Here is the entire assignment description. The chosen brand to make a content marketing proposal for is the online card game Marvel SNAP:
Content Marketing Campaign Proposal
The proposal should be 5-7 pages long in text not counting the title page, single-spaced, 12 point font. You can add appendix materials as you see fit such as article examples for your content project (the example can be copied from the internet, or originally written by you).
Learning objectives:
Apply what you learn in the class and develop a complete content strategy proposal for a media company, a product or a service from content discovery to assessing campaign effectiveness.
Demonstrate your knowledge of different content distribution platforms
The proposal is due April 22 by 11:59 p.m. You should submit the proposal via the proposal assignment on the course canvas.
Grading
Brand Description and Justification for Content Marketing Use (10 points)
Overview and Goals (10 points)
Competitor Analysis (10 points)
Content Discovery Strategy (10 points)
Content Strategy and Platform Distribution (30 points)
Assessment of Campaign Effectiveness (10 points)
Total (80 points)
Structure of the Content Marketing Proposal
Page 1: Title page with your name and brand name such as XXX Content Marketing Proposal
Page 2: Text of Proposal
I. Brand (Product or Service) (no more than one page).
A brief description of the brand (product or service) your proposal is for. You can use an existing brand or create a new brand. But in either case, you need to describe the type of product/service and the nature of the brand and why content marketing is suitable for it. It should show your knowledge of advantage of content marketing over other methods of promotion. You are encouraged to utilize your reading materials in Module 1 and 2 for it. You are recommended to choose a product/service category you are familiar with so that you know what content will be attractive and useful.
In this section, you should state the challenge to the brand such as lack of awareness, misunderstanding of product features, etc. (Similar to the Content Marketing Campaign Analysis).
II. Overview and Goals (one page)
The first thing to include in your content marketing proposal is an overview of your services and the goals you’re working towards. For content marketing, your relevant goals could include:
Increase traffic of the brand web site by X amount
Create X new pieces of content
Determine what types of content to create and make a plan of execution
The goals are everything you’re working towards that you’ll go into more details following the proposal. Explain why this is a important goal.
Target audience -define the audience by demographics and other personality and life-style variables
III. Competitor Analysis
What are competitors doing in this space that is making them successful or unsuccessful? Remember, competitors aren’t just direct competitors that have similar products but are those that are also ranking in the SERPs (Search Engine Results Pages). Understanding both SERP competitors and direct competitors allows us to identify where we can create competitive content.
What types of content are ranking well in the SERPs
IV. Content Strategy
Content strategy is often part of content marketing proposals and scopes. This is the foundational work to help determine the customer’s content marketing needs. Based on target audience definition to competitive analyses, there are several considerations to think about when creating a content marketing plan for your potential customer.
Market & Audience Research
What are the challenges that our users have?
When do they look for a tool?
How do they find tools?
How do they choose between tools?
2. Topic/Theme of Content
What type of topic is in demand and related to your brand and of use to the target audience
3. Content Format and Platform Selection
Some of the most prominent types of content in the freelancing world are articles, blogs, and landing pages. However, there are several types of content that should be outlined.
Consider what types of content you are going to either create or strategize. For example, these could include:
Social media posts
Website pages
Ad copy
Blog posts and articles
Resources and guides
Videos
Case Study Writing
Mobile Apps
Audio/podcast
If you are putting together a proposal for content execution, outline how many of each type of content they will be receiving within the scope.
4. Content Roadmap
Determine how many pieces of content should be created per month. (you can give example of the content such as social media post, blog post, podcast episode genre and topic)
Create a timeline for the content that was created within the keyword matrix.
Determine the approval process for content production and publication
5. Frequency of Program
Inside of the scope of work for a content marketing proposal, it may be relevant to include how often you will be delivering the pieces of content. This may be on a daily, weekly, biweekly, or monthly basis, but regardless, it helps your potential client understand all the value they’ll be receiving and how often.
6. Timeline
The timeline in your proposal breaks out when the work will be accomplished and how long it will take. This can be laid out in several different ways, such as estimating how many days, weeks, or months a specific item will take, or more general information of what the priorities are and what will occur first, second, or third.
If you’re doing strategy work for content marketing, typically you have to create the strategy before you can create a content roadmap and determine the timeline for the execution of the deliverables. In this case, indicating in the proposal that the timeline will come or will be updated with more information is fine.
V. Content Discovery Strategy (for your proposed content)
1, Keyword Research & Keyword Matrix (SEO Research) for Keyword Targeting (content discovery plan)
Identify keywords and topics for content creation.
Provide keyword search estimates
Search results analysis
Create evergreen content backed by an SEO strategy.
Optimize for rankability in SERPs.
Outline titles, H1s, H2s, and meta descriptions.
Identify 30-40 new pieces of content.
2. Existing Site Page Optimization and Conversion Opportunities
Optimize existing site pages’ metadata.
Analyze CTAs, messaging, and information from a usability and SEO perspective.
Identify content opportunities & keyword opportunities for the site pages.
Vi. Assessment of Campaign Effectiveness
Site Analytics Data Gathering
Earlier in the proposal, you should have outlined what the goals and objectives of the engagement were. The analytics section outlines how you are going to measure the goals. If the goal is simply the amount of content produced, it may be simple to show these metrics.
However, it’s rare that your client/company will only care about what is produced, not how well it’s doing. Helping them understand how often you will be reporting toward the goals shows them that you are actively engaged in making sure the goals are met.
VII. Appendix
Content examples (e.g., blog post, script, social media post)
REMINDER
Common Mistakes When Writing a Content Marketing Proposal
When it comes to proposals, it’s just as important to know what not to do as it is to know what you should do. Be sure to avoid these common mistakes.
Delivering Sloppy Work
Ensuring that your content marketing proposal looks clean and is free of simple mistakes is a given, but it’s also important that your ideas are clear and cohesive. Allow your proposal to be the first demonstration to your potential client of the type of work you deliver.
As a content creator, potential clients will expect the content of your proposal to shine. If you wouldn’t submit something to a paying client, don’t submit it to a prospective client either.
Key factors you should pay attention to when giving your content marketing proposal a final review include:
Without relying on spellcheck alone, have you checked spelling and grammar?
Do your section headers and their order make sense?
Are the font and formatting consistent?
Is the language you’ve used accessible for someone who doesn’t work in marketing? Is it free of jargon?
If you weren’t a marketing expert, would you understand your ideas and their purpose?
Being Vague About Your Services and Scope
If it’s not clear exactly what you do and what you’re offering in a marketing project, your client could misinterpret what’s included. Or worse, they’ll move on to another freelancer with a clearer proposal.
Ensure that the content marketing proposal clearly describes what’s within your content creation skill set and be specific about marketing project deliverables and timelines. A proposal should outline the type and length of the content you’re proposing, as well as the steps involved.
Over-promising or Leaving Out Project Goals
Your content marketing proposal presents an opportunity to outline key performance indicators that will help your client to understand and measure the impact of your work. Soft metrics such as brand loyalty are difficult to measure, and it’s not expected for you to predict quantifiable outcomes (such as increased time on web pages) with absolute precision.
However, it’s still important to know your realistic expectations of impact and goals. This can also help protect you from dissatisfaction due to misaligned expectations down the line, should you land the client.
