Wouldn’t it be fantastic if you could provide a figure for your marketing budget and the key stakeholders agree to it without any scrutiny of the minor details? Unfortunately, that is not how it works.
Several important details influence strategic business decisions, and this explains why most business owners need a thorough breakdown or detailed proposal of what they plan to do and how they’ll get it done.
Content marketing proposals are critical in budget and strategy discussions, whether you are trying to persuade internal decision-makers or selling your services to a client.
Let’s take a look at what these proposals are and how to create one.
What Is A Content Marketing Proposal?
A content marketing proposal is a document stating specific goals, the scope of work, and a pricing plan for a content marketing program.
Like a job proposal, a content marketing proposal seeks to persuade and outline a solution to a significant problem. It tells potential clients everything you can offer their business — and at what cost.
Content Marketing proposals are also helpful for identifying problems, suggesting solutions, and laying out clear objectives that show your preparedness to carry out the project.
Note that a marketing proposal is different from the usual written projects. You are trying to convince your clients to hire you and see why you are the best person for the job and why your strategy is the best to solve their business problems.
What Should A Content Marketing Proposal Contain?
When creating a content marketing proposal, it should depend on the client’s desired need. Here are the key elements your document should contain:
- An Executive Summary
Your proposal seeks to persuade and solve a problem, and giving an overview helps define what you will achieve and how you will go about it. It is more like a mission statement.
The executive summary should be next after the title page. You should identify the client’s organizational needs. Input a brief description of the business and the problems they seek to tackle with the content marketing strategy.
Some examples of problems or goals any business is looking to solve are:
- To generate more lead
- To improve keyword positioning
- Bringing brand awareness
- To Gain and nurture email subscribers.
Knowing your goals before planning will allow you to focus on what is viewed as vital by those you are pitching.
- Data Gathering And Discovery
This section should outline how you’re going to measure your goal, outline keyword targets, and the target audience.
Here are some key metrics below:
- Keyword Search Estimate (KSE)
KSE will give you an idea of the volume and competitiveness of phrases related to your client or organization. These estimates will also help dictate the level of content production necessary to be seen on the first page of SERPs.
- Competitors Link Analysis (CLA)
CLA is an assessment of the link profiles of major competitors where you look at their link-building strategies to gain insights.
This metric is essential for identifying highly authoritative links from which your competitors are ranking and for developing relationships with domains that are open to links.
Also, these metrics will help you understand your client’s business.
- Type Of Content
Content is any material we read or watch online, on television, or in print, such as blog posts, ad copies, social media posts, and videos.
When considering the type of content you are putting together a proposal for, match the target audience your client’s business is looking out to obtain. Provide explanations on how each will benefit the client’s business.
Also, indicate the number of content your clients will receive within the scope when putting together a proposal for content execution.
How To Create An Interactive Content Marketing Proposal?
There are different formats to present your content marketing proposal. It could be in Google Docs, PDFs, or slides. You need to understand the information your client is looking for and the type of work.
To get started, here is a detailed explanation of how to create a great content marketing proposal.
- Create A Cover Page
The cover page, also the title page are the first paper of any project or paperwork. It is what gives the first impression of the marketer or freelancer.
A good proposal cover page typically includes:
- The title of the proposal
- Project title
- Date
- Contact information (name, address, country, phone, email, website)
Use any of the best free procreate brushes online to create beautiful designs with bold fonts that are easy to read. Don’t forget to use colors that reflect the image or brand of the business you’re proposing to.
- Write An Executive Summary
Since you already know what an executive summary is, input it as the next page after the cover page. It should summarize all the key points in the proposal.
Also, the executive summary should highlight the business needs and problems. It should include the target audience and the proposed content marketing strategy.
Discuss the main points you seek to make in the executive summary. So when your client reads it, they know expressly the type of service they are paying to get.
- Outline The Client’s Current Situation
Is the business struggling with sales or with customers? What is the business SWOT analysis? Where are they currently in their business cycle?
In your content marketing proposal, all these things should be fully detailed.
Competitors are a threat to any business. You can outline how the competition for your client is very high and what measures these competitors are taking.
After doing this, ensure you offer a solution that will help your client go head-on and gain an edge. Remember, they are looking to scale up, not just to compete.
