboard / separate tracking links]
**Reporting cadence:** [Weekly during campaign, final report 7 days after close]
**Metrics to track per partner:**
- Traffic sent
- Leads generated
- Conversion rate
- Revenue attributed (if applicable)
Campaign Timeline
## Week-by-Week Timeline
**Week 1:** Finalize partnership agreement and campaign plan
**Week 2:** Create shared content and landing pages
**Week 3:** Review, approve, and prepare promotional materials
**Week 4:** Launch — both partners promote simultaneously
**Week 5:** Mid-campaign check-in, adjust if needed
**Week 6:** Campaign close, final push, data collection
**Week 7:** Results analysis and shared report
Phase 4: Polish
1. Partnership Agreement (Lightweight)
## Co-Marketing Agreement Essentials
- Campaign scope and timeline
- Each party's promotional commitments (specific channels and frequency)
- Content approval process
- Lead sharing or ownership rules
- Data and analytics sharing
- Post-campaign asset usage rights
- Cancellation terms
2. Results Report Template
## Co-Marketing Campaign Report
**Campaign:** [Name]
**Duration:** [Dates]
**Partner:** [Name]
### Results
| Metric | Your Contribution | Partner's Contribution | Total |
|--------|-------------------|----------------------|-------|
| Traffic | | | |
| Leads | | | |
| Conversions | | | |
| Revenue | | | |
### Key Learnings
- What worked well
- What to improve
- Recommendation for future collaboration
3. Campaign Checklist
- [ ] Partner agreement signed
- [ ] Shared content created and approved by both parties
- [ ] Landing pages live with tracking pixels
- [ ] UTM parameters set for all links
- [ ] Email sequences scheduled for both lists
- [ ] Social content scheduled for both accounts
- [ ] Mid-campaign check-in date set
- [ ] Post-campaign report template ready
Example 1: Co-Webinar Lead Generation
Partners: Email marketing tool + copywriting coach
Shared asset: "Write Emails That Convert" webinar
Your promotion: 3 emails to your 8,000 list + 5 social posts
Their promotion: 3 emails to their 12,000 list + 5 social posts
Goal: 500 combined registrations, 200 live attendees
Follow-up: Both partners email replay + their respective offers
Example 2: Co-Authored Guide + Bundle
Partners: SEO consultant + web designer
Shared asset: "The Complete Website Launch Checklist" (co-authored PDF)
Your promotion: Blog post + 3 emails + Instagram stories
Their promotion: Blog post + 3 emails + LinkedIn posts
Goal: 1,000 guide downloads, grow both lists
Follow-up: Each partner offers their service as the logical next step
Anti-Patterns
- Audience mismatch — partnering with someone who has the same audience as you creates competition, not collaboration. Find complementary audiences.
- Unequal promotion — if one partner promotes heavily and the other barely mentions it, resentment builds. Define commitments upfront.
- No tracking — without UTM parameters and shared analytics, you cannot measure ROI or fairly attribute results.
- Creating content by committee — one person drafts, one edits. Joint writing from scratch produces mediocre work.
- No follow-up plan — the campaign generates leads, then what? Both partners need a post-campaign nurture sequence.
Recovery
- Cannot find a suitable partner: Look in adjacent niches, not the same niche. Ask "Who serves my customer before or after they need me?"
- Partner stops promoting mid-campaign: Have a minimum commitment clause in the agreement. If they fall short, reduce future collaboration scope.
- Campaign underperforms: Analyze by channel. Usually one channel carries the campaign. Double down there and cut the rest.
- Leads are low quality: Review audience alignment. If the partner's audience is not actually your target buyer, the partnership was wrong, not the campaign.
