Landing your first social media client can feel like a catch-22. You need experience to get clients, but you need clients to get experience. A killer social media proposal can help you break through that barrier.
Your proposal is your first impression, business case, and sales pitch all rolled into one. It’s your shot to prove you understand their brand, outline your strategy, and show how you’ll deliver results.
Your proposal template can make or break the deal, no matter if you’re a freelancer pitching your first gig or an agency expanding into social media management.
But once you nail your template, you’ll have a repeatable system for winning clients and growing your business.
Use our free social media proposal template to get started right away!
Take time to understand your prospective client’s needs
More than a document, your proposal is your ticket to landing clients. But here’s the catch: You can’t write an epic proposal without doing your homework first.
Great proposals feel custom-made because they are. Many agencies pitch 20–30 times before landing a major client, so the more you refine your proposal, the higher your chances of success.
Here’s how you gather the intel you need to craft an effective social media proposal:
- Start with a discovery call that digs deep. You’ll need to find out what they want and why they want it. What’s keeping them up at night? Are they struggling to reach new customers, or do they need help connecting with their existing audience? Get clear on their business goals, budget, and timeline. And ask to see examples of social content they love (and hate).
- Become a detective in their industry. Spend time scrolling through their competitors’ feeds. What’s working for similar businesses? What gaps can you spot? That research becomes gold when you turn it into a strategy for setting the client’s business apart.
- Audit their current social media presence honestly. Don’t sugarcoat it. If their Instagram looks like they haven’t touched it since 2019, say so. Show them what’s missing and how you’ll fix it.
- Map out their customer journey. Where does their ideal customer hang out online? What content would make them stop scrolling? This insight in your proposal will make clients feel heard.
The sweetest thing about gathering all this info early on is that the proposal writes itself, and clients can’t help but say yes.
What to write in a social media marketing proposal
Now for the main event: writing your proposal. It’s like telling a story about who you are, what you’ll do, and why a potential client should trust you to do it. You want to paint a picture of success that gets clients excited about working with you.
Let’s review exactly what you should include (and in what order) to create a rock-solid social media management proposal.
Start with introductions
People buy from people, not faceless marketing agencies. Your intro section is where you become the expert everyone wants on their team.
This isn’t the time to be modest. Tell them who you are and why you’re passionate about social media marketing. Then back it up with the good stuff that proves you know what you’re doing. This can include:
- How long you’ve been helping businesses grow their social presence
- What makes your approach different
- Who you’ve worked with
- Awards, press mentions, or impressive case studies
- Relevant certifications or training that show you’re serious about staying on top of your game
Clarify the social media goals you’re targeting
This is where you prove you were listening during that discovery call. Generic goals that could apply to any business make your proposal easy to shoot down. Prospects need to know you understand their unique situation and have a plan to fix it.
Here are some tips to guide you:
- Start by mirroring back their world. What’s keeping them stuck? Whatever their pain points, call them out.
- Nail down their top three goals. Are they looking for more foot traffic to their physical stores? Do they want to generate qualified leads? Get crystal clear on what success looks like for them.
- Make sure you have the right tools for the job. That means crafting a social media plan built on what’s already working in their space. And to do that, you need to know things like competitor performance, trending hashtags, and the optimal posting schedule for their target audience. AI is a powerful sidekick for molding all this data into a plan that dominates the social feed.
- Turn big dreams into SMART goals. Increasing brand awareness is nice, but not super measurable. SMART (specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-bound) metrics make your social media strategy feel real and achievable.
One thing to remember: The average conversion rate for social media is 3%. Promising a lofty 25% conversion rate may sound great, but you may be setting yourself up to fail.
Make sure everyone’s on the same page about scope of work
Time to get into the nitty-gritty—what you’ll be doing for them. Vague promises aren’t substitutes for concrete deliverables. Your prospects will want to know exactly what they’re paying for and how smooth the process will be.
Make it super clear by:
- Mapping out your posting game plan. Which platforms make sense for their audience demographics and why? If they’re a B2B company, you might give LinkedIn priority over TikTok. Be strategic about your frequency. It’s better to post quality social media content three times a week than mediocre content daily.
