Free Digital Marketing Client Onboarding Checklist Template [Docs / DOCX]

Digital marketing agencies offer many services— SEO services, content creation LLP, social media management, PPC ads, and email marketing. 

And with so many services to offer, it's common for them to manage multiple clients across various industries.

I've created this checklist to help digital marketing agencies bring their clients on board and acquaint them with their processes. I'll discuss why you need an onboarding checklist, the disadvantages of not having one, and the key components to add to your checklist. 

What is Digital Marketing Client Onboarding?

Digital marketing client onboarding is a formal process of introducing new clients to your services. This process includes gathering important information about your client, including access to their account— Google Analytics, social media pages, and any CRM systems, understanding their goal towards the project, and introducing a plan for the services they need, whether SEO, PPC, or content marketing. 

Client onboarding aligns your agency and the client on goals, what to expect during the course of the project, and timelines. It's an all-in-one introduction that builds a professional foundation for the client and the service provider (freelancer, agency, or project manager). 

Why Do You Need a Digital Marketing Client Onboarding Checklist?

You may have missed important details in your discussion with a client in the past, for instance, not clarifying their target audience for a social media campaign, which led to low engagement and wasted ad spend.

You may have eventually corrected this, but a proper onboarding checklist would have avoided it— as most issues that come up with clients. A structured digital marketing checklist avoids these problems because it helps you: 

• Collect necessary data upfront. A checklist ensures that you collect every piece of information you need from your client at once. It eliminates the need to reach out multiple times mid-project to request access or gain clarification on insights. 
• Set clear expectations. Your agency offers several services, and it's important to clarify which you're offering a particular client and what you are not. An onboarding checklist outlines every deliverable, timeline, and success metrics with the client. 

This helps manage their expectations, especially with services with different growth times. For example, a client may expect an immediate impact on their SEO efforts like they would with PPC. A checklist clarifies goals and processes before the project commences. 

• Ensures a consistent process. A structured checklist ensures that your onboarding process is consistent for every client. This means that each client receives the same detailed and professional experience, no matter who they are.
• Improves client's trust in your services. A structured onboarding process outlines your and your client's responsibilities towards the project. It shows clients that you are organized, reliable, and dedicated to meet their needs, which builds their trust and confidence in your services. 
• Reduces churn: Clients who understand your processes and have aligned expectations with the project are more likely to feel confident and committed to your services. This increases your retention rate over time. 

Disadvantages of Not Using a Digital Marketing Client Onboarding Checklist

Running your client's digital marketing can be tricky if you don't have a proper client onboarding before you start the project. You may face: 

• Misaligned expectations. Clients may expect quick results if they do not understand the different timelines for SEO, PPC, and social media. 

Onboarding your clients helps you discuss how long it will take to see results on each type of marketing campaign— SEO may take months to show results, and social media may generate quicker results. Communicating with your clients about what is and is not helps you avoid unrealistic expectations. 

• Access Issues: You need access to your client's website and social media accounts, and CRM data, but you may forget to get these access from the start if you don't follow a proper checklist. 

This would cause delays and you may need to follow up frequently, which may frustrate your team and your client's. 

• Scope creep: Clients may expect that you offer services beyond what was initially discussed. For instance, a client who needs to run PPC ads for their website product may ask you to give insights on how to improve their social media page, or ask that you help make tiny changes to it. 

This can strain your team's resources, especially when they already manage several clients. Onboarding defines what services you'll offer, and any extra request from your client will be billed as a separate service.

You can create an Add-on service with ManyRequests to bill for the extra tasks. 

• Another disadvantage is that it can cause data gaps. If you don't gather enough client data, like their past campaign results or customer insights, at the start, you may miss necessary insights into the campaign. This can cause a less-targeted strategy and reduce the effectiveness of your campaigns. 

Key Components of Your Digital Marketing Client Onboarding Checklist

Here's everything you should add to your onboarding checklist. You can add to these components to reflect your agency's value: 

• Welcome Clients Onboard: Your first interaction with a new client should be detailed and warm. Send a welcome email to introduce your team and outline initial steps. 

Here's an example for a client looking to run a PPC campaign and improve their SEO performance: 

Hi (Client's Name),

Welcome to (Your Agency). We're excited to work with you on your digital marketing journey. 

Our team is looking forward to helping you direct your PPC ads to targeted audiences to drive conversion. We also hope to get things started on your website SEO performance. 

In light of that, we've assembled a team dedicated to helping you achieve these goals. 

Meet the team;

- (Name), our PPC manager will optimize your ad campaigns to drive quality leads and conversions.
- (Name), our SEO Specialist will work to boost your search visibility and bring in more organic traffic.
- (Name), Our Content Strategist will create engaging content tailored to your brand voice and audience.

They are CC’d in this email. Please contact any of them with questions about your deliverables or performances.

We're here to support you at every step. Don't hesitate to contact any of us if you have any questions. 

