Upland Marketing Agency Playbook

This is the operational guide for running Upland Marketing. It covers prospecting, onboarding, weekly/monthly operations, pricing strategy, objection handling, and content quality standards.

The Prospecting Workflow

This is the step-by-step process for finding, pitching, and closing new clients using Upland Hub's Agency Tools.

Step 1: Find a Local Business to Target

Look for businesses that:

Have an active but inconsistent social media presence (posting 2-3 times/month instead of 3-4 times/week)
Have a Google Business Profile with fewer than 50 reviews or unresponded reviews
Are in your target verticals: bars, restaurants, wineries, service businesses
Are located in Tri-Cities or Walla Walla (your home market advantage)

Where to find prospects:

Google Maps: Search "restaurants Kennewick WA" and browse listings
Instagram: Search location tags for your area and find businesses posting infrequently
Yelp: Look for businesses with poor review response rates
Local events, chamber of commerce directories, community Facebook groups
Drive around town and note businesses with good foot traffic but weak online presence

Step 2: Run a Prospect Audit

Go to Agent Studio > select Prospect Marketing Audit (under Agency Tools category).

Fill in:

Business name: The exact business name
Business URL: Their website (if they have one)
Business type: e.g., "craft cocktail bar", "Italian restaurant", "HVAC contractor"
Location: e.g., "Downtown Walla Walla, WA"
Social handles: Their Instagram/Facebook handles
Google Maps URL: Link to their Google listing
Competitor names: 2-3 local competitors
Notes: Anything you noticed (e.g., "Haven't posted in 3 weeks", "Great food photos but no hashtags")

What you get back:

A scorecard rating 7 areas (social, SEO, reviews, content, website, email, competitive position) on a 1-10 scale
Quick wins for each area
A recommended plan tier
Specific Upland Hub agents that would help
ROI estimate (traditional agency cost vs. Upland pricing)
A ready-to-send prospect email

Credit cost: 8 credits from your agency org

Step 3: Generate Demo Content

Before reaching out, create sample content so the prospect can see exactly what their marketing would look like.

Go to Agent Studio > select Demo Content Generator.

Fill in:

Business name: Same as the audit
Business type: Same as the audit
Location: Their city/neighborhood
Vibe: e.g., "casual", "upscale", "family-friendly", "rustic"
Known products: Specific items from their menu/services (check their website or Google listing)
Website URL: If available
Specific promotion: Any current special you noticed

What you get back:

3-4 sample content pieces tailored to their business:
- Instagram feed post with caption and hashtags
- Facebook post (longer, community-focused)
- Promotional post for a weekly special
- Instagram story concept
Image generation prompts for each (actual images if fal.ai is configured)

Credit cost: 5 credits from your agency org

Step 4: Generate Cold Outreach

Now create a personalized email sequence to send them the audit and samples.

Go to Agent Studio > select Cold Outreach Generator.

Fill in:

Business name: Same as before
Business type: Same as before
Owner name: If you know it (check their website "About" page or Google listing)
Pain points: What you identified in the audit (e.g., "inconsistent posting, no review responses")
Hook: What you are offering (default: "free audit" -- you already have it)
Audit highlights: Paste 2-3 key findings from the audit output
Known products: Their signature items
Recent activity: Anything timely (e.g., "just opened a patio", "anniversary coming up")
Competitor mention: A competitor doing something better (from the audit)

What you get back:

4-email cold sequence:
- Email 1 (Day 0): Initial outreach -- lead with a specific observation, offer a quick win
- Email 2 (Day 3): Value follow-up -- share a relevant insight or stat
- Email 3 (Day 7): Social proof -- reference Hop Thief/Revelry results
- Email 4 (Day 14): Breakup -- graceful close, leave the door open
Instagram DM script
LinkedIn connection message

Credit cost: 5 credits from your agency org

Step 5: Send the Outreach

Send Email 1 with the audit report PDF attached and 1-2 sample content pieces
The subject line and email body are already written -- just copy and personalize any last details
Follow the sequence timing (Day 0, Day 3, Day 7, Day 14)
Send the Instagram DM around Day 2 (between emails)

Pro tip: The audit report is your best sales tool. A business owner seeing a detailed, specific scorecard of their marketing (not generic advice) builds instant credibility.

Step 6: If They Respond -- Generate a Proposal

When a prospect expresses interest, generate a formal proposal.

Go to Agent Studio > select Proposal Generator.

