What is a Social Media Invoice Template?
A social media invoice template is a document requesting payment specifically made for social media services. Whenever you work with a new client, you should always outline your requirements for payment. Some clients may be flexible, while others may have specific payment terms.
It’s important to have this discussion up front so there’s no misunderstanding and you have an agreement on when you’ll get paid. Without an invoice, you may not get paid. Plus, for tax reasons—both for yourself and your client— to have a record of your work, keeping bookkeeping easy.
An invoice is important so that you can set a due date and get paid in a timely manner. Whether you’re a freelancer in social media marketing or you run your own social media marketing company, invoices are part and parcel of making money!
Note: Generate your own invoice by downloading Bonsai’s free social media invoice template and sign up for free today.
What to Include in the Social Media Invoice Template
As a social media freelancer, it’s beneficial to organize your accounts when it comes to invoicing. It makes the whole process easier and it provides less room for error when you’re filling in the necessary details on the invoice.
It’s also worthwhile getting yourself some accounting software, if you’ve got multiple client accounts on the go, you’ve got them all in an organized fashion. Simply scribbling them down in a notebook, or trying to keep tab on a DIY excel sheet isn’t going to end well.
You’re likely to start sending the wrong invoice to the wrong client, and you’re doing your business a disservice.
Here are a few things you’ll need to include on your social invoice template:
Essential information
Make sure that you have all of your basic details on your professional invoice. These include your name/name of your business, address, contact details like your phone number or email. This would usually sit at the top of the invoice.
A heading: “Invoice”
Include the word invoice - sounds obvious but it’s something that can be missed out and therefore could make it confusing for the client to know what the document is. Remember the invoice could end up going to another department for processing.
Provide a unique invoice number
Give the document a unique invoice number. Make it simple for yourself by making it #01 or #001. This number should keep ascending for every invoice you create, not only those for your client. Include the invoice date somewhere towards the top too.
Description of services
A description of your social media services. This can differ from one marketing business or social media consultant to another, depending on your work. Be clear on what you’re providing rather than being vague. For example, [social media platforms/social media marketing services] - [description of work].
Be sure to mention your rates including any sales tax, hours worked, and the quantity of social media services you’ve delivered on. Detail the dates of the hours worked too and provide more detail, rather than too little.
Total charges and payment details
Include the total being charged as well as adding any value-added tax if it’s required. VAT isn’t always required but if it is, make sure you incorporate this in your total.
Make sure it’s in local currency, unless you’ve been asked otherwise by the client. Lastly, highlight the due date of the invoice as well as any bank account details or payment requirements.
It’s typical to use terms like ‘pay within 30 days’. However, there might be clients that cannot pay within that time or they may be more flexible. It’s worth assessing this on a client-by-client basis.
It pays to be detailed in your social media marketing invoice, otherwise some clients may end up taking advantage. Professional invoice templates like the ones offered by the team here at Bonsai, also set a good first impression for any clients you’re working with for the first time around.
Lastly, keep a log of all the invoices you’ve sent, when they’re due and whether or not they’ve been paid. This can be done on Google Sheets or Google Docs—but can quickly get messy. Check out Bonsai’s invoicing software to help you stay on top of what’s been paid, and what hasn’t. That way, you can chase owed payment, or even automate these follow ups, and get paid faster than ever before.
How to Write a Social Media Invoice Template
If this is your first time creating a social media marketing invoice, or you’re looking for some guidance on how to improve your invoices as a social media marketer, then here are some top tips on how to write one for your next client.
Find out the social media services client wants
Before you start filling in the social template with your marketing package, you’re going to need all of the relevant information from your client regarding the project details. This includes what work might be required from you, the quantity of work, hours required, and the rate of pay.
Asking questions like ‘how do you make payments?’ is going to allow you to word your invoice correctly and to negotiate any wiggle room on the agreement where it might be necessary.
Not every client will do this but some avoid paying until 60 days later. As a freelancer offering marketing services, you should be entitled to the same 30-day period as any other supplier, so push for the latter.
