Email marketing is 40 times more effective than Facebook at acquiring users. Also, email subscribers are 3.9x more likely to share your content on social media.
With this in mind, rising above your competitors in an increasingly difficult environment is no easy feat – but it can be accomplished with a meticulous email marketing agency procurement process.
This article looks into email marketing RFP: what it is, why it matters, how to write one, and we give away a free email RFP template that you can download and use for your purposes.
Table of Contents
What is Email Marketing RFP?
An email marketing request for proposal (RFP) is a formal document for acquiring project completion offers from specialized email marketing agencies. These documents help businesses and decision-makers in deciding which agency to hire for a project.
RFP for email marketing addresses specific project requirements and issues your company wants to solve by requesting unique solutions from agencies and other providers.
What to Include in an Email Marketing RFP?
Despite the fact that email marketing campaigns will differ from company to company, there are some fundamentals of an email marketing RFP that should always be paramount.
Your Company Information
This is your RFP's very brief" About Us" section that does not have to be a detailed history of your company, but it should provide suppliers with an understanding of what you do and who your target audience is.
Provide sufficient information for agencies to conduct their own research. Include the brand mission, values, typical customer profile, competitors and industry of your company.
Your Current Email Marketing Efforts
Next, you may want to discuss your current email marketing strategy (if you have one in place) and its performance. Include your detailed, step-by-step tactics for this type of digital marketing, from drafting emails to reaching out to prospects. Elaborate on your entire process, not neglecting to mention your team and explain who works on which part of the process.
Project Objectives
This is the most important aspect of your RFP. Email marketing can include a wide range of deliverables, so be as specific as possible. Do you need ongoing email marketing services, or do you only need a one-time, extensive campaign? The more specific you are, the easier it will be to find the right vendor.
When it comes to email marketing goals, stick to broad objectives but also be as precise as possible in outlining this in your RFP. Allow the bidder to return to you with SMART goals, allowing them sufficient leeway in approaching the project.
Project Due Dates
The agencies you approach will most likely create a project timeline based on your request, but they will require specific instructions.
In your RFP, include a target project start date and any time-sensitive information. Assume your project is part of a larger marketing initiative that will go live on a specific date. Vendors will require this context in order to create an accurate timeline for project completion.
Examine your current workflows if you're looking for ongoing email marketing services. What role does the content approval process play? How quickly are you going to be able to respond?
Work/Portfolio Evidence
Vendors can make their case for your company by providing proof of work (or bidder qualifications).
This section requests information on any specific experience (testimonials, case studies, references, etc.). If you work in a niche industry, you should request specific examples of previous work that is relevant to your business.
This type of information is frequently kept on agency websites. Still, including it in their email marketing RFP response can give you more information about how and with whom they work.
Schedule of Payments
The payment schedule you choose will be determined by the scope of your project. Ongoing services may be billed by the hour, whereas campaign-based services may be billed upon completion of a milestone. Vendors typically require a percent-based deposit to begin a project.
Contact Info
A single point of contact can help to eliminate confusion. In this section, specify a point of contact for the sales process and another for after the contract is signed. Allow enough space for the bidder to do the same. You'll know exactly who to contact when you schedule a meeting.
Email Marketing RFP Template
RFP template for email marketing helps create your request for proposal from scratch because it already contains all the essential fields and questions that need filling out by the agency.
You can also download your copy of a free email RFP template to the right on this page.
Here is an example of what a well-rounded RFP template for email marketing should contain.
COMPANY PROFILE
Introduce your company and give a brief background on your business type, market, competitors, key areas of expertise and your unique value proposition.
- Industry:
- Products/Services offered:
- Customer types (e.g. B2B, B2C, G):
- Sector (public, private, NFP):
- Major drivers for email marketing (e.g. e-commerce, relationships):
PROJECT NAME & BRIEF
Deliver an overview of your current email marketing efforts, why you are looking to boost your email marketing campaigns and your ideal project timeline.
List existing tech environment here:
- Current bulk email marketing solution:
- Marketing strategy and primary need (customer acquisition, relationship maintenance, eCommerce):
- Current email marketing or list manager software:
- Number of IT employees dedicated to maintaining client database: •Size of marketing department
SCOPE OF WORK, SPECIFICATIONS & REQUIREMENTS
Have the vendors include a detailed list of the Business and System Requirements, Campaign Monitoring and Management Tools, Email Importation Toops, Analytics and other necessary apps you will use for your email marketing campaigns.
PROJECT CHALLENGES
Define what challenges your business currently faces that this project will solve. Be as broad or as concise as needed.
PROJECT GOALS
Determine the short-term and long-term goals (SMART - specific, measurable, attainable, relevant and time-sensitive) you wish to achieve with your email marketing campaign(s).
Primary objectives:
[Goal 1]
[Goal 2]
etc.
Secondary objectives:
[Goal 1]
[Goal 2]
etc.
CANDIDATE QUALIFICATIONS
All bidding vendors must [list the criteria that must be met in order for a proposal to be considered, for example their experience and client case studies, team size info, organizational charts, etc.]
PROPOSAL GUIDELINES
All bidding vendors must [list the requirements that each proposal must address, such as budget, timelines, and submission due date
PROJECT TIMELINES
[Outline information about the timeline for the RFP process as well as the project itself— deadlines, milestones, and potential roadblocks.]
BUDGET
Specify the budget you have allocated for this project.
SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS
List other documents agency and service providers should submit along with their application. If you have additional questions you'd like them to answer, list them here.
RFP DEADLINE
RFP Sent Date:
Proposals Due Date:
Winner Selected By Date:
RFP Email Template Takeaways
The format provided for creating an effective and exhaustive email marketing RFP can also be applied to other types of industries and services, such as:
- RFP for software development
- Digital marketing RFP
- Mobile App Development RFP
- Website design RFP
- Website development RFP
- RFP for SEO
- Branding RFP
- RFP for IT services
- eCommerce RFP
- Social Media RFP
- Video Production RFP
No matter which kind of RFP you need to write, remember to include the key members of your team, as they can play essential roles in providing valuable information or insights that could contribute to your email marketing project's success.
