What's a good example of a Content Strategy RFP?

[Maya Benari]

Hello there!

What's a good example of a content strategy RFP?

Anything you've used before that's been successful that you can share or recommend?

Thanks,

Maya

[Hilary Marsh]

Hi Maya,

I have experience with these, but first I have some questions for you:

Do you mean RFP or “proposal in response to an RFP” (I have clients who use the two interchangeably).

When you say “content strategy,” do you mean a project to align the organization’s content and people, or do you mean creating a content marketing strategy for an organization? These are two very different things, although often given the same name.

Best,

Hilary

Hilary Marsh

President and Chief Strategist, Content Company

312-806-7854  |  hil...@hilarymarsh.com

Content strategy for associations, nonprofits, intranets
http://www.hilarymarsh.com 
also hilarymarsh on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, Slideshare, etc.

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[Maya Benari]

Hi Hilary,

Thanks for your response! I am referring to an initial request for proposal, not a response to an RFP.

The goal of the project is a rewrite of existing content of a website. This is a subset of a larger project which also includes a style guide and pattern library, but are hoping to break out the content portion into its own entity.

Hope that clarifies things and let me know if you have any other questions!

Maya

Sent from my iPhone

[Noz Urbina]

Thanks for the initial clarification questions, Hilary.

I think it would be interesting for us (those who are on the receiving end rfps and need to proposals) need to be able to provide a good proposals which will lead to an effective project. Is that not what you are after at the end of the day, Maya?

I am (mostly) only responding to RFIs now, and have (mostly) stopped responding to RFPs. This is for several reasons but probably the key ones are that:

- Engaging the services of a strategist is very poor fit for the procurement process usually used to aquire things or commoditized services. It often feels like the rounded reality is being hammered into the square hole of a process designed to help you get the best price for a new batch of printers or choose your catering company or higher a photographer (sorry photographers!).
- A content strategy is so diverse, even wooly, in its definition in the market (today) that expectations are not able to be set properly by both sides, and the need qualified specifically enough, to prepare a fixed price proposal. Organisations generally can't tell make a document that tells me what I need to know to spec out and price a complete job of accurately. We need to talk. A lot. And you would never ever want to select your service partner from a document anyway.  It is (or imho should be) just a toll-gate that leads to a series of meetings and conversations to see if you're a good provider/organisation match. So, why not skip the document and get to the 'getting to know each other' bit?

The most important aspects of CS service requisition have to do with matching the two companies and the nature of the work. Right off my home page I went for an "About you" instead of an "About us" (Urbinaconsulting.com/about-you) so that organisations can get a quick understanding of whether we're going to match up.  Both the service provider and buyer want to find out if you are or are not a match ASAP.

In a field so utterly un-commoditized, it's in a large part about just making sure you are having productive conversations. I prefer to agree a few days analysis, or a workshop, preferably as face to face time before either party commits to a sizable engagement. That only makes financial sense in a certain scale of work, though.

Oops.  Too much pontificating! Need to disconnect for take off and didn't get a list of what *is* nice to see in RFPs/RFIs and/or what you need to find out to get to a proposal stage.

Hopefully I can dip back in later.

Noz