Be detailed in everything you include
Attention to detail is key when it comes to creating your social media invoice. The template available from Bonsai should have the structure you require to input all the necessary information.
Refer back to the information that your client gave you at the start of the project, and that you both agreed to. Use the free invoice template and follow the structure of it so that you’re not confusing the client.
Detail all of the work you’ve done, even if it sounds like you’re being overly specific. For example, separate your work into categories. These could be social networking sites you’ve worked on. Then break these down into the various content types you’ve provided.
Double Triple check before submitting
Before you go sending off the billing document to your client, you’ll want to make sure that you’ve included everything that the client needs and that you need to communicate. From your hourly rate to the late fees you’ll charge if payment isn’t made on time, scrutinize the document from top to bottom.
You don’t want to be missing essential contact information or the wrong payment details. That’s only going to slow down the process of you getting paid!
Typos and grammar are essential to correct because they could invalidate the invoice or you may end up getting paid less or more than you expected. It also looks unprofessional so make use of browser add-ons to correct your grammar.
Check that the sum of money you’re charging is correct too. The wrong decimal point used in your total can cause issues, so make sure you’re triple checking the document.
A freelance career often means that you’re doing everything yourself. Bonsai makes your digital marketing job easier by providing a social media marketing invoice that won’t cause issues in the payment department.
Creating a Social media marketing invoice template is simple with Bonsai
Creating a social media invoice template with Bonsai is easy to do and makes freelance life that little less stress-inducing.
There are many benefits to using Bonsai for a free invoice template, as opposed to just using a random invoice template off the internet. Bonsai is an invaluable tool to have as a freelancer, that’s why over 500,000 freelancers and small businesses use the platform.
Bonsai saves you time
When you’re providing an abundance of marketing services, the last thing you want to be dealing with is admin. Chasing late payments and having to spend long periods of time creating invoices is never a priority—or at least never seems to be.
With Bonsai, you’ve got invoice templates available at the click of a button, allowing you to save time to do what you love. That way, you can focus on giving the best marketing services to your clients while still prioritizing your business.
Templates include all the relevant information
Bonsai’s invoice templates mean you don’t need to worry about including all the information required for your invoice to be processed and cleared the first time around. From the invoice number to the basic costs and deliverables you’ve provided, it’s all covered when you’re working from a template.
With the right marketing invoice template, like this one from Bonsai, you can rest a little easier!
Plenty of additional resources in Bonsai
As a freelance social media manager, there are a lot of community blogs that share insight into creating a successful career.
Bonsai also has a variety of online resources for freelance social media marketers to take advantage of. That way you can provide ultimate client satisfaction and hopefully achieve repeat business with all of your clients.
The freelance life can be unpredictable, so having clients who come back again and again is important. Bonsai offers plenty of other products that can be useful to you as a freelancer.
For example, Bonsai WorkFlow has a range of services from contracts to proposals, time-tracking and task tracking.
With these services, you can organize your client work, manage your clients effectively and hopefully win plenty of new clients in the future.
Social Media Services Invoice Template FAQs
Internet marketing has a lot of opportunities for those who have a passion for the digital world. If you’re into social media, then it’s a great career to get into, and is constantly in flux.
In order to make sure you have all the information when it comes to making the best invoice templates possible, here are some frequently asked questions.
What are the typical payment terms for invoices?
There are usually a number of payment terms that you or the client could specify. For most it’s 30 days. For others it can be sixty or even ninety days until you receive payment. It’s important to consider how long you’re comfortable with when waiting for payment.
Should you always send an invoice to a client?
Yes, it’s recommended that you send a social media marketing invoice, otherwise how will the client know when to pay you? They likely wouldn’t have any of your payment details unless you gave them in advance.
Are all the Bonsai templates free?
Yes, it’s a service that offers a free invoice template for all it’s users. There are some premium subscriptions available at a monthly fee, but that’s an optional add on when you know Bonsai is the tool for you!
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