Persuasive
Marketing
Proposals
How to Write Persuasive
Marketing Proposals
How to Write Persuasive
Marketing Proposals
While your job as a marketer may be to promote and sell
other peoples products and services, you probably hate
doing it for yourself. Writing and submitting proposals isnt the
most exciting part of marketing and the last thing you want to do
is spend your valuable time writing proposals.
Unfortunately, a proposal is a bit like writing a high-school essay,
its not your favorite thing to do, but you have to do it.
You might be completely clueless about where to start, what to
write, or even why previous proposals havent worked. In fact,
youd much rather be creating high conversion content for your
clients, not yourself.
The truth is that you need those clients rst.
And landing the best clients, the biggest names, and the best
pay, means writing proposals and doing it well. You have to
market yourself before you can market them.
But while writing proposals is an unfortunate fact of life, it doesnt
have to be such a pain. You can take steps to make writing and
submitting proposals as easy as possible.
How? By creating a proposal writing system, you can reduce the
amount of time and effort you spend on each proposal, while still
churning out top-quality proposals that land you the clients you
deserve.
Taking the time to learn about writing persuasive proposals
now can help you to reduce time investment and hassle in
the future. Once youve learned the basics, its easy to create
your own system and start converting the high-prole clients
youve always wanted.
Ready? Lets get started!
The Anatomy of a
Persuasive Proposal
5 Essential Elements Every Proposal
Should Have
Most proposals will vary in length and style from project to
project, but each should follow the same basic structure. You
dont have to worry about putting tons of creativity into each one,
and thats the point.
Any marketing proposal should contain the following ve
elements, regardless of the complexity or length of the
project.
1. The Problem Statement
The clients issues are typically more complex than the listed
required services and it is your job to gure out what they are.
Prove to your prospective client that you know what they need,
and you will get the job. This is your problem statement.
A winning problem statement tells the client what they need,
not what they want. It nds the root of the issue and offers
the client a solution rather than a service.
You may be bidding on a PPC & SEO campaign to generate X
number of clicks, but thats not why the client is hiring a
marketer. In fact, the number of clicks probably isnt the issue at
all.
The purpose of any business, including yours, is to make money.
And instigating trafc hardly ever generates revenue. If they just
wanted trafc, they could easily buy that for next to nothing.
Instead, theyre hiring an expensive marketer to generate these
clicks for them.
You have to look at the heart of the issue to nd the real
problem. The reason they want to pay someone money to drive
trafc. Why is your prospective client looking to increase
trafc?
Your problem statement addresses this issue and explains to the
client that you know what they need. Check out this example
proposal to get an idea of what it looks like.
ABC Company is looking to generate
1,000,000 new clicks over the next 12
months through a digital marketing
campaign. The campaign should feature
SEO, PPC, and Social, and should include
monthly research, updates, and analytics
reports.
In this example, the marketer explains what the company is
looking for on the surface, explains the skills and services
required, but does nothing to explain the results and signicance
of those services. Importantly, it doesnt describe why a
marketing campaign to generate 1,000,000 new clicks would
benet the business in the rst place.
This example simply reiterates the clients needs without telling
them what you can do for them. It does nothing to sell itself, or
you, as a marketer. In fact, it probably blends in with most of your
competitors opening proposals.
Bottom line: this problem statement doesnt address the
real issues.
Now lets say you took the rst problem statement, and made it
look like this?
ABC Company has seen a marked
increase in the number of online
competitors over the past two years. Many
of these companies already engage in
aggressive social, SEO, and marketing
campaigns, and the result is that many of
ABC Companys former customers are
now moving on to better advertised
options.
ABC Company could combat this issue by
instigating their own digital marketing
campaign targeted towards their customer
demographic. The resulting campaign
would be targeted with keywords
researched to instigate high-conversion
clicks from those likely to purchase from
ABC Company, therefore driving sales up.
The campaign should include a multi-prong
digital marketing strategy including PPC,
SEO, and Social Media, with a minimum of
a 12-month management, research, and
analytics program to ensure its success.
This revised problem statement explains not only the problem,
but also what you intend to do about it. Its eye catching because
it tells your prospective client that you know their issue, and you
know how to solve it. In this case, they dont need extra clicks,
they need to compete with competitors and in so doing, drive up
sales.
