Marketing agency proposal template: what each section must say

What goes in a marketing agency proposal template?

Five sections go in, each answering one question the client will have before they sign. Keep them in this order:

Spell out the scope, the price and every due date in writing, so both sides can point to the same page later. The terms section is where a proposal starts to look like a contract.

The deck and the proposal do different jobs. The deck wins interest in the meeting, and the proposal sets out the deal you'll both stick to. For the deck for the meeting, see what goes in an agency pitch deck.

If the decks eat into your selling time, outside help is one option. DeskTeam360's team works across websites, funnels, automation and more, and pitch and presentation decks are on that list. The team builds them under your agency's brand, and DeskTeam360's name stays off the work. You bring the words, unless you've helped the team train AI on your voice.

Choose how you'll charge before you fill in the price section. For the pricing models side by side, see agency pricing models.

What makes a marketing agency proposal easy to say yes to?

A proposal is easy to say yes to when the client sees their own problem in it, understands the price at a glance and knows exactly what happens once they sign.

Before you send one, check it against this list:

• It opens with their goal, ahead of anything about your agency.
• It repeats the words they used on the call.
• It gives one recommended option, or two at most.
• Every item in the scope has a due date.
• The price section says what's included and what isn't.
• It names the person on your side they'll hear from.
• It ends with one next step and a date to reply by.

Send it soon after the meeting, while the talk is fresh, and offer a short call to walk through it.

If the work will run month to month, the proposal also needs to say what each month includes. For what a retainer covers, see how an agency retainer works.

What does a digital agency proposal template add?

A digital agency proposal adds the details online work depends on: the channels and platforms involved, the numbers you'll report and what the client must hand over before work can start.

Answer these questions in the template:

• Which websites, channels or accounts does the work touch?
• Which numbers will you report, and how often will the client see them?
• What do you need from the client to begin, such as brand files or access to their accounts?
• Who on the client's side approves each piece of work?
• What happens to ongoing work, like monthly updates, if the scope changes partway through?

Add a short line for each answer in the scope or the timeline section. That keeps the template to the same five sections, with the online details inside them.

We don't give legal or tax advice, so check your own case with a lawyer or an accountant.