- Talk About Your Content Marketing Strategy
Note that this section is not THE content strategy. Don’t put in too much work upfront because you are still a prospect and have not started doing things like keyword research yet.
An effective content marketing strategy should have these five core elements to be successful:
- Audience personas
- Brand story
- Content marketing mission
- Business case
- An action plan
Briefly talk about these elements in a convincing way. Tell your clients about how this strategy has been successful for other clients and why you believe including it is the key to success.
Sell yourself in an efficient way proofs and records.
- Display Your Content Calendar To Your Clients
Create a content calendar for them by getting into the details. Although it might seem a little early, it demonstrates natural initiative and understanding.
Your content calendar’s main objective is to schedule your editorial content in advance. You can maintain organization and consistency with your publishing schedule in this manner.
By scheduling blog posts and articles in advance, you can give thought leaders in your company enough time to create their content despite competing priorities.
- Outline The Budget And Resources Needed
Include a breakdown of the costs of creating and distributing the content and any necessary resources like a content writer or graphic designer.
The budget and cost vary for different people. Choose the best price suitable for the quality you would provide. Some companies want the result but do not want to pay the fee.
As the content strategist, do not limit your prospect to only one pricing option in your proposal.
Giving clients a take-it-or-leave-it choice will only add to their anxiety, hesitation, and doubt. Offer them a few pricing plans to work with and select.
- Estimate The Time Needed To Complete Each Deliverable
People who work as consultants and freelancers operate at very different speeds. You might need an hour to finish something that takes someone else three hours and vice versa.
When choosing your price, consider how long something takes you versus how long you think it will take someone else.
Your client might have his policy of doing things, but as the content strategist, you need to input a feasible time that your client can look forward to for you to carry out your duty.
It’s important to point out how you would carry out your work and how effective the result will be if given the stipulated time.
- Include A CTA For Engagement
A beautiful proposal without a call to action is like wine without a cork. Your goal is to get hired, so you need to tell those prospects what you want them to do—to hire you.
CTAs signal a change from prospects into customers. They mark the beginning of your client’s journey through the sales funnel.
Making the ideal CTA requires careful thought: It’s not something you should take lightly. It should be actionable, specific, and direct.
Remember to input a means to get back to you. An example includes requesting a meeting to discuss the proposal further.
- Proofread, Edit The Proposal
You have taken your time to put up the proposal. Make sure it is free of errors and visually appealing.
For a good proposal, hire an editor or a beta reader who will help spot the mistakes your brain did not take note of when drafting.
Typical Errors to Avoid
Creating a content marketing proposal to nudge new clients down your alley takes beyond just dumping the words down on a sheet of paper and submitting them.
You need to take extra measures and ensure you propose your ideas and solutions in the best way.
- Using The Wrong Format
The two most popular proposal formats are written documents and visual decks.
Using a presentation format might be the best option when you want to inform potential customers about your brand, include testimonials, or go above and beyond.
As for written documents, it’s best to use them only when you’re unable to schedule a virtual or physical meeting with your client.
Knowing when to use either formats will help you achieve the best results.
- Be Specific With The Proposal
It is a proposal, not the content. It should show imperatively the problems and solutions that will achieve the goals.
List out the primaries and keep out redundancy.
- Keep Your Attention Off Yourself
Marketers prepare content marketing proposals because they have value to offer to a business. When drafting your content proposal, do not brag about what you’ve done and how good you are (these are important) but focus on the client.
- Stay Interesting
Make your language as alluring as possible—dare to be original! If you know that your client isn’t fluent in the language you speak, you could hire a translator.
Speak in a friendly yet professional manner, as it will make your clients know that you know what you’re doing.
Conclusion
Your content marketing proposal is as important as a plane ticket. It is your one-way ticket to getting that dream client of your choice.
Remember, you don’t have to make it perfect but ensure it is relevant. Outline the problems of your client’s business and the solutions that will help them achieve their goals.
Author Bio: Vibhu Dhariwal is a Co-Founder & Director of Marketing at Digital Gratified, a SaaS Digital Marketing Agency. He likes sharing his experience in outreach marketing, link building, content marketing, and SEO with readers.
