Learn how to create an easy and effective social media proposal that clients and stakeholders will love. Free proposal template included!
Christina Newberry, Stacey McLachlan February 1, 2024 6 min read
It doesn’t matter what an incredible Instagrammer you are or how TikTok-savvy you may be. If you want to win business as a social media marketer, you don’t just need the skills. You need a convincing social media proposal, too.
For solo freelance social media managers and marketing agencies alike, social media proposals are essential for growing your business — so you’d better be prepared to knock it out of the park.
Luckily, we’ve got you covered with this step-by-step guide to creating a proposal and a free social media proposal template to help you craft your own in just a few minutes.
Quickly create your own social media proposal with our free and easy-to-use template .
A social media marketing proposal is a comprehensive document that outlines your strategy, goals, and tactics for managing a client’s social media presence. (FYI, we’ve got a social media proposal example below.)
It serves as a roadmap (beep beep!), helping both you and your client understand the objectives, deliverables, and expected outcomes of your social media efforts.
To kick things off, you’ll need to figure out what those goals are.
Then, you can share a game plan for how you’ll help and what success will look like.
A professional social media proposal should also include the dirty details: timeline, deliverables, and budgets.
Throughout the proposal, you’ll also establish your expertise in the field and demonstrate why you’re the right person (or firm) for the job. After all, a social media proposal isn’t just about what a company should do… it’s about who should do it. (You! It’s always been you!)
Your social media proposal is also your chance to outline expectations, promises, and responsibilities right out of the gate so your working relationship with a new client has no unpleasant surprises.
A social media proposal becomes crucial when you’re aiming to collaborate with clients on developing and executing a strategic social media plan.
Whether you’re a freelance social media manager or part of an agency, having a proposal in place is essential before kicking off any campaign.
Integrating the social media proposal into your workflow is key to a seamless collaboration process.
It should be presented after initial discussions and consultations with the client, clearly outlining what they can expect from your services. This ensures that both parties are aligned before any work begins.
What problems are they facing? What needs do they have? Don’t skimp on the detective work here. Go deep and research your client’s industry, target audience, and competitors. Our guide to competitive analysis on social media walks you through this process.
Of course, along with your sleuthing, you’ll want to actually ask your prospects what they think, too. Whether that’s through a discovery call or intake form, get the answers you need straight from the source. (For more details on what questions to ask and where to find the answers, check out our guide to conducting a social media audit.)
That being said, if you’re responding to an RFP (request for proposal) and not dealing directly with your potential client, you might not have the option to grill ’em.
In that case, get familiar with the request doc and use Hootsuite’s social listening features to help you gather valuable insights that will inform your strategy.
(Psst: Download your own version of this timeline in our handy social media proposal template)
Including milestones and check-ins is a good idea to keep everyone happy and informed… and keep you on track.
At this point, it’s also helpful to share a transparent breakdown of the budget and resources required for the campaign. This includes ad spend, content creation costs, and any additional tools or platforms needed… and your fee. (Whether that’s a flat rate or by the hour is up to you and your client to decide.)
When your big plan pays off, how will you know? It’s important to agree early on what defines success: what will the key performance indicators be?
Outline how you’ll measure the viability of the campaign. (Hot tip: Hootsuite’s analytics tools are an easy way to show your client the real-time impact of your efforts. In your reports, you can compare social metrics over time and even across networks.)
A social media audit is the best way to review and improve any social marketing strategy. Our free checklist and template make it easy.
Having the right social media management tools will save you a ton of time, effort, and money on social media.
These free social media templates will save you a ton of time and effort, from creating content, to publishing posts and measuring results.