Fill in:

Business name and type
Owner name
Recommended plan: Based on the audit's recommendation
Pain points: From the audit and your conversation
Audit highlights: Key findings they responded to
Budget range: If they mentioned one
Competitors: Local competitors they are aware of
Specific goals: What they said they want (e.g., "more foot traffic", "wine club growth")

What you get back:

A professional proposal in markdown (convertible to PDF) including:
- The opportunity (their gaps and market position)
- Specific deliverables based on the recommended plan
- Month-1 content calendar preview
- Technology overview (AI agents, brand voice matching)
- ROI comparison table (traditional agency vs. Upland)
- Social proof (Hop Thief, Revelry case studies)
- Clear next steps
A month-1 content calendar preview

Credit cost: 10 credits from your agency org

Step 7: Close and Onboard

Once they sign:

Set up their organization in Upland Hub (see Client Onboarding Checklist below)
First content delivered within 48 hours of signup
The AI does the heavy lifting -- your job is quality control and relationship management

Client Onboarding Checklist

Follow this checklist for every new client, from signed contract to first content delivery.

Day 1: Setup (30-45 minutes)

Create client organization in Upland Hub via the Client Onboarding wizard
- Business name, type, vertical, location
- Select plan tier
- Set up billing (Stripe checkout or manual)
Build brand kit -- this is the most important step
- Business name, tagline, industry
- Voice description and 2-3 voice examples (pull from their existing social posts)
- Primary colors (from their website/logo)
- Products/services list (5-10 key items with descriptions)
- Competitors (2-3 local competitors)
- Target audience description
- Unique selling points (3-5 things that make them different)
- Content pillars (3-4 themes to rotate through)
- Hashtag sets (local, industry, branded)
- Do's and don'ts (specific to their brand)
- Website and social handles
Enable agents for their plan tier
Set review modes -- start with agency_review for all agents (switch to client_review or dual_review once trust is established)
Send welcome email with client portal login credentials (if using client portal)

Day 2: First Content (30 minutes)

Run Content Calendar agent for the current month
Run Social Post agent for the first week of content (3-4 posts)
Review all output -- edit for accuracy, check brand voice alignment
Approve and schedule content in the calendar
Share first content drafts with client for initial feedback

Day 3-5: Platform Connections

Connect Instagram/Facebook via Meta OAuth (if client grants access)
Connect Google Business Profile (if client grants access)
Test one auto-publish to verify connection works
Set up any webhook integrations the client needs

Week 1 Checkpoint

Confirm client is satisfied with initial content quality and voice
Adjust brand kit based on any feedback
Run first week's content, gather any client edits
Schedule check-in call for end of week 2

Week 2-4: Ramp to Full Speed

Expand to additional agents based on plan (email, blog, video, etc.)
Set up recurring agent schedules if appropriate (e.g., weekly social post runs)
Run first Analytics Report (even if metrics are limited)
Deliver first monthly report to client

Weekly Agency Operations

Do these things every week to keep the agency running smoothly.

Monday: Plan the Week (30 minutes)

Check the Review Queue -- approve or reject any pending content from over the weekend
Review each client's content calendar for the week -- are there gaps?
Trigger agent runs to fill any gaps (social posts, blog posts, etc.)
Check credit balances -- any clients running low?

Wednesday: Quality Check (20 minutes)

Review any content that came through from scheduled or chained agent runs
Spot-check published content -- is it live on the right platforms?
Respond to any client messages or feedback
Send any pending outreach emails (prospecting sequence)

Friday: Close the Week (20 minutes)

Clear the review queue completely
Run agents for next week's early-week content (so Monday is covered)
Note any client feedback or brand kit adjustments needed
Log any new prospect leads for next week's outreach

Prospecting (ongoing, 1-2 hours/week)

Identify 2-3 new prospects per week
Run Prospect Audits for each
Send outreach for audited prospects
Follow up on existing outreach sequences

Monthly Operations

First Week of the Month

Credit resets happen automatically (monthly cron), but verify each client has their allocation
Run Analytics Reports for every active client
Compile monthly reports -- use the analytics report output, add any client-specific notes
Send reports to clients -- email or share via the client portal

Mid-Month

Content audit -- review the past month's content across all clients for quality consistency
Brand kit updates -- any clients with new products, changed hours, seasonal menus? Update their brand kits
Agent performance review -- which agents are producing the best content? Which need prompt tweaks?

End of Month

Billing check -- verify all Stripe subscriptions are current, flag any failed payments
Client health check -- any clients disengaged? Not responding to content? Proactively reach out
Upsell review -- any Starter clients who would benefit from Standard? Locals clients ready for Starter?
Pipeline review -- how many prospects are in each stage? Enough to hit growth goals?

Pricing Strategy

How to Position Each Plan

Plan	Price	Who It Is For	Lead With
Locals	$99/mo	Skeptical first-timers, budget-conscious	"Try it for less than a dinner out. 2 posts/week, SEO basics."
Starter	$199/mo	Businesses ready to get consistent	"Consistent social presence + weekly specials. The 'set it and forget it' plan."
Standard	$399/mo	Businesses wanting real marketing	"Full content marketing: social + email + blog + video concepts. What a $3,000/mo agency does."
Premium	$799/mo	Businesses wanting everything	"Your entire marketing department for under $800/mo. Every channel, every week."
Vine Starter	$399/mo	Wineries getting started	"Tasting notes that sound like your sommelier wrote them. Plus social and SEO."
Vine Standard	$699/mo	Wineries wanting wine club growth	"Wine club retention + social + email. Keep members engaged between shipments."
Vine Premium	$1,199/mo	Wineries wanting full service	"Harvest to bottle, every touchpoint covered. DTC, events, club, social, all of it."

