How to Draft a Social Media Management Contract
Social media platforms are among the most effective methods for reaching your target audience and building brand awareness. Over 71 percent of small and medium-sized businesses in the United States use social media marketing strategies to increase sales and expand business operations. You’re digging a hole if you have not considered adding social media to your marketing plans.
It’s natural to feel overwhelmed developing a marketing strategy for social media when running several other aspects of your company. Choosing to outsource marketing is a wise choice, but it’s essential to know how to draw up a social media management contract for the marketing services you hire.
Luckily for your business, you’ve uncovered this comprehensive guide to the steps you should take when creating a contract template. Continue reading to protect your business and assets with your marketing contract today!
Table of Contents
List the Parties
The first step to use when drafting a social media management contract is the parties involved. It’s a mandatory section in the agreement, so don’t skip this step. You must state who the contract is between for it to be valid.
Include the names, titles, addresses, and contract dates when creating your template. It’s the best way to start your contract template and cover all your bases when hiring a marketing service.
Provided Work
The following section in your contract template should list the provided work that both parties agree on. Include all responsibilities that you’re putting on the social media manager when making the hire. List the number of posts you want the manager to make on social media platforms each week to grow your business.
Mention the websites and platforms you want the manager posting on in this section. It’s the best way to change scope creep, which results when the manager alters the posting schedule and sites. It’s also designed to protect the marketing manager from taking on additional duties outside the job’s scope.
The marketing manager will also use this section to list the necessary supplies and resources for the job. List the images, approval of posts, and software required to handle each task for your business marketing.
Fees and Expenses
The fees and expenses are critical to outline when creating a social media management contract for your brand. It’s the portion of the contract where you agree to the money you pay for marketing services. It helps to use this section to state when the payments will be made when you outsource marketing to a third party.
Some social media managers want 50 percent of their monthly pay upfront. It’s the price you’ll pay to bring in the best social media marketing expert to help you grow your brand. Determine what works best for your business and negotiate the terms for fees and expenses when drafting the contract.
Ensure you use a reliable invoicing system to help your marketing manager get their pay. It’s best to use a system that allows for automatic payments. You can let automation handle everything and focus your time and energy on running your company.
It’s also helpful to state what happens if payments are late. The marketing manager deserves peace of mind and transparency with late payments.
Contract Timeline
The contract timeline is critical when drafting a social media management contract. You’ll want to list the dates you hire marketing services to help your brand. Specify if the contract is open-ended or a month-to-month arrangement for the best results.
You should include a provision to agree on how to terminate the contract. Requesting advance written notice before contract termination is a fair provision. It provides ample time for both parties to move forward.
Ownership of Work
You must agree with the marketing service about the ownership of work before hiring. If you can’t agree about work ownership with the marketing manager, you’re setting yourself up for a dilemma and potential lawsuit. Most companies retain the rights to the completed work.
If the marketing expert is training individuals in your organization, it’s fair for them to claim ownership of the resources they’re using for training. Protecting the marketing service’s rights and assets is the best way to proceed with your contract template.
Confidentiality Statement
A confidentiality statement is essential to a complete contract template when hiring TurnKey Marketing. This section of your contract states that the marketing service will keep your business information confidential.
The only way to avoid breaching the contract is with written permission from your company. The marketing manager can’t share confidential information without your blessing.
Jurisdiction and Mediation
The best contracts include a clause for jurisdiction and mediation. The clause helps determine how disputes between the parties will be handled.
It sounds like something you won’t need, but it’s best to cover your bases when creating a contract template. You’ll be happy that the contract spells out the necessary steps to resolve the dispute.
Guarantee
The guarantee in the contract template is a tricky section. It isn’t easy to guarantee specific results with marketing. So many factors are at play, and many things can change the success of your marketing strategy.
Changes to the sales funnel, website, and products are out of the marketing manager’s control. It’s best to use an estimate for results rather than a guarantee.
Date and Signature
The last section to include in your contract template is the section for the date and signature. Use this section when you’ve agreed with your marketing manager.
Both parties will sign and date the contract to seal the deal. Ensure each page is numbered leading up to this section so everything is included. Leave space for initials on each page.
Create Your First Social Media Management Contract Today
A social media management contract is an excellent first step toward outsourcing marketing and growing your company. The contract template should include the scope of services, the listed parties, and the contract timeline.
Listing the ownership of marketing material and the mediation process is essential. You should also include a clause for contract termination to provide transparency to both parties.
Marketing is the bread and butter of any successful company. Check out more of our Business and Technology blog posts for insightful and valuable tips to grow your brand awareness and revenue today!
Last Updated on August 4, 2023
