A co-op guide to marketing

4 February 2026

When a co-operative wants to launch an offer for membership and/or investment, it is recommended that it develops a planned approach.

This guide is designed to support a co-op with the promotion of an offer. It provides a step-by-step guide to create and implement an offer-specific marketing plan, with case studies from The Coota District Co-op.

The main focus of this plan will be to ensure that potential members and investors receive information on the vision of the co-op and how they can experience the journey as a member/investor.

How to use this guide

This guide will help you to plan marketing your offer, as well as provide practical tips on producing promotional content.

It is broken down into the following sections; and we recommend that you start from the beginning and work through them in order.

Develop the message and share your vision – this section focuses on developing your message, capturing the background, why you are doing this and the value behind your offer.

Deliver the message – this section supports you to effectively plan to deliver these messages.

The plan – this section provides a framework to plan and launch your offer.
Each section provides background information on its relevance, and practical activities that your co-op can work through, with case study examples of them in action.

Download A Co-op Guide to Marketing Membership and Investment Offers

Download the Marketing Membership and Investment Offers workbook

This guide was originally published by the BCCM in 2021 and updated in 2025.