You will have to spend a few minutes researching each company
to nd their real problems. This is mostly because many clients
have trouble voicing, explaining, or even identifying their issues,
and some may automatically assume you already know what the
problem is.
Present the clients real problem from the very start of your
proposal. Doing so will grab their attention and make your
proposal stand out from your competitors.
Whats really driving the client to offer this project?
If you use your problem statement to answer your clients needs
rather than wants, then your proposal is already off to a good
start.
Youre ready to move on to part two of building a successful
proposal: the solution.
2. Your Proposed Solution
After letting your prospective clients know that you understand
the issue, its your job to present your services as the best
solution for their needs. Knowing the motivation behind their
problems puts you at a unique selling vantage because you can
market your skills directly towards what they need.
You can gure out how your skills can uniquely address their
problems, and hopefully in ways that your competitors cant.
Most businesses use some sort of marketing, but no one is going
to hire you just because youre a marketer. Clients will hire you
for your unique ability to create high conversion trafc and sales,
or essentially, because you can make them money.
Trafc is an essential part of marketing, but its sales that
generate revenue. Highlight your unique services and their
effect or benets to grab clients attention.
Now take that idea and turn it into a winning solution by
describing not just your services, but the cause and effect of
your services on the clients business.
Heres an example proposed solution to help you understand the
point better. For example:
The campaign should include a multi-prong
digital marketing strategy including PPC,
SEO, and Social Media, with a minimum of
a 12-month management, research, and
analytics program to ensure its success.
Whats in it for me?
This proposed solution doesnt do you a lot of favors as a
marketer because it doesnt stand out. It blends in with
potentially hundreds of other proposals, and it does not sell your
services.
All it does is list a couple of proposed actions without saying how
they affect the clients business. Essentially, all youre doing is
listing your own services.
Now check out this proposed solution:
ABC Company must implement a
marketing strategy focused on recapturing
trafc and market sales from competitors.
This will start with a trafc and data
analysis campaign, customer demographic
analysis, and targeted keyword research.
Analysis and research will be followed with
a content strategy focused on building
high-conversion trafc with the intent of
making sales. The actuation phase will
include SEO optimization for the website,
an active social media page, and PPC
aimed at the companys sales
demographic.
In this instance, the marketer explains what services would
provide a solution, and how those services benet the
company, by helping to recapture trafc from competitors.
Providing a detailed analysis of your services sounds difcult, but
in reality, it makes them seem more valuable. In some cases,
naming options like keyword research and market analysis to the
table provide extra value to services that you would have
provided anyway.
Make it easy for your prospective clients to see the value you are
offering. Most clients wont know anything about marketing or
they wouldnt be hiring in the rst place. Try outlining what your
clients get when they hire you in your proposal.
3. Benets
Outlining a problem and a solution would be enough in a world
with no competition, but that is not the case. Instead, you have to
outline the benets of your specic services so that you can sell
those services.
Convincing your prospective client that they need you is half the
battle.
The client already knows that you understand their problem and
that you have a solution. But whats in it for them? Why are you
better than anyone else?
Chances are, your prospective client might not even know what
your services are, let alone what they entail. If they do know
what your services are, they still might not understand it will
benet their business. Whats PPC.
You know what your solutions will do for your clients, but
do they?
Most of your prospective clients wont understand the benets of
your recommended solution on their own. Youre the marketing
expert, and your job is to make the benets of your services
clear.
Try treating your solutions the same way you treated the clients
issues in the problem statement. Go beneath the surface of the
solution to come up with the long-term effects and benets.
Show your prospective client exactly what you could do for them
in ways they can understand.
Heres an example:
Well get to know you and your company
so that your marketing strategy represents
the real ABC Company. Well start a social
media page that attracts fans, builds long-
term customer relationships, and drives
repeat-sales.
We will research keywords to build a Pay
Per Click (PPC) campaign that drives as
many sales as possible. Well use those
same keywords in an SEO campaign to
help boost your natural search trafc, and
overall web visibility.
Taking the time to write down the exact benets of each
proposed solution or service will help you to communicate those
services to your potential customers. Outlining the results and
benets of your solution separates you from your competitors,
and it gives clients a tangible reason to hire you. Outlining
benets is a key part to writing persuasive proposals.
