Co Marketing

---
name: co-marketing
description: >-
  Plans co-marketing campaigns with partners: joint webinars, co-branded
  content, audience swaps, and lead-sharing rules. Use when the user is
  launching a campaign with a partner or needs terms for sharing leads and
  credit. Triggers on: "co-marketing", "joint marketing", "partner marketing",
  "co-branded campaign", "joint webinar".
license: MIT
compatibility: Claude Code, Codex, GitHub Copilot, Cursor, Gemini CLI, OpenCode, Goose, Hermes, Windsurf, Zed
metadata:
  version: "1.0.0"
  author: LeadMagic
  category: partnerships
  tags: [partnerships, co-marketing, joint-webinars, co-branded, campaigns]
  frameworks:
    - "Bob Moore — Ecosystem-Led Growth"
    - "Crossbeam — Account mapping"
    - "Jay McBain (Canalys) — Partner ecosystem influence"
  related_skills:
    [
      partnership-strategy,
      webinar-strategy,
      content-marketing,
      social-media-strategy,
      partner-programs,
    ]
---

# Co-Marketing

## Overview

Co-marketing is the fastest way to access a new audience with built-in trust.
When a partner promotes you to their list, you borrow their credibility.
This skill covers campaign design, asset creation, promotion coordination,
and pipeline splitting.

## Authoritative Foundations
- **Bob Moore — Ecosystem-Led Growth** — Pick co-marketing partners by account overlap and shared customers, and build campaigns around mutual target accounts.
- **Crossbeam — Account mapping** — Compare CRMs with partners using approved data-sharing rules to find overlapping customers and prospects before planning the campaign.
- **Jay McBain (Canalys) — Partner ecosystem influence** — Buyers consult many partners and peers before purchase; co-marketing should place your brand where those influences already are.

## When to Use

- "Run a co-marketing campaign"
- "Joint webinar with partner"
- "Co-branded content"
- "Partner content collaboration"

## Step-by-Step Process

### Phase 1: Partner Selection for Co-Marketing

- **Audience overlap:** Their audience contains your ICP. Not 100% — but a
  meaningful % would benefit from both products.
- **Complementary, not competitive:** Their product does something yours doesn't.
  The joint value proposition is clear.
- **Audience size match:** Your list is roughly comparable (within 3x).
  Otherwise the smaller partner gets disproportionate value.
- **Execution reliability:** They'll actually promote it. Vet by asking:
  "What was the last campaign you co-marketed? How did it perform?"

### Phase 2: Campaign Formats

- **Joint webinar:** Co-presented by one person from each company. Customer
  story involving both products. 45 minutes. Split the registration list.
- **Co-branded report/guide:** Original research or definitive guide. Both
  logos. Both companies promote. Gated behind a form.
- **Integration announcement:** "Now [Partner] integrates with [You]" — blog
  posts, social, email blast, Product Hunt launch.
- **Newsletter swap:** You write for their newsletter, they write for yours.
  Simple, high trust.
- **Social media takeover:** Each company takes over the other's social for a day.
  Behind-the-scenes, tips, Q&A.

### Phase 3: Promotion Coordination

- **Shared promotion calendar:** Agreed dates for each company's promotions
- **Email sequence:** Each company sends 2-3 emails to their list (tease, launch,
  last chance)
- **Social promotion:** 3-5 posts per company across platforms
- **Paid amplification:** Each company allocates $500-1000 for LinkedIn ads
- **Sales enablement:** Both companies arm their sales teams with talk tracks

### Phase 4: Lead Management

- **Form:** Joint form (both brands). Clear opt-in language: "By registering,
  you agree to receive communications from [Company A] and [Company B]."
- **Lead split:** All leads go to both companies. Trust model — no "hiding"
  leads from each other.
- **Follow-up:** Each company runs their own follow-up sequence. Coordinate
  timing so prospects don't get hit by both simultaneously.
- **Pipeline attribution:** Tag as "co-marketing — [Partner Name]" in CRM.

### Phase 5: Measurement & Iteration

- Registrations, attendees, leads generated, pipeline created, deals closed
- Cost: time invested + any paid promotion
- ROI: pipeline value / cost
- Partner debrief: what worked, what didn't, plan next campaign

## Output Format

Co-marketing campaign plan with: partner brief, campaign format and assets,
promotion calendar, lead management rules, and measurement framework.

## Quality Check

Before delivering, verify:

- [ ] All required sections are complete
- [ ] Output matches the user's stated need
- [ ] Named frameworks are cited for key recommendations
- [ ] No vague claims — every recommendation has a specific action
- [ ] Deliverable is ready for operational use, not just conceptual

## Common Pitfalls

1. **Skipping research.** Building output without understanding the specific context. Fix: always gather required inputs before producing deliverables.
2. **Generic output.** "Improve your process" without concrete steps. Fix: every recommendation must include a specific action, timeline, and owner.
3. **Missing framework citations.** Advice without named authorities. Fix: ground every recommendation in a cited framework from a recognized authority.

## Implementation Depth

Use this section when the user asks for a finished asset, not a high-level explanation.

### Diagnostic Questions

1. What is the primary motion: founder-led, sales-led, product-led, partner-led, or lifecycle-led?
2. Which ICP tier is the output for: small business, mid-market, enterprise, or mixed?
3. What proof is available today: customer stories, usage data, third-party validation, screenshots, or none?
4. What system will execute the work: CRM, sequencer, warehouse, support desk, product analytics, or manual workflow?
5. What decision will the user make from this output: launch, prioritize, route, rewrite, score, coach, or measure?

### Framework Application

Map the recommendation explicitly to the named frameworks in this skill:

- Co-Marketing Playbook: apply only the part that directly improves the requested deliverable.
- Crossbeam Partner-Led Growth: apply only the part that directly improves the requested deliverable.
- Crossbeam — Ecosystem-Led Growth: apply only the part that directly improves the requested deliverable.

### Deliverable Standard

A strong output from this skill includes:

- A crisp diagnosis of the current situation
- A recommended path with tradeoffs, not a generic list
- A concrete artifact the user can use immediately: table, script, checklist, scorecard, sequence, dashboard spec, or implementation plan
- A measurement plan with leading and lagging indicators
- Risks and edge cases called out before execution

### Adaptation Rules

- For small business: reduce complexity, shorten time-to-value, and prioritize owner/operator clarity.
- For mid-market: include workflow ownership, handoffs, integrations, and enablement assets.
- For enterprise: include governance, risk, procurement, stakeholder mapping, and proof requirements.

## Execution Artifacts

- `references/framework-notes.md` — Named frameworks and reference tables
- `templates/output-template.md` — Deliverable shell for agent output
- `scripts/check-output.py` — Lightweight deliverable validator

## Related Skills

- partnership-strategy, webinar-strategy, content-marketing, social-media-strategy, partner-programs