What is a Digital Marketing Scope of Work
A digital marketing scope of work (SoW) is a document that shares the details of a specific project: from timelines, deliverables, tasks, responsibilities, milestones and checkpoints. It’s a great way of making sure everyone is on the same page–leaving less space for things like scope creep to occur.
This type of work document is important because it’s one of the first stepping stones in cementing a long-lasting and fruitful work relationship with your clients. It shows off your quality of service as a marketer and can help provide clear direction for those you’re working with.
A poorly written document could end up misleading all those involved in the project and could cause issues further down the line.
A digital marketing scope of work can help you outline all of the deliverables you’ll provide, as well as the roles and resources required in order to complete the project successfully. It also ensures you are compensated fairly for the services you’ve provided to those clients you work with.
For those who are self-employed, this is critical as you haven’t got the support of a company behind you should you not get paid correctly.
Note: Sign up to Bonsai today to download this free digital marketing scope of work template.
What to Include in a Digital Marketing Scope Of Work
There is plenty to include in your scope of work document to help ensure your project goes smoothly.
Objectives/Purpose of project
It’s good to start off with the basics. As a PM, what are you intending to achieve with this project in particular? Are you pitching your services and therefore providing a solution to a marketing problem a client may have? Or, perhaps you’ve already been given the information from a client on what they’re looking for? State this information here.
Bonsai Top Tip: If it’s available to you, a work example you’ve done in the past can help demonstrate what you hope to achieve for this client.
Project details & timeline
Every scope of work template needs space for this. Outline the scope of work that’s required for your digital marketing project and the timeline you expect it to follow. You will need to set owners and deadlines for specific tasks and note certain milestones for those complex projects that span across a longer timeline.
It’s important to keep in mind the specific needs of your client in this chapter. Whether your client wants to increase sales leads, become an industry leader, better communicate and retain each customer, or something else. Address how you’re addressing these needs with the project process you’re mapping out.
Pricing & payments
We all want to get paid, right? Freelancers are often put to the bottom of the payment run pile. Getting paid on time can be a rarity and it often involves you chasing the client for money.
With that being said, having a clear document that lays out pricing for your services and how to make payment is beneficial. It gives the client less of an excuse to delay payments, especially if you charge for late payments!
It’s also worthwhile mentioning your payment method whether that’s via bank transfer or wire payments like PayPal and TransferWise.
Note: Bonsai allows you to automate your invoices: from creation, sending and reminding. Even automatic late fees.
Key assumptions
Make sure you’re supplying all the key assumptions within the project too. This includes things like the budget and any resources you’ll be given or supply yourself in order to get the tasks done quickly and effectively.
Make sure these are clearly defined—and change—for each of your scope of work templates. When you come to sign your scope of work agreement, you should be confident you have everything included.
Signatures
As this is a document that secures you work with the client, it’s important to make it legally binding with signatures. You would hope that no client would want to cause a disruption to your partnership, but it can happen. This document can be useful evidence should you encounter any issues with the client.
How to Write a Digital Marketing Scope of Work
Now for the important part, how to write the document. We’ve got some helpful tips that are going to make your scope of work stand out from the crowd.
Find out exactly what the client wants
The scope of work requires you know exactly what your clients are after. Don’t be afraid of asking your client for all the details of the work they need or what you assume they’re after. To secure the job, it’s good to have knowledge of all the responsibilities they’ll be asking of you.
Highlight what sets you apart
Whilst you may feel you’re perfect for the job, the client may have a dozen other project managers/marketers who are pitching and thinking the exact same thing.
There will be something that sets you apart from the rest. Perhaps it’s a work example or scope of work that you’ve done before which you can present to this new client. You could start off the document with a statement on all the deliverables you’ve provided successfully for previous clients.
Bonsai top tip: Set out your intentions, explain how you’ll get there and the results that will follow. This document should leave no stone unturned and no question unanswered!
You want to stand out, especially when you may be up against others in the industry. Make sure you’re meeting the expectations of the work required and don’t be afraid to sell yourself. Show the client why they should contract your services above your competition.
Creating a Digital Marketing Scope of Work is Simple with Bonsai
Having a pre-made work template to edit can save you time. As a self-employed marketer or small marketing agency owner, you may find it challenging to manage all your clients. Having a template that’s already partly generated is going to make your work life a little easier.
Plus, using an SOW template can ultimately help you increase sales. You’ll be able to save time when it comes to communicating with new clients, have a clear overview of every project you’re working on, and ensure your project development runs as smoothly as it should.
With Bonsai, you’re not going to be missing any of these crucial details that are required in a scope of work document. You’ll be able to deliver a document that ticks all the client’s expectations and needs they require from you and your role in the project scope.
Sign up today and join the 500,000+ freelancers and small businesses already using Bonsai to close their most important deals.
Bonsai top tip: There’s also plenty of other templates that Bonsai offers whether you’re needing a contract, proposal or invoice document.
Digital Marketing Scope of Work FAQs
To help make the most out of your scope of work documents, here are some frequently asked questions for creating the best work templates possible.
What are the best project manager tips for writing a great scope of work?
You may be up against other freelancers and marketing agency scope pitches so it’s good to check yours for spelling errors. Grammar and spelling checks are something you should be doing whether you use a template or not.
After all, you want your document to paint you in the best light. That means making sure you’re proficient in your spelling abilities!
You should also clearly demonstrate that you understand the prospective client’s challenge. Provide a detailed, yet concise scope of work for how you’re going to solve those challenges.
Clearly outline responsibilities and milestones so there’s no confusion, and ladder all actions back to the KPIs and metrics you’re trying to improve. Results will always be at the top of the client’s priorities.
What common mistakes are made when writing a digital marketing scope of work document?
Common mistakes when writing a digital marketing scope of work document are leaving certain objectives open-ended. The document should answer all your clients queries and outlines everything you’ll deliver.
Try to avoid overcomplicating the document and confusing the reader. Be detailed but concise, include work samples where they make sense, and set deadlines everyone can keep to.
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