If you write proposals for a living—freelancer, agency, consultant, you name it—you know the drill: proposals eat up way too much time. You either end up rewriting the same stuff every time or pasting from old docs, hoping you didn’t miss a client name somewhere. This guide is for anyone who’s tired of reinventing the wheel and wants to get proposals done faster, with less hassle, using the Bidsketch content library.
Why Bother With the Content Library?
Let’s get real: Most proposals share 60–80% of the same content. You change the details for each client, but the bones are the same—about us, services, pricing, maybe a guarantee. The content library in Bidsketch is all about saving you from repetitive work. It’s a central place to store and organize reusable proposal sections (think: intros, fees, case studies) so you can drop them in with a click.
Here’s what you get if you use it well: - Less copy/paste, more actual work done - Fewer embarrassing mistakes (“Dear [wrong client name]...”) - Consistent messaging, even if your team writes proposals - Room to focus on the details that actually win business
But let’s be honest: If you don’t put in a little setup work, the content library can end up as just another folder full of neglected templates. This guide will walk you through using Bidsketch’s content library the right way—no fluff.
Step 1: Get Familiar With How Bidsketch Handles Content
Before you start, understand the basics:
- Sections: In Bidsketch, proposals are built from “sections”—chunks of content like About Us, Pricing, or Project Timeline.
- Content Library: This is your personal vault of saved sections. When you build a new proposal, you can insert any section from your library instead of writing it from scratch.
Pro Tip: You can also store fee tables, images, and custom variables in the library. This isn’t just about text blocks.
If you’ve never used Bidsketch before, spend five minutes poking around the content library area—don’t just dive in blind.
Step 2: Audit Your Existing Proposal Content
Don’t start by dumping everything you’ve ever written into the content library. That’s a recipe for chaos. Instead:
- Collect your last 3–5 proposals (or whatever you have handy).
- Highlight the sections you use again and again—the core stuff.
- Identify what can be made generic (e.g., About Us, Scope of Services) and what always needs customization (e.g., Project Timeline, Pricing).
You only want to save truly reusable sections. If a section is always different, don’t bother saving it—you’ll just waste time editing it later.
What to include: - Company/client intros - Service descriptions - “Why us?” sections - Guarantees or terms - Case studies or testimonials
What to skip: - Anything highly specific to a single client - Pricing tables that change every time - Overly long or bloated sections (nobody reads those anyway)
Step 3: Build Your Core Library Sections
Now, start adding your core sections to the Bidsketch content library:
- Go to the Content Library area.
- Create a new section for each reusable chunk you identified.
- Give each section a clear, boring name—you want “About Us – Short” or “SEO Services Description,” not “Section 1” or “Cool New Stuff.”
- Write or paste in clean, generic versions of your content. Use placeholders like {{client_name}} or {{project_name}} if you want Bidsketch to auto-fill details later.
Tips for building sections: - Keep them concise. If you wouldn’t read it, don’t expect your client to. - Use formatting (headers, bullets) for readability. - Avoid anything tied to a single client or project.
Honest take: Don’t overdo it. A content library with 50 sections turns into a junk drawer. Start with 5–10 core sections you actually use.
Step 4: Organize and Tag for Sanity
As you add more sections, things can get messy fast. Here’s how to keep it usable:
- Use clear, descriptive section names. Be specific—“Web Design Process” is better than “Process.”
- Use categories or tags if Bidsketch lets you. For example, tag sections by type (Intro, Pricing, Case Study) or by service (Design, SEO, Copywriting).
- Archive or delete unused sections every few months. If you haven’t used it in a year, you probably never will.
Pro Tip: If you work in a team, agree on naming conventions up front. Otherwise, you’ll end up with 10 versions of “About Us” and nobody will know which one to use.
Step 5: Build a Proposal Using the Content Library
Now for the payoff:
- Start a new proposal in Bidsketch.
- When prompted to add sections, choose from your content library.
- Mix and match: Pull in only the sections you need for this client. You can edit them on the fly before sending.
- Personalize the details: Replace any placeholders or tweak sections as needed.
What actually saves you time: - Drag-and-drop assembly—no more searching through old files. - One-click insertion of pre-approved content. - The ability to update a section in the library and have it ready for every new proposal.
What doesn’t: - Blindly dropping in generic content and calling it a day. You still need to personalize for the client, or you’ll sound like a robot.
Step 6: Maintain and Improve Over Time
The content library isn’t “set it and forget it.” Every few months, review your library:
- Remove anything outdated.
- Update sections that get repeated questions or pushback.
- Add new sections as your services change.
- Cull the junk. Too many choices slow you down—the irony of a “content library.”
Pro Tip: If you find yourself always editing a certain section after inserting it, rewrite the master version. Save yourself future headaches.
What Works, What Doesn’t, and What to Ignore
What works: - Having a handful of polished, reusable sections saves real time. - The library is gold for onboarding new team members—they don’t have to start from scratch. - Using placeholders for names, dates, and fees is safer than hunting through text for manual edits.
What doesn’t: - Treating the content library as a dumping ground. Old, irrelevant sections just slow you down. - Over-templating. If you never tweak the library content, your proposals will sound generic—and lose to people who actually try.
Feel free to ignore: - The urge to save every single testimonial or case study. Only keep what actually helps you close deals. - Overly fancy formatting. Clean, readable sections beat design tricks every time.
Final Thoughts: Keep It Simple and Iterate
The best content library isn’t the biggest—it’s the one you actually use. Start small, build only what you need, and keep tweaking as you go. Don’t get bogged down in perfection or “template everything” thinking. Your future self (and your clients) will thank you for keeping things simple and focused on what matters. Now get back to the work that actually pays the bills.