- Streamline their approval process. Skip the endless email chains and confusing feedback looks. Tools like Sked let you send no-login approval links straight to clients so they can review, approve, or request changes. A smooth approval process is a bragging right!
- Breaking down your content creation process. Say whether you’ll be owning the content calendar, designing graphics, sourcing photos, and writing captions. Let them know how far in advance your content will be ready for review.
- Getting specific about reporting. Custom reporting capabilities mean you can customize dashboards to show clients what matters to them. Social media engagement rates, website clicks, follower growth… prospective clients will love knowing they can control what they want to see in the report.
- Having a plan for ongoing management. How quickly will you respond to comments and DMs? What’s your monitoring schedule? Set realistic expectations to keep everyone happy.
Collaborate effortlessly, save time and spend less
Why settle for a lackluster social media management tool when you could be using Sked Social? With unlimited collaborator access, streamlined approvals and advanced auto-post technology that lets you schedule to all major platforms, Sked Social offers everything you need.
Get Started for FREESet clear milestones and deadlines
Goals without deadlines are wishes. Your clients need to know when they’ll see results and how you’ll track progress along the way.
Start with regular check-ins. Spell out your rhythm so clients know when they’ll hear from you, whether that’s monthly or weekly.
Don’t forget to share the big campaign milestones. If you’re launching a product campaign or working toward a big event, break it down into smaller checkpoints, like ‘Week 2: Content Approval’ or ‘Week 6: Mid-Campaign Launch.’
You’ll also want to set expectations for the big stuff. If they want to hit 10K followers in six months, what can they expect at the three-month mark? Provide realistic benchmarks so they know things are working.
Spotlight your past wins
Anyone can promise great results, but proof beats promises every time. Let your work do the talking and show prospects what life will look like after they hire you.
You’ve got a few ways you can structure this section:
- Drop some client love. Share testimonials that mention specific results or describe how you solved the client’s biggest headaches.
- Tell success stories through case studies. Pick 1–3 of your best wins and walk through the before, strategy, and after. Numbers make stories even more compelling.
- Show off your greatest hits. Screenshot engagement spikes, follower growth charts, or website traffic boosts you’ve delivered for past clients.
The more specific, the better. Don’t just say you “increased engagement.” Really demonstrate your impact by telling them you “boosted Instagram engagement by 150% in three months.”
Provide clear next steps
Last but not least, don’t leave the client hanging. Tell them step by step what to do next. Once you’ve made your case, make it easy for them to say yes, whether that’s approving your quote or hopping on a call to iron out the details.
If you’ve effectively made your pitch, taking action should be a no-brainer. Add clickable links that point to your scheduling tool, client agreement, or payment portal wherever possible. Fewer clicks often mean better conversions.
Best practices to follow for a winning social media proposal
Every social media marketer dreams of creating proposals so compelling that clients practically trip over themselves to sign.
Here are some best practices that will help you stand out from your competitors and close more deals:
- Connect every marketing strategy to their bottom line. Don’t just suggest more posts on Instagram; explain how these posts will generate leads for their sales team.
- Set realistic KPIs you can hit. It’s better to promise 20% engagement growth and deliver 35% than to overpromise and underdeliver.
- Name-drop your tools. Mention you’re using professional platforms like Sked Social for scheduling and analytics. It shows you’re serious and have the right systems in place.
- Make it look as good as it sounds. Ditch the basic Word doc and create a branded presentation. Your proposal design is a preview of your work quality.
- Walk them through the proposal live. Book a follow-up call to present your strategy. This is your chance to build rapport, answer questions, and close the deal on the spot.
Be prepared to deliver when you win new clients
Landing a client is where the work finally begins. As your agency grows and you’re juggling multiple social media accounts, staying organized becomes a make-or-break moment for your reputation.
A robust social media management platform like Sked Social is a lifesaver. With unlimited user seats, collaboration tools that keep everyone on the same page, and streamlined approval workflows that cut through client friction like butter, you can scale without the chaos.
If you’re ready to find out how Sked can help you deliver on those big promises and grow your agency, book a demo today!
