A social media brief that gets comparable quotes

Key takeaways

A social media agency brief template is a one-page document sent to every agency you approach, so each quotes for the same job. Ten items are enough. Thirty minutes spent on a brief saves hours of comparing quotes that describe different work.

• One page and ten items is enough for a small business brief.
• State a budget range so quotes are realistic and comparable.
• Say what you can supply: photos, access and approval time.
• Ask every agency to answer in the same format.

What is an agency brief?

An agency brief is a short written description of your business, your goal, your constraints and what you want quoted. It gives every agency the same starting information, so differences between their quotes reflect their approach and price, not their guesses.

• Social media agency pricing in the UK
• How to compare social media agency quotes fairly

Which ten items belong in the brief?

Ten items give an agency everything it needs to quote properly, and all ten fit on one page. Keep each to a line or two. If you cannot fill one in, such as the value of a new customer, that is worth knowing before you spend anything on marketing.

• The business: what you sell, where and to whom.
• The goal: enquiries, bookings, sales or recruitment.
• The value of a new customer.
• Current channels and what happens on them now.
• What you can supply: photos, video, access to staff.
• Who approves and how fast.
• Reply cover needed: hours and channels.
• Budget range for fees, and separately for ads.
• Constraints: regulation, brand rules, busy seasons.
• What you want back: scope, hours, fee, extras, terms.

• Set social media goals and KPIs that survive a board meeting

Should you state your budget?

Yes, as a range. Without one, agencies guess, and quotes arrive anywhere from £500 to £5,000 for different jobs. A range such as £1,000–£1,500 a month plus £400 for ads tells each agency to show what it can do for that money, which is the comparison you need.

• Social media budget for a UK small business

What format should you ask for?

Ask every agency to reply with the same five things: a scope with monthly volumes, hours by role, the fee and any set-up charge, a priced list of extras, and term and notice. That lets you fill one comparison table without follow-up questions.

• Social media scope of work: what to put in writing
• What a good social media agency proposal contains

What should you leave out of a brief?

Leave out solutions. Do not specify the number of posts or the platforms unless you are certain. Describe the outcome and the constraints and let agencies propose the route. Their choices tell you how they think.

• Choose the right social media platforms for a UK small business

When is a written brief not needed?

A written brief is not needed when you are speaking to one supplier you already trust, or buying a small one-off job. Even then, five lines covering goal, budget, supply, approver and deadline will improve the quote you receive.

What does a good brief look like? An example

Here is a brief for a fictional heating engineer, in five lines. It took ten minutes to write, and it tells an agency enough to propose a scope and a fee.

• We install and service boilers within 15 miles of our town.
• Goal: 10 more installation enquiries a month; a job is worth about £2,400.
• We can send job photos weekly; the owner approves within two days.
• Budget: £1,000–£1,400 a month in fees, plus £400 for ads.
• Please reply with scope, hours, fee, extras and notice.

What does this look like in practice?

A pattern we see with UK owners who send a one-page brief: the replies are shorter, more specific and easier to compare, and weak agencies rule themselves out by ignoring it. A one-page brief also makes a 30-minute consultation with Global Bridge Labs (GBL) far more useful.

• See client work
• Social Media Marketing for UK businesses

Brief checklist

Before you send it, confirm the brief has these.

• A goal with a number attached.
• A fee range and a separate ad budget.
• What you can supply each month.
• A named approver.
• The reply format you want.
• A deadline for quotes.

Next step

Send us the ten points for your business. We will reply with a one-page costed plan you can use as a benchmark for other quotes.