Strategic Proposal Builder

Step 1 of 7

Client & Campaign Basics

Pull these directly from the RFP form. These answers frame every slide that follows.

Advertiser / Client Name

Industry / Category

Estimated Monthly Budget

Target Geography

What type of campaign is this? (check all that apply)

New location or business launch Brand awareness / market presence Competitive disruption or conquest Lead generation / direct response Seasonal or time-sensitive push Reputation or trust building Strictly leads / Google Ads only Other

Media they currently run (from RFP)

Step 2 of 7

The Market Opportunity

This is the slide that earns trust before you've recommended anything. It shows the client you understand their market — not just their media buy. The answers here need to be specific to this client. Generic answers make generic proposals.

What you're building: The "Problem / Opportunity" slide. Answer each question in 1–2 sentences. If your answer could apply to a different client in the same industry, it's not specific enough yet.

What's the gap no one's filling locally? What does this market lack that this client can provide? Think: service, proximity, price, speed, trust. One to two sentences max.

What are customers currently doing instead? Where do they go today? What's the workaround they're settling for? This is the habit the campaign has to break.

What changes if this client captures that gap? What does winning look like for them — and what do their competitors lose? This is the "why now" behind the campaign.

Top competitors Name them + what they do or don't offer. Specific competitors make a stronger proposal than "the competition."

Is there a specific timing window? (check all that apply)

New competitor entering the market Competitor disruption (merger, closure, rebrand) Client opening a new location or service Seasonal demand spike approaching Category growing faster than current providers Consumer behavior shift in the category

I still need to research this market — flag it in my output

Step 3 of 7

Target Audience

Describe audiences by who they are and the moment they're in — not age and gender. If you can't write an ad for them from this description, it's not specific enough yet.

Step 5 of 7

Messaging Direction

One unified message that runs through every channel. The goal isn't a tagline — it's the reaction you want someone to have after seeing any ad in this campaign.

What's the ONE reaction you want someone to have after seeing any ad? Not a tagline — a thought or feeling. Click a starter below or write your own.

What genuinely sets this client apart from every competitor you listed in Step 2? Skip the tagline. What does this client offer or do that the others don't — specifically?

What tone fits this client and this moment? (check all that apply)

Trustworthy and stable Warm and community-focused Bold and disruptive Educational and expert Urgent and time-sensitive Personal and approachable

Creative direction notes (optional) Anything about visuals, copy themes, or what kind of imagery/stories would resonate

Step 6 of 7

Investment Structure

Budget should be presented as a strategic recommendation — not a menu. Each option or phase should add something meaningful, not just more spend on the same channels.

How should the budget be structured?

How to choose: Use Phased when the client is new to digital or you want to show how the strategy builds over time. Use Option-based when the client is deciding between investment levels — show them what each unlocks. Use Single recommendation when you know exactly what they need and want to present one clear answer.

Phased
Strategy builds in stages over time — channels activate as momentum grows Option-based
2–3 tiers the client can choose between — each adds a new strategic capability Single recommendation
One clear recommendation — the right answer for this client, not a menu

Phase Details

List the channels in each phase and the monthly budget for that phase. Phase 1 is the foundation — add channels in later phases as strategy builds.

Phase 1 — Foundation channels

Monthly Budget

Phase 2 — Add intent capture

Monthly Budget

Phase 3 — Scale or expand (optional)

Monthly Budget

Additional budget context (optional)

Step 7 of 7

Notes & Additions

Anything that doesn't fit neatly into the structure above — additional context, client-specific nuances, creative hypotheses, things to research before the meeting, or open questions.

This is your catch-all. Red flags you noticed in the RFP, things the rep mentioned verbally, slides you want to add, questions you still need answered. These notes will appear at the end of your Proposal Plan as a working section.

Open notes Free-write. Use bullets, fragments, questions — whatever form is useful. This is for you.

Open questions / things to verify before finalizing What do you still need to confirm before this proposal is ready to present?

Proposal Plan

Client & Campaign Basics

The Market Opportunity

Target Audience

Channels & Strategy

Messaging Direction

Investment Structure

Notes & Additions