Ideally, you want every business proposal or social media management proposal sent to prospective clients to be accepted! Right? Whether you call yourself a business owner or freelancer, new projects and new clients mean new revenue.
Reality however, is that many proposals are rejected by potential clients. Clients reject proposals for a variety of reasons.
The best way to prevent a proposal from being rejected is to create a concise, clear and unique proposal for each new potential client.
In this article, we will focus on the steps needed to create a social media management proposal which converts to paying clients!
Customized Social Media Management Proposals
Creating customized proposals is a must for freelancers who work with a variety of businesses in a variety of industries and are looking to accomplish a variety of goals, reaching a very specific target audience.
Not a single one of my own proposals has ever looked the same.
Does that sound like a lot of work? Initially it is! Creating custom proposals was a lot of work until I put systems in place, by creating templates for my proposals and contracts.
I have systems and templates in place for:
- Discovery calls
- Sales processes
- Follow up emails
- Proposal cover letters
…and for proposals.
Proposal Formats That Convert
Once I meet a potential client, via a video call or in-person, I create a unique and customized social media marketing proposal for them. I base the proposal on their business needs, social media goals and current social media strategy. The proposed solution I offer, is unique to their problem.
For many years, I used a written document as my proposal template and it worked. There is nothing wrong with that format. If you like creating written proposal and need some help, there are tools and templates available online to create written proposals quickly and efficiently.
In the last few years I’ve branched out to include more visual proposals.
I now create Powerpoint Presentations as well PDFs (with the use of a tool like Canva) to send beautiful, visual and of course free social media proposals.
Here are some of the formats I use to create customized and unique proposals:
Visual
- PPT
- PDFs
- Video
Written
- Document
One-Off Freelance Project Proposals
As far as small, one-off projects go my advice is to keep proposals simple.
As the project itself might only be a few hours of work, putting in a massive amount of hours to create the perfect proposal will most likely not give you the ROI you are looking for.
This is where you should create a project proposal template of your own: a template that you can customize to use for one-off projects. I have a project proposal template for my speaking business, for example, that I use repeatedly.
With a project template in place, you will spend less time to create new proposals, cutting down on wasting valuable time.
Elements of a Perfect Social Media Management Proposal
What IS the secret sauce to creating a perfect proposal for services you ask?
The secret is both customization and positioning! Let’s start with the customization part.
My proposals include a mix of the the following:
- Cover Letter or Video
- Table of Contents
- Executive Summary
- Scope of work or project
- Hourly rate or Retainer rate
- Platforms to manage
- Frequency of posting
- Detailed summary of responsibilities
- What services are excluded
- Timeline for completing the project, or duration of your proposed services
- Communication expectations
- Goals or work guarantee, if applicable
- Case studies of past client and industries
- Additional costs, or ‘A La Carte' Service items
- Set up/Start up
- Strategic Planning
- Branding Strategy
- Tools
While every potential client deserves a great proposal, over time I have developed a second sense about the success rate of my proposals. I can pretty accurately predict whether a client will accept or decline a proposal, before I send it.
Having templates and systems to send proposals in place is smart business.
What Makes a Potential Client Say Yes To a Proposal?
Here are several ways to help clients make decisions about accepting your proposed services. It's all about positioning yourself as a capable service provider who will improve their business and impact growth.
Add Urgency
Add a date to each proposal. Add language that states ‘this proposal is valid for three weeks from this date’ or add ‘pricing is only valid for 3 weeks, after three weeks please contact XYZ to ask for an updated proposal’. A sense of urgency will result in quicker decisions.
Offer Select Choices
Create proposals with three-tiered offers. After an intake meeting, I create the ‘middle' offer first. That offer is the offer I am hoping to sell. I base that middle proposal on the needs of the client, including their budget if they shared it, their resources and their ‘ask’.
Once I have priced that middle offer, I create a smaller package. I offer less value and this offer is never as attractive as the middle one.
Last but not least, I create a super awesome, the-sky-is-the-limit-offer to show clients all possibilities. Adding this super offer strategically points out the affordability of the middle offer!
Do Follow up
Be willing to follow up! While many proposals ‘sell themselves’ I’ve found that business owners simply get busy and forget to say ‘yes’. Follow up with a friendly call, or email, asking if there are any questions. No answer means no business. By following up, at least you have closure to move on if it's a ‘no'.
Set Clear Expectations
Set expectation on what working with you will be like! Explain in detail what working with you, or your marketing agency, will entail. Talk about the on-boarding process and layout the next steps. Let them know that you are ready to move forward whenever they make a decision.
Proposal vs Contract
A proposal is not a legally binding contract.
Once a client agrees to work with you, it’s up to you to serve them a carefully crafted contract.
You can learn more about our recommendations for contracts here.
HOT TIP: One of the ways to simplify your contract is to ‘copy and paste’ your scope of work from the proposal into your contract!
Proposal Wrap Up
Don't be discouraged if your proposal does not accepted. There always is another client, another opportunity on the horizon.
At the same time, if you are closing deal after deal after deal, it might be time to reassess your fee structure and start charging more for your services!
I am a Certified Social Media Manager, Strategist, International Keynote Speaker, Organic Specialist and Agile marketer! Blogging is my creative outlet. Running, hiking and skiing are how I recharge. You'll recognize me on stage and online by my always present orange glasses, a nod to my Dutch heritage.
