Tips on Writing an Effective Social Media Marketing Request For Proposal (RFP)

About a year in the past, I wrote a piece of writing with suggestions on writing a web site design and improvement Request for Proposal (RFP), which received a incredible response. Now I assume it's high time to do the same component for the ones wishing to have interaction an corporation for Social Media Marketing and other Online Marketing and Advertising consultation and implementation. Below are my recommendations of the way to put together an RFP for social media tasks, retainers and campaigns. I additionally propose doing studies on-line and viewing different Request for Proposals to see what works exceptional in your agency. Keep in mind that some thing format you pick out will decide now not simplest how long the responses are, but also what type of recognition you are seeking out from the respondents. Each section of the RFP is outlined under, along with some clarification and counseled questions. Have a laugh! Information about your enterprise and venture Introduction The reason of this segment is to present a brief overview of the agency issuing the RFP and the social media undertaking or favored work courting among the agency and the seller. Provide as a good deal data as you sense is vital to allow vendors to prepare an accurate thought. If you experience that there is sure proprietary or other information that you do no longer wish to make public, require a Non Disclosure Agreement be signed earlier than receiving that data. This might also restriction the participation of vendors, however it's far often essential to defend personal statistics. 1. Company Overview Organizational history Your business goals Your enterprise's records the use of social media or reasons why your business enterprise intends to start to take part in social media 2. Overview of Project State the task goals and the way they relate to the enterprise objectives stated above. Explain the sort of vendor courting preferred i.E. Project-based totally, Agency of Record, etc. Explain the present day involvement your organization has with social media channels and the way they relate to each your corporation's number one presence and any related campaigns Explain the social media channels you want the campaign to involve, unless you're looking for recommendations of which to apply, then please specify that to the companies Explain how the undertaking fits into your typical advertising and marketing approach (on-line and offline) and if there is every other supplier worried in other aspects of your Advertising and Marketing projects Explain the measurable results you would like to look Explain the duration of the work - is it a temporary marketing campaign, or an ongoing organizational marketing platform? 3. Overview of Audiences and Stakeholders List number one audiences for the company, i.E. Demographics, psychographics, and so on List number one records needs of each target market institution Identify if any market or target market studies might be necessary in the execution of the campaign four. Overview of Response Make it clean the form of reaction you're searching out: Are you searching out a hypothetical technique, or a proof of the seller's method of the way they will come to create your campaign. Many instances a hypothetical technique isn't always the excellent way to approach an RFP method without a doubt due to the fact a supplier may be missing several key pieces of facts that might negatively affect their potential to suggest a selected answer. We propose looking for more general responses and weighing the effectiveness of beyond client paintings closely Guidelines for Proposal Preparation In order to offer all qualified carriers a degree gambling field, it's critical to installation an smooth to observe schedule for each while your RFP is issued, while and to whom questions are allowed, and while and in what layout responses are required Specify the date the RFP changed into issued (Month, Day, Year). If your RFP is publicly indexed, it'll help those searching for RFPs on Google or with the aid of different techniques to locate relevant Request for Proposals An elective requirement is to specify that each one interested companies register their reason to submit an offer through a certain date - usually within 1-2 weeks of the RFP difficulty. This is a great way to restriction the capacity wide variety of companies who respond in case you expect a massive extent of proposals and could as an alternative get hold of a smaller quantity We propose allowing a question and solution duration that ends as a minimum 1 week earlier than the idea is due. It is up to you whether to permit questions by way of electronic mail, conference name or man or woman smartphone calls. We do recommend that you share all of the questions (and answers) with all fascinated companies in order to preserve things as equal as possible. Always specify which layout -telephone call, electronic mail, and to whom those questions need to be addressed. We recommend identifying a unmarried person on your organization to be the factor of contact. Just make sure holiday schedules, and so on don't interfere with this procedure, and if there may be any other cause why the primary point of contact would possibly need to be out of metropolis for the duration of the system, specify a secondary factor of contact Responses from provider to be despatched through 20XX in the following codecs (specify whether electronic submissions, tough copies or each ought to be either emailed, mailed or hand-added) On the idea of the replies to the RFP report, a short list of potential vendors can be selected and this group can be asked to provide demonstrations in their abilties and vision for the assignment. These meetings will be completed by way of XXth, 20XX Awarding of the settlement to chose Vendor by XXth, 20XX Work to commence via 20XX and to closing till (if relevant) Vendor Questions and Qualifications The following is a sequence of questions that, if relevant, we endorse you ask the providers submitting proposals. Some may not apply, however it's far a remarkable idea to get as tons of an idea of the vendor's approach and philosophy on social media as viable. Compare the responses both amongst every different, and to the research and reading that you have completed to make sure that the vendor is up to date with the present day questioning and pleasant practices. COMPANY DETAILS Company call and figure business enterprise call Ownership structure Years in operation Mailing address (headquarters) Other workplace place(s) Primary cellphone Fax number Website and blog URL Primary point of touch (name, name, cellphone and e-mail deal with) Total wide variety of personnel Number of dealer personnel whose number one function is social media Current customer list with the ones engaged in social media work identified Percentage of total sales this is social-media associated Three references for social media paintings which includes; enterprise call, primary customer name, contact information and short clarification of offerings provided Any capability conflicts with existing seller client base and this RFP Senior social media body of workers bios and links to social media profiles where relevant Please offer a whole listing of relevant social media platform and era partners References from customers presently engaged in social media work with the seller CAPABILITIES & EXPERIENCE List all social media and online advertising talents Do you have any proprietary