This checklist – document is intended to act as a guide as you work through and complete the template for a Social Media Engagement Campaign proposal. This SMEC proposal is intended to serve as a basis for constructive in-team discussion on a given idea and/or the basis for requesting client approval and agreement to required investment of time and 3rd party expenses before commencing work on the basis of a verbal agreement!
Executive Summary – In this short paragraph you must capture your reader’s imagination! Paint a picture of the experience and how it will effect the desired effect.
You should have Persona defined or at least a Lean Marketing Customer Segment (CS) definition. Use it. Generalize it. Again create a very short but descriptive picture of optimal target audience this campaign intends to cater to and insinuate the prospect’s need it answers.
Here you return to the clear but concise business language of what the objective of this campaign is. In essence you are defining the Key Performance Indicators the client agrees to when they buy into the campaign idea and agreee to it’s execution.
Where the "vision" described the picture as experienced by the target of the campaign, the concept describes the underlying marketing rational – why the marketing initiative has the potential of succeeding in achieving the objectives described above!
If the client is giving away a discount or in any other manner earning less income as a result of the campaign (raffles, loss leaders etc.) this is an "indirect" cost.
Fees for services to outside vendors that are directly attributable to this campaign be they one-time costs, graphic designer, copy writer or technical support or fee-for-service for the duration of the campaign such as Shortstack or some online survey service – all of these are 3rd party costs and should be listed in bullets with a total listed below the list.
If there is staffing costs, hours of effort specifically required because of this campaign and above and beyond the existing hours already agreed to by the client within the framework of our agreement with them, they must be listed in bullet form with associated costs.
Obviously "brand" promotion initiatives will have less of a direct measurable "return on investment". None the less, if the client has the appropriate prospect management / Customer Relations Management software, they can over time track the effectiveness of a given campaign (or combination of campaigns) by analyzing the downstream conversions in light of previous marketing contact.
Where the campaign is more eCommerce oriented and intended to generate direct sales or even direct subscriptions to an income generating event like a webinar, if the results can be directly attributable to the marketing effort, knowing the Cost of Lead (COL) is a kind of ROI that the client can compare against other marketing efforts trying to achieve the same result.
Why is this campaign idea better than competing ideas. This could be an explanation of why it is more effective? It could be that it is equally effective but costs less and therefore more cost effective.
Here is where you can expand on things mentioned in the "concept". Here you can "justify" the costs itimized ealier explaining how they deliver an impact greater than other methods (focus on the pluses not the negativew comparisons)
The more transparent you are with the client, the more they will trust you. If there is a downside to the initiative, it is better to spell it out here that to have a client "wakeup" to the shortcoming later on and demand "why didn’t you tell me . . . "
Manage your client’s expectations! Make certain that your estimates are realistic and that you have a little "insurance" – at least 15%. Clarify how much time each phase of the campaign will take and don’t underestimate preparation nor minimize the importance of taking time to "wrapup" a campaign, analyze its results and draw conclusions from it for future reference for this client (or others).
Some times a particular campaign is dictated by the client. Sometimes it is simply the objective that narrows the focus of a particular campaign, what comes after is of less interest at that point in time. It is your role as a Social Media Marketing specialist to make certain the client is aware that the investment they are making might have short term benefits or that if the focus of the campaign is expanded (say seen as a feeder campaign for subsequent marketing activity) the ROI could be significantly greater. This is what you use "Additional Considerations" or "Follow Through Ideas" for.
Upload your SMEC in Word or PDF format for review and feedback.