4. Pricing Information
Once youve outlined the problem, offered a viable solution, and
explained the benets of your services, your prospective clients
probably have another important question.
How much is this going to cost?
A higher gure is not a deterrent to quality clients, especially if
youve done a good job outlining the benets and effects of your
solution. Unfortunately, a confusing pricing section will turn them
off.
Make your pricing chart or system easy for clients to follow.
This is an essential element of any pricing section.
One of the easiest ways to make pricing easier to understand is
to use grid typography to format your pricing. Heres a quick
example:
Customized Marketing Solution $11,499
Market Analysis Well do an in depth analysis on your
market potential, competitors, and target demographic to
provide you with a complete market analysis that you can
use to boost sales.
Keyword Research Well research the keywords and
high-sales converting phrases that you need for your ads
and SEO.
Pay Per Click CampaignWell run a pay per click
campaign for you to directly boost your sales.
SEO Campaign Well SEO Optimize your website, build
backlinks, and increase your Page Rank to grow traffic and
search based sales.
Social Management Well take over and manage your
social pages to create a highly engaging community that
builds customer relations to provide long term repeat sales,
and higher customer satisfaction.
Project Total $11,499
Youll notice that this outline offers two main benets to readers.
The rst is that its not complicated, you dont have to be a
nancial whiz to understand what you get for the money. Youre
also not pricing each service. By breaking down prices at a
high level, you avoid confusion, and you avoid the impression
that any of these services are for sale individually.
While you may be tempted to try to undercut your competitors,
keep in mind that psychological price hacks are often more
successful at standing out in a crowd.
For most proposals, a short Fee Summary is perfect for
explaining the costs of your marketing project. A summary is a
short overview of total costs, with information about what youre
getting.
Sometimes you will have longer, more in-depth, and more
complex projects that require a longer fee section. A Fee
Schedule covers portions of the total price, any specic project
milestones, and the do break down pricing a little more than your
summary. Once again, break down prices at a high level, even
for fee schedules, and tell prospective clients what theyre paying
for at each milestone.
5. Call to Action
When most people nish reading a proposal, or any other type of
email, their rst reaction is to set it aside. Usually to go read
something else. Not because you didnt impress them with your
proposal, but because they want time to think, and then get back
to it later.
Even if you created a killer proposal that convinced your
prospect that you are the best marketer for their needs, you can
still lose them at this point.
Why? Because inboxes ll up, people forget, and people often
quickly confuse one item with another. Its not enough to get
them to plan to get back to you, because it might never happen.
Follow up a strong proposal with a direct call to action. Ask
your clients to follow through now.
Yes, it seems like an obvious addition to a proposal, but many
people leave it out. Most people dont expect to have to ask for
action, but the truth is that clients are just as busy, stressed, and
forgetful as you are. Make sure you ask them to respond or act
in some way.
You want to make moving forward with the project easy so: 1) tell
clients how to contact with you to move forward with the hire and
2). Make it easy.
Heres a quick example of a call to action:
To proceed with this digital marketing plan,
ABC Company is required to take the
following steps:
1.Accept the proposal as-is or discuss any
desired changes. Please note that changes
to the scope of the project can be made at
any time, but additional charges may apply.
2.Finalize and sign contract.
3.Submit initial milestone payment of $979.
Once these steps have been completed we
will begin the project with a preliminary
meeting to discuss company policies, and
media scheduling.
This kind of call to action clearly explains what is expected of the
prospective client if they want to move forward with you. The call
to action lists a clear number of options, and even alternatives,
before offering follow-up information, in the form of what
happens after the client accepts.
Dont forget the call to action! A call to action makes it easy for
clients to hire you. Dont forget it!
Putting It All Together
Structuring a Persuasive Proposal
Now that you know the essential elements of a proposal and
what they contain, lets put them together to create the basic
structure youll need for templates.
Once youve got a good idea of what goes into a proposal, you
can put everything together to create your own. Lets try with the
ve basic elements discussed above.