gear or merchandise associated with social media? Please listing any experience you have with integrating social, paid and/or earned media Is there a specific enterprise or sort of paintings your firm focuses on? Please listing and provide links to number one social media verbal exchange channels in your corporation (i.E.Agency blog,Twitter account, Facebook group, blogs authored through principals, and so on.) SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING STRATEGY Please define your social media strategy system Which stakeholder corporations do you usually include in a approach engagement? Describe the final deliverable of a approach engagement What is your technique to chance management in social media? How do you comprise existing programs, websites, microsites and publication applications into your normal social media method? How do you ensure compliance with patron felony requirements? Please describe your approach to integrating throughout client advertising and marketing, customer support and corporate communications departments. Please offer an example of your paintings on this region How do you technique adapting a conventional emblem into a -way communicate? Please offer a case examine of your method paintings that led to a social media initiative and the business outcomes carried out REPUTATION MANAGEMENT & SOCIAL MEDIA MONITORING What is your logo/recognition tracking system (i.E. Proprietary gear used, methodology, and so on)? What is your opinion on computerized sentiment analysis? What generation do you operate to assist in on-line tracking? How lengthy (on common) between a potential problem being posted online and being flagged to the consumer? What extent of mentions has your corporation treated within the past (e.G. 2,500 mentions in line with week)? What is your high-quality assurance system to make sure that the large volumes of statistics gathered within the monitoring procedure are handled successfully and consultant of the general online verbal exchange? Please detail your methodology for coping with on line crises What offerings do you provide in support of on line disaster management? Please describe the structure of your disaster control crew, which includes bios and relevant enjoy How do you investigate which mentions require instant responses and which do not? Please define your popular technique to sourcing and responding to feedback Please provide a case have a look at detailing your work for the purposes of dealing with recognition or online crisis control, along with results and lessons found out Please consist of a sample of your tracking report layout and/or a hyperlink to appropriate dashboards (specifics must be removed) METRICS, MEASUREMENT & REPORTING What methodology do you operate for measuring the success of your social media applications for clients? Please provide unique examples primarily based on beyond work Have you advanced any proprietary metrics? How have you carried out these for clients? How have you ever defined Return on Investment (ROI) from a social media attitude within the beyond? How do you're taking information points generated from numerous social media channels and measurement tools and integrate to give an goal/comprehensive view? What is your technique to server analytics and network analytics for program size? Do you have the functionality to degree price in line with lead or cost in step with acquisition? Please offer an example of a venture on which you have carried out so What systems are you unable to measure appropriately, or capable of provide simplest confined measurements from? Please offer a pattern of a dimension file or very last document (specifics should be eliminated) What percentage of the price range do you advocate be committed to metrics and size? CLIENT EDUCATION & TRAINING Do you offer social media education offerings for customers? If sure, what codecs are they available in? What inner approaches do you have in area to ensure that your group of workers is saved present day on social media improvements and nice practices? How do you measure development and evaluate education effectiveness? How do you advocate that customers hold up to date at the present day social media innovations and fine practices? SOCIAL MEDIA AND OTHER DIGITAL CHANNELS What are your layout, creative and network control skills? What percentage of your staff is devoted to constructing and deploying social media answers as opposed to management and consulting? Please describe your enjoy with the subsequent platforms and methods: - YouTube or comparable video sharing sites - Blogs, Podcasts, Vodcasts, Forums - Content Management System (CMS) - Customer Relationship Management (CRM) - E-mail Marketing - Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and Search Engine Marketing(SEM) - Facebook Pages, Apps, API integration - Mobile application development - Twitter - News sharing web sites (i.E. Digg, Reddit, and so on.) - Virtual Worlds and Augmented fact - Photo sharing (i.E. Flickr) and other content sharing web sites (i.E. Scribd, Slideshare, Delicious, etc.) - Social Media press releases(SMPRs) - Crowdsourcing or Wikis - Real international events prepared via social media (e.G. Tweetups) - Ratings/Customer service sites (i.E. Yelp, ePinions, etc.) Please provide examples of social media channel improvement work finished within the closing two years COMMUNITY AND INFLUENCER OUTREACH (SOCIAL PR) What is your method for figuring out influencers within numerous social media channels? How do you decide and define "influence?" What is your outreach manner for speaking with identified on line influencers? What equipment and tactics do you use for Influencer Relationship Management? (Third-birthday celebration, proprietary,and many others.) How have you ever integrated Influencer Outreach with conventional communications and/or advertising and marketing campaigns? How do you method seeding conversations inside stakeholder agencies? What is your exit strategy with influencers as soon as the initiative is finished? How do you make certain authenticity and transparency while carrying out outreach on behalf of a client? Please offer a case study of a web community outreach assignment CLIENT SERVICES & PROJECT MANAGEMENT How is an average purchaser engagement along with your company dependent? How do you structure your account teams? Please outline your inner communique structure. If your account personnel is separate from your venture management body of workers, please detail how those groups work collectively If you're decided on to offer social media offerings, who may be assigned to our enterprise (please offer names, titles and short biographical notes) What percent of senior staff involvement is dependent in to your initiatives? What position do they play? How are your projects priced? Using an hourly rate? Blended business enterprise fee? If the former, please provide a charge card What trade control practices does your organization hire? What reports could be provided to the customer for you to communicate challenge milestones and normal venture health? What is the frequency of those reviews? What is your procedure for gathering enterprise requirements? Writing a Request for Proposal (RFP) is a great first step while considering Online Marketing and Social Media work because it takes thoughtful planning to specify and construct an effective, incorporated campaign. A well concept-out, first-rate RFP is crucial to a a hit endeavor as it lets you consciousness in your dreams and precisely a way to achieve them