We have an onboarding process in place so that you can expect these next steps:

- Completing our onboarding questionnaire to help us understand your goals and target audience.
- Getting on a kickoff call with us.
- Sending your account access details
- We'll also discuss meeting timelines for regular updates on the project's progress. 

We look forward to getting started and transforming your website growth. 

Best Regards,

(Your Name)

(Your Title & Agency)

If the client needs a singular service from like, for example, PPC ads, your PPC manager can send a direct email to your client like Chloe does in this example: 

• Prepare Legal Documents: Customize your contract if the project is a one-off project, and client retainer agreement template, if it's a continuous project. Drafting legal documents will clarify ambiguities in your services and their responsibility towards the project. 

You should also clarify your payment structure in your agreement, and confirm if your client would like any adjustment. 

For example, you may want to be paid Net 0 (the same day after the month's work), Net 15 (15 days after), or Net 30 (30 days after). Discuss the agreement with your client and sign it to legalize the document. 

• Collect Client Website and Login Details: Collect access to your client's some text
  1. CMS, 
  2. Google Search Console login,
  3. advertising platforms, 
  4. social media accounts, 
  5. email tools, e.g., MailChimp and Klaviyo,
  6. and any other CRM tools (Salesforce, HubSpot, etc.. they use. 

This access will help your team implement changes and track performances without the unnecessary back and forth and access requests. You can use a password-sharing tool like 1Password if your client prefers sharing these details with you through a secure app. 

• Set Up the Client on Your Portal: Onboard clients to client portals, like ManyRequests, where you can store essential information like client goals, login details, and project updates on one platform. 
• Create Client Questionnaire: Compile a comprehensive list of questions to gather essential information about your client. For instance, you may ask these questions:

1. What are your goals for this digital marketing campaign?
2. Who are your existing customers?
3. Who is your target audience?
4. Which marketing channels (SEO, social media, email, etc.) are most important to you?
5. Are there specific products or services you want us to promote?
6. What past digital marketing efforts have worked well for you, and which haven’t?
7. Do you have any key performance indicators (KPIs) we should focus on?

• Strategy Planning: Use internal checklists to guide this step. Here, make sure to:

1. Identify primary KPIs based on your discussions with the client.
2. Set achievable goals for traffic, conversions, or engagement.
3. Develop a content calendar that aligns with campaign goals.
4. Establish a reporting schedule (e.g., monthly or quarterly) to update your client on progress.

• Documentation and Approval: Send a project scope document to reflect everything you discussed during the onboarding process. This document should outline the service deliverables, communication channels agreed upon, and how the project will be managed. 

• Project Kickoff: Schedule a project kick-off call to go over every detail. On this call, review the content calendar, timeline for each campaign phase— SEO optimization and ad launches for example, and design an approval process to keep everything on track. 

You can also discuss major milestones, like product launches and industry events and how you’ll like to approach it. Ask questions on ad budgets, content themes, and performance goals— you can also encourage your client to share any additional information with you, in case there's something important you should know but didn't ask. 

Tips and Best Practices for Effective Onboarding

Keep these tips in mind when onboarding your clients: 

• Document everything. Keep detail of every conversation, client preferences, access credentials, and KPIs. This will ensure nothing is lost during the course of the project— it also reduces the back-and-forth of revisiting every detail with your client again. 
• Explain each step to the client. Use the checklist to walk your client through the onboarding process. This way, they know what to expect and are more receptive to it. 
• Schedules milestones update. Outline every major milestone, like the initial results for SEO and ad performance reviews to update your client on the progress. 

Mistakes to Avoid When Onboarding Clients

Avoid making these mistakes when onboarding clients: 

• Don't complicate the process. Keep your checklist as simple and clear as possible, so you don't confuse your clients. 
• Verify all access credentials. Confirm every login detail is correct before you start work. An incorrect detail could cause project interruptions. 
• Don't skip the kickoff meeting. You can discuss, verify, and finalize everything on your kickoff calls. It's a chance to discuss details that have slipped through the cracks during onboarding. 

How to Use Our Free Digital Marketing Client Onboarding Checklist Template

Our digital marketing client onboarding checklist template is designed to help you onboard your client successfully. 

Here's how to use it:

• Download the template from our website 
• Edit the text to add your business name.
• Include tasks that are specific to your agency.
• Add visuals or links to resources(videos, articles).
• Add the specific services you'll offer clients.
• Review it with your team members.

Wrap-Up

Thank you for reading this template guide. Customizing your client onboarding checklist sets a clear and professional foundation for a successful project. It builds the groundwork for a non-stressful client relationship— your clients know what to expect, how the project process will go, and their responsibilities in all of it. 

If you're onboarding many clients at once, it's easier to do it on client portals like ManyRequests. You can use it to invite clients to a dedicated platform, chat with them, easily assign tasks to team members and manage your invoicing needs. Sign up for a 14-day free trial (no credit required) to see how it works.