The structure for a standard design proposal goes like this:
1.Problem Statement
2.Proposed Solution
3.Benets
4.Pricing Information
5.Call to Action
One thing to keep in mind is that you can use different terms or
headers in your section. Each of the ve elements go by a
number of names, and you can utilize most of them, just try to
keep phrasing uniform throughout the proposal.
Problem Statement can also go by Client Needs, Client
Goals, Client Objectives, or Goals and Objectives, or
Statement of Need.
Proposed Solution can also go by Recommended Solution
or Recommended Strategy.
Pricing Information can also go by Fee Summary (for
shorter projects), Fee Schedule (for longer projects), or Project
Pricing.
Making Proposal Writing
a Repeatable Process
Turning It into a System
Writing proposals isnt fun, but it is a highly effective marketing
strategy that will put you ahead of your competition. Many people
try to save time by sending cost estimates instead of proposals,
and this puts you ahead of the game.
Big clients expect quality proposals from their potential
employees. That means submitting a proposal increases your
chances of success before its even opened. A well-written,
persuasive proposal is even more valuable, because it justies
your costs and value to the client.
You can use the ve elements of a proposal to create a structural
system so that you can more easily churn out quality proposals.
An easier way to handle proposals is to use Bidsketch proposal
software, which creates the system and the proposal for you so
that you have very few manual steps to complete. The end result
is that you save time so youve got plenty of it for making
marketing magic happen once clients accept your proposal.
Software lets you quickly and easily design professional
proposals without the time or monetary investment of doing it
yourself, or hiring an actual professional.
The research and solutions are still up to you to nd, but youll be
able to use that information in a beautifully structured proposal
that makes clients want to hire you.
If you cant use proposal software, then you still want to make
sure that you use templates to save time. You can create your
own system manually if you choose.
Creating Your Own
Proposal Templates
A Manual Alternative to Proposal
Software
Even if you cant use software to save on labor, you still want to
use systematic templates to save time when creating your
proposals. A basic template will give you a guide that you can
easily ll out whenever you need a new proposal, which speeds
up the entire proposal writing process.
Microsoft Word and alternatives like OpenOfce are both
suitable for creating templates. Most markets require at least two
templates, one for smaller proposals, and one for large or
complicated projects.
Ready? Lets get started.
Small Proposal Templates
A small template design is great for any smaller clients who need
short term, part time, or minimal amounts of work. While some
marketers might not feel the need to submit a full proposal for
this sort of work, you can build credibility, and make your
application stand out by using one.
Try not to make your small proposals too long. This template is
for around two pages of proposal, which is about perfect for
telling smaller clients what you can offer without droning on, or
becoming boring. You want to be succinct.
If you dont know how, check Microsoft Words basic instructions
for creating a Template here. Or visit the OpenOfce Wiki here to
do the same in Open Ofce.
Heres a basic structure for a small proposal template:
Client Needs (problem statement)
Recommended Solution (proposed solution)
Benets
Fee Summary (pricing information)
Next Steps (call to action)
Large Proposal Templates
Large proposal templates are perfect for long, complex, and
involved projects where your potential clients may want or need
more information to make a decision.
Youll want to have a large proposal template around for any sort
of marketing project that includes more than one type of work, or
that runs for a longer period of time.
Heres a basic structure for the large proposal template:
Goals and Objectives (problem statement)
Recommended Solution (proposed solution)
Benets
Fee Summary (pricing information)
Fee Schedule: Outlines different points where youll receive
partial payments of the total project cost for completed work
Estimated Project Schedule: gives prospective clients an
estimated timeline for marketing results, how many hits they
should expect per month, and details about expected ROI,
SEO results, and any other ad or social campaign that might
be included.
Heres a quick example of a project timeline, taken from the free
marketing proposal template:
Next Steps (call to action)
Terms and Conditions: Terms and conditions are more
important on larger projects where more money is at stake.
These are typically also included in any contract or NDA
signed by either party.
Heres a quick sample of an appropriate Terms & Conditions
taken from our free proposal template.
Note: You can modify your Terms and Conditions depending on
the client and your situation. You can also run it by an attorney if
you have any doubts about language, implications, or
agreements listed within.
Dont overdo it! You dont need a small book to make a good
impression. A proposal that is four or ve pages long is about
perfect for offering the right amount of information to the client.
Making It Look
Professional
First Impressions Are Everything
First impressions create a lasting brand image, especially when
youre in marketing.
