Hey there! 🙋♀️ Discovery calls are crucial for allowing clients to communicate with you. Here you have a complete guide about it!
What are discovery calls in UGC?
Discovery calls are initial meetings between content creators (like UGC creators) and potential clients or brands. The primary purpose of these calls is to understand each other’s needs, discuss potential collaboration opportunities, and determine if there is a good fit. In the UGC niche, these calls are crucial for setting the stage for successful partnerships and ensuring that both parties have aligned goals and expectations.
📞 How to Conduct Discovery Calls
- Preparation:
- 🔗 Research the brand: Understand their products, target audience, and previous marketing campaigns.
- Prepare questions: Focus on the brand’s goals, challenges, and expectations from a UGC collaboration.
- During the Call:
- Introduce yourself: Briefly explain your background and experience in creating UGC.
- Ask about their goals: Understand what the brand hopes to achieve with UGC.
- Discuss your ideas: Share preliminary concepts on how you can help meet their goals.
- Clarify details: Confirm budgets, timelines, deliverables, and any other expectations.
- Post-Call:
- 🔗 Send a summary: Follow up with an email summarizing key points discussed.
- Provide a proposal: Based on the discussion, send a tailored proposal outlining your approach and costs.
❓Questions to ask brands on discovery calls
→ Can you tell me more about your brand and its mission?
- Understanding the brand’s core values and mission can help you create content that aligns with their overall message.
→ What are your current marketing goals and objectives?
- This helps you tailor your content to support their specific goals, whether it’s increasing brand awareness, boosting sales, or engaging their audience.
→ Who is your target audience?
- Knowing the target demographic allows you to create content that resonates with the right people.
→ What challenges are you currently facing in your marketing efforts?
- Identifying pain points can help you position your content as a solution to their problems.
→ What type of content has performed well for you in the past?
- This provides insight into what resonates with their audience and can guide your content strategy.
→ Are there any specific products or services you want to highlight in this campaign?
- Focusing on key products or services can help you create more targeted and effective content.
→ How do you measure the success of your campaigns?
- Understanding their KPIs (Key Performance Indicators) will help you align your content with their success metrics.
→ What platforms do you primarily use for your marketing efforts?
- Knowing which platforms are most important to them can help you tailor your content for those specific channels.
→ Can you describe your brand’s visual and voice guidelines?
- Ensuring that your content matches their brand’s style and tone is crucial for maintaining brand consistency.
→ What is your timeline and budget for this project?
- Understanding the practical constraints can help you plan and deliver your content more effectively.
→ Are you looking to hire a UGC creator?
- This question helps determine if the brand is actively seeking user-generated content (UGC) creators. It sets the stage for discussing how your skills and experience can meet their specific needs. If they are looking to hire, it opens up the conversation to explore their requirements and how you can fulfill them.
→ Would you like to assess if I would be a good fit for your brand?
- This invites the brand to consider a trial or evaluation period. It shows your willingness to be vetted and proves your confidence in being a valuable addition to their team. It also helps in understanding their criteria for a good fit, whether it’s related to style, engagement, or audience demographics.
→ Need to bounce around some ideas for a video concept?
- Offering to brainstorm with the brand demonstrates your collaborative spirit and creativity. It shows that you are proactive and eager to contribute innovative ideas. This question can also help you gauge the brand’s vision and preferences for video content.
→ Do you need a creator to be the face of your brand?
- This question addresses whether the brand is looking for a spokesperson or a recognizable face to represent them. It can lead to discussions about the type of content they want, the image they wish to project, and how you can personify their brand values and message.
→ Are you looking for advice on how to grow your social media following?
- Offering your expertise in social media growth positions you as a knowledgeable and valuable resource. It opens the door to share your insights, strategies, and past successes. This question can lead to a broader conversation about the brand’s current social media strategies and how you can help enhance them.
✅ Discovery Call Checklist
By following this checklist, you can ensure that your discovery calls are structured, productive, and lead to meaningful next steps.
Preparation
- Research the Prospect:
- ⬜ Understand their business, industry, and challenges.
- ⬜ Review their website and social media profiles.
- Define Objectives:
- ⬜ Determine what you want to achieve from the call.
- ⬜ Prepare key questions and talking points.
During the Call
- Introduction:
- ⬜ Greet and introduce yourself and your company.
- ⬜ Outline the agenda and purpose of the call.
- Understand Their Needs:
- ⬜ Ask open-ended questions to uncover pain points.
- ⬜ Listen actively and take notes.
- Present Your Solution:
- ⬜ Tailor your pitch to address their specific needs.
- ⬜ Highlight relevant case studies or success stories.
- Qualify the Prospect:
- ⬜ Discuss budget, decision-making process, and timeline.
- ⬜ Identify key stakeholders.
- Next Steps:
- ⬜ Summarize the discussion and agreed-upon action items.
- ⬜ Schedule a follow-up meeting or provide additional information.
Post-Call
- Follow-Up:
- ⬜ Send a thank-you email summarizing the call and next steps.
- ⬜ Attach any requested information or resources.
🔗 How to add Discovery Calls to Your Portfolio
- Highlight Successful Collaborations
- Showcase case studies from past clients where discovery calls led to successful campaigns.
- Include testimonials from brands that speak to your professionalism and the effectiveness of your initial meetings.
- Detail Your Process
- Explain your approach to discovery calls, emphasizing how you tailor each call to the brand’s specific needs.
- Mention your preparedness, thoroughness, and how you ensure all client questions and concerns are addressed.
- Include Metrics:
- Where possible, include metrics that resulted from the collaborations initiated through discovery calls (e.g., engagement rates, increased sales).
🔧 Online Tools to simplify Discovery Calls:
- Calendly: For scheduling calls easily.
- Zoom or Google Meet: For conducting video calls.
- Trello or Asana: For tracking projects and follow-ups.
- Google Docs: For collaborative note-taking and proposal sharing.
🌸 Final Tips:
- Listen Actively: Pay close attention to their responses and ask follow-up questions as needed.
- Take Notes: Document the key points discussed during the call to refer back to them when creating your proposal.
- Be Professional and Personable: Establishing a good rapport can help build a positive working relationship.
