Everyone has to begin somewhere right? Even if you’ve been following the gurus, even investing in some courses, there’s still that FIRST obstacle of…how do I get my first social media client?
It’s not easy, we understand. But here’s how you can put your best foot forward.
You should include the following in a proposal to a lead or prospect:
- Find out what the CLIENT’S goals are
- Outline your strategy
- Create some great images simply for a portfolio
- Research hashtags and give a list
- Look up their competitors in the space
- Give a summary of the various schedulers
- Tell them who you learn from
Find out what the CLIENT’S goals are
Many clients will come to you without a solid idea of what they NEED to do in order to accomplish what they WANT. They will simply think, “I know social media is important, but I don’t have time.”
So that’s where, even you as a beginner, can give them a taste of PURPOSEFUL social media strategy, rather than just spray and pray.
Make sure you know what your client’s goals actually are. And keep in mind, that their goals might be quite vain. “I want 500k likes on my Facebook page.” Okay, yeah…so what right? What does that even mean? You have two choices when a prospect says this…either…okay, here’s how I’ll do it, or…why do you want 500k likes? At which point, you’ll find the REAL answer. I suggest option 2 as it’ll help you understand the real goal, and make it easier to craft a proposal.
Outline your strategy
You want to outline how you strategically attack social media. I know some people worry that this gives away the farm, but it does not..and here’s why. MOST PEOPLE who need a social media manager are lacking in TIME. So when you give them the strategy, you help reassure your prospect that your work is not just random and all over the place. Sure they could take your strategy and run, but it’s NEVER been my experience. Rather the opposite. It builds trust quickly and I’m HIRED. #boom
Create some images for your portfolio
What a prospect needs to see is your design eye, and that you know what the right sizes are for social media. So drum up some for yourself, or if you’re feeling really motivated, go to their website and create a few pro-bono for them!
Research hashtags and give a list of ones you’ll use
Again, I know what you’re thinking…Then why do they need me? Because you are giving them the gift of time, which is ultimately what they need back. Hashtags are not a secret. All this does is add MORE credibility to YOU as an authority. It does not diminish your ability to get the job. You can start curating a list of popular hashtags, so when you send out a proposal, you can grab it and copy and paste.
Look up their competitors in the space
A good proposal will include some information about the prospect’s competitors. Something like, “I looked up other people in your industry, and here’s how I would effectively leverage your competition to benefit you.” Then go ahead and lay it out there in outline form. You don’t need to go into detail.
Give a summary of the tools you can use
There are LOTS out there, and no one expects you to know them all. Here’s what you can do if you don’t have experience with any…or most of them.
In your proposal, write.. “SOCIAL MEDIA TOOLS I CAN USE” and then list them out.
You’re not saying you’re an expert, you’re not saying you have experience, you’re simply saying…YES, I am willing to use this tool. And it goes without saying, you have to be willing to learn its ins and outs if you get the job.
Doing this shows you have flexibility, you know the tools out there, and you’re willing to work with whatever systems they have currently deployed in their business.
Tell them who you learn from
As a final insurance, list out the people you read and study from religiously. We also let our members use our name, since we are respected in the digital marketing space, to say…we study under _________. List out the people you follow! I did this and landed a Facebook Ads client when I explained that I used a training from Amanda Bond.
Final thoughts
I know this seems like a lot of work, but if you set it up once, then you can tweak it for every new prospect. Get one rocking and rolling in a Google Doc and brand it with your colors. You’ll impress your prospect, trust me!
Rachel says
Hi Julie,
Thank you so much for this awesome information. One thing I’d like to ask is how would I create a “cold” proposal to prospective clients I haven’t met yet to find out what their Social Media goals are?
Many Thanks