Taking the first step is always the hardest, especially so when you have no prior experience in doing that specific task. If you are currently reading this post, this means that you are interested in finding out how to create a digital marketing proposal. Below are some helpful tips and tricks to help you get started!
But wait, what is a digital marketing proposal and how is it any different from a normal proposal?
A digital marketing proposal is a detailed plan that includes all deliverables that will be executed during the digital marketing campaign. It includes but are not limited to budget, channels and mediums that will be used, specific action and implementation plans and duration of the campaign etc. As all proposals are different, there is no one-size-fits-all way of coming up with a digital marketing proposal. However, there is a certain flow of events that needs to be detailed in the plan.
At the end of the day, you will be presenting this proposal to your stakeholders and you will need to convince them why your proposal is best suited for the company. Stakeholders are people who have direct or indirect interest to the organisations. They can be your managers, colleagues, investors, customers, and shareholders. Their actions can have a positive or negative impact to the company.
The Search for Information
The first thing you should always do before starting a digital marketing proposal, or in fact any proposal – research, research, research! Make sure to carry out an internal and external analysis, also known as SWOT analysis, as it allows you to draw on what your company excels in, helps to overcome the shortcomings, mitigates risks to create a successful strategy.
How Smart Are You?
When coming up with your digital marketing proposal, make sure to stick to the SMART objectives! This is to ensure that you are clear on how you would achieve the deliverables in the digital marketing proposal. It also prevents you from getting side-tracked or overlooking important information.
Specific: Specify exactly what you wish to accomplish in the plan – who, what, when, where, why and how?
Measurable: Provide a way to show how the goals have been achieved by using metrics or data targets for example
Attainable: The plan needs to be achievable and can be accomplished within your means
Relevant: The plan must be aligned to your overall objectives and realistic
Time-based: Set deadlines and state when it will be done
I hope these tips and tricks were useful for you be it in developing your new digital marketing proposal or improving your existing plan. I would love to hear your thoughts on my post. Please share with me in the comments section below and I would be glad to interact with you!
A Digital Marketing Blog 
Hi Charmaine!
Great blog post on how to write a digital marketing proposal! Really love the way how you synthesise many steps in to a simple and concise blog post!
While both SWOT and SMART are important steps when creating a digital marketing proposal, I believe that SMART goals are more important, as goals are basically what you want to achieve, from start to finish. Having a poorly constructed goal might hinder your proposal, as well as your ability to succeed in garnering your stakeholder’s trust!
What about you, which step do you think is more important?
LikeLike
Hi Raymond, thank you for taking the time to read my blog post and the kind comment!
I personally agree with your point as well – I feel that SMART goals are more important as it is what you plan to do moving forward. Without SMART goals, you might set weak goals and it will be hard to achieve and you might even get sidetracked and focus on the wrong things instead.
However, I feel that at the end of the day, both SWOT and SMART goals are both essential to creating a good proposal. SWOT analysis helps you to look at your business objectively without being bias and find areas that can be improved on. SMART goals then help you attain these objectives efficiently, makes sure you are doing the right things and ensure that you are heading in the right direction. A well-balanced strategic proposal would need to incorporate both SWOT analysis and SMART goals.
I hope this answered your question, Raymond. Have a nice day!
LikeLike
Hi Charmaine, insightful and concise post. Do you have any suggestions on how marketers can make their digital marketing proposal stand out?
Would love to hear what you think!
LikeLike
Hi Amelia, glad you found my post helpful.
Marketers have to be different and more creative in order to stand out from the rest. They need to have their own personal touch in their proposal to make it uniquely theirs so that other people will not be able to imitate or copy their proposal.
Marketers should also always do their research to make sure that they have enough knowledge on the subject. They need to understand their target audience and how to capture their attention from the very beginning.
I hope these suggestions are useful to you. Have a nice day!
LikeLike
Good day Charmaine!
What an interesting read on how to write a digital marketing proposal!
Do you think a SWOT analysis of your own company is enough? Or would it be more advisable to do an SWOT analysis for your direct competitors as well?
Would like to hear from you soon!
LikeLike
Hi Jewelie, glad you enjoyed reading my post!
I think it is essential to do a SWOT analysis on both your own company and your direct competitors. You will be able to know how to deal with your competitors’ strengths, leverage on their weaknesses, take advantage of any opportunities they create and manage any threats they pose by carefully analyzing them through SWOT analysis.
Likewise, it is essential to do a SWOT analysis for your own company to see where you are standing as compared to your competitors. From there, you can tackle on your company’s weaknesses and strengthen on what your company is doing well.
I hope this answers your question, cheers!
LikeLike