Your proposal is the rst representation of your brand that your
clients will see. If you want them to let you manage their brand,
you have to impress them with yours. Your proposal is your
chance to make an unforgettable rst impression.
The presentation and layout of your proposal are just as
important as your content. No one will be hiring someone who
sends a proposal that is sloppy, poorly designed or confusing.
You need every element of the presentation to speak for you, to
show your professionalism, and your attention to detail.
How do you create a great looking proposal without software?
1. Elegant Design
Your proposal effects how prospective clients see you as a
creative, and as a marketer, especially if youre also offering
graphic design services.
If youre using proposal software, design isnt an issue. If youre
using a template, try creating a subtle design for the header and
footer of your proposal pages.
Dont be too bold. Big clients will expect an elegant and often
understated proposal. Therefore, take the time to create
something subtle that enhances, rather than detracts from, the
proposal.
Try to aim for something that says detail oriented professional
without saying trying too hard. Its harder than it sounds, but
thats the drawback of doing things yourself.
2. Helper Text
If you dont have proposal software when you rst start writing
proposals, youre not going to automatically remember what to
put between your subheadings. Use placeholder text to remind
or help you with lling out information.
Some of the paragraphs from the Anatomy of a Persuasive
Proposal in this eBook should work for the purpose. Feel free to
copy and paste them. This should give you a basic checklist of
what to go over when lling out your template.
Pay attention! Make sure you delete your placeholder text
before sending it to your prospective client. Accidentally sending
unedited parts of the document, or the proposal with placeholder
and real text still in place can be a disaster.
Youll also want to make sure that you only cover information
about the specic project the proposal is for. Using general
marketing language on an SEO based project is sure to lose you
the bid.
Irrelevant information is a waste of time. If its not about the
clients needs, skip it.
The result is that your proposal is all about the prospective
clients needs, which is sure to grab their attention. You want
your proposal to be specic, not universal.
3. Should I Say Something about My Company?
Youre probably proud of your work in marketing, especially if
youve worked with big clients in the past. Many marketers spend
time talking about their history, their previous clients, and their
skills when they should be talking about the clients needs.
Most companies only care about this information to the extent
that it can benet them. If working with your big client gave you
experience that can solve their problems, then it may be
relevant, otherwise, probably not.
Your proposal template already includes everything you
need to persuade your client (problem statement, proposed
solution, pricing information, etc.).
You can also direct prospective clients to your website to nd out
more about you, your history, and your previous clients. A
website that showcases your work is the perfect addition to a
proposal, without talking too much about you.
If you decide that you need an About Us or Clients section in
your proposal, try adding it at the end of the proposal, and
importantly after the pricing information. Adding it sooner
interrupts the ow of your proposal, which reduces the
professional appearance and layout of your document.
By leaving the Company section at the end of the page, you
make it optional for clients who are interested in reading about
you. This way, clients who dont want to read about you dont
have to.
Tools, Resources, and
Next Steps
Hopefully you have a better understanding by now of: 1) what a
compelling marketing proposal looks like; 2) how to create one
that will separate you from your competitors; and 3) how to make
proposal writing as painless and efcient as possible by turning it
into a system.
Youll have to keep writing and submitting proposalsthats
just the name of the gamebut you can make it easy to get
them out to clients quickly and save you time and trouble.
The easiest way to do this is to use Bidsketch proposal software.
This gives you the structure and presentation you need to get
your proposals out quickly and effectively.
You could also follow the directions above to create your own
proposal templates manually. Itll take a time investment, but
youll set yourself up for more free time to focus on clients going
forward.
If you are going the template route and dont quite know where to
get started, weve made a free marketing proposal template
available. You can model it or use it for a little inspiration to get
started.
Another thing you can do to help grow your marketing business
is to check out the Bidsketch blog. Theres a ton of free,
actionable content availablewhether its about negotiating
higher rates with clients, being more productive, or promoting
your marketing businessand we update it often.
Finally, if you havent done so already, hop on to the Bidsketch
email list. Youll receive a free eBook about marketing strategies
to get more clients, along with fresh new content delivered
straight to your inbox as soon as its released.
Best of luck in creating winning marketing proposals!
