How to Choose the Best Distribution Channels

You’ve invested careful consideration into developing your product, your brand, your marketing strategy and unique selling position-you must now put the same care into selecting the right distribution channels and third party representation to ensure your product and brand is consistent and your marketing is successful.

But where do you start? Selecting your channels will help develop a strong strategy.

The costs to distribute in these channels vary. Some are cost-only such as pure advertising. Some, like a salesforce, requires the investment of hiring and training employees. While market research is the foundation of marketing, some distribution channels, such as international distribution, require heavy investments in market research to learn competition, foreign barriers, culture and more.

While you might want to choose all of them, limited resources or budgets prevent most companies from entering all channels at once. The choice you make in the end should align with your marketing strategy and budget. One consideration should be whether you use the services of a telemarketing company as part of your marketing strategy in order to outsource control over this matter to experts with an understanding of your intended demographic, how they prefer to be communicated to, and the best ways to create lasting relationships and overall credibility. If you’re looking to target an infamously loyal group, such as the military, you might want to read the advice on article such as https://www.sheerid.com/business/identity-marketing-platform/solutions/verification/military/ and really think about your strategy with this particular group, as their values and thought process when it comes to buying something might be completely different to the general population.

Some considerations for choosing your distribution channels include

Lowest barriers of entry
Lowest costs of entry
Lowest risk

Barriers will vary by channel. Brick and mortar might be oversaturated for your industry, or it may be a channel that is underrepresented. While a salesforce might seem like a natural choice, it may be too costly to hire and train and pay persons to sell without guarantee of profit. Finally, often the most difficult channel is international distribution. Investing in market research to identify competitors, foreign policies, pricing and culture is expensive and can result in costly mistakes-but if done correctly, your firm could take the market-but expect it to take time.

Other factors you should consider is whether you have enough inventory to meet the demands of a particular channel and that your firm’s pricing allows a margin attractive enough for channels that will purchase and resell.

While simplified, taking the above steps will help you make informed choices decisions that align with your marketing strategy and research. Start simple, start smart.

Overwhelmed? Don’t be. Super Health Center offers distribution solutions as part of its comprehensive services. Save time and money and connect with us. We’ll evaluate your brand and your objectives and get your product in the right channels today.