When to Upsell

Locals to Starter: Client is happy with quality, asks for more posts or additional platforms
Starter to Standard: Client mentions email marketing, blogging, or video content
Standard to Premium: Client wants ad copy, competitor intelligence, or website content
Any tier up: Monthly report shows strong engagement growth -- "Imagine what we could do with video and email too"

The Anchor Price Conversation

Always anchor against traditional agency pricing:

"A traditional agency in the Tri-Cities charges $2,000-$5,000/month for what you're getting at $399. The difference is we use AI to handle the volume, so I can spend my time on strategy and quality control instead of writing every caption from scratch."

Handling Objections

"I can just use ChatGPT myself"

"You absolutely can, and a lot of business owners try. The difference is: ChatGPT doesn't know your brand voice, it doesn't know what performed well last month, it doesn't auto-post to your platforms, and it doesn't generate images. You'd still need to come up with topics, write prompts, format everything, post it, and track results. Our system does all of that -- 17 specialized agents, each trained on your specific business. It's the difference between having a hammer and having a carpenter."

ROI math: If they spend 5 hours/week on marketing themselves, that is 20 hours/month. At even $25/hour for their time, that is $500/month of their time. Upland starts at $99.

"AI content doesn't sound authentic"

"That's actually the most common fear, and it is exactly why we built the brand kit system. Before we generate a single post, we build a detailed profile of your voice, your products, your competitors, your community. Every piece of content runs through quality checks that reject anything generic, cliche, or off-brand. Let me show you some sample posts for your business right now."

Then run the Demo Content Generator live and show them.

"I don't have the budget"

"Totally fair. Let me ask: how much are you spending on marketing right now? Even if it's zero, there's a cost -- you're missing customers who can't find you online. The Locals plan is $99/month. That's about 3 customers per month you'd need to gain to break even. If we can get you 3 extra customers from better Google presence and social media, it pays for itself."

"I tried another agency and it didn't work"

"That's actually really common, and usually it's because traditional agencies are spread too thin -- they have 50 clients and one overworked social media manager. We're different in two ways: one, AI handles the volume so quality doesn't drop as we grow. Two, I'm local -- I'm not an agency in Denver managing your Walla Walla business. I eat at your restaurant. I drive past your shop. That local context shows up in every post."

"I need to think about it"

"Absolutely, take your time. I'll leave you with the audit report and those sample posts. If the content quality speaks for itself, you'll know. And there's no contract -- you can cancel anytime. When you're ready, we can have your first real content live within 48 hours of signing up."

"How is this different from Hootsuite / Buffer / Later?"

"Those are scheduling tools -- you still have to write everything. We generate the content, the images, the captions, the hashtags, the email campaigns, the blog posts, and then we schedule and post it. It's the difference between a calendar app and an assistant who fills the calendar for you."

Content Quality Checklist

Review every piece of AI-generated content against this checklist before approving.

Must Pass (reject if any fail)

Factually accurate -- no made-up products, incorrect hours, wrong location details
Brand voice match -- sounds like the business, not like a generic AI
No cliches -- no "elevate", "unlock", "game-changer", "dive in", "nestled", "in today's fast-paced world"
No filler -- every sentence adds value; no "Are you looking for..." openers
Specific, not generic -- references actual products, location details, community events
Correct platform format -- Instagram captions under 2200 chars, Facebook can be longer, etc.
Appropriate hashtags -- relevant to the business, location, and content; not spammy

Should Pass (flag for improvement if multiple fail)

Has a clear CTA -- tells the reader what to do next
Emotionally engaging -- makes you feel something (hungry, curious, excited)
Visually descriptive -- creates a mental image, supports the media prompt
Locally relevant -- mentions neighborhood, local events, community context
Seasonally appropriate -- reflects current time of year, weather, holidays
Varied from recent content -- doesn't repeat the same angle as the last 3 posts

Red Flags (reject immediately)

Content that could be about any business in any city
Excessive exclamation points or all-caps
Promising things the business doesn't offer
Mentioning competitors by name (unless it's a competitor intelligence report)
Any content that feels like it is trying too hard to sell
Hashtags that are irrelevant to the business or overly generic (#love #instagood)

When to Edit vs. Reject

Edit when the core content is good but needs tweaks:

Fix a factual error (wrong product name, wrong day for a special)
Adjust tone slightly (too formal or too casual)
Swap out a weak CTA for a stronger one
Trim an overly long caption

Reject when the content misses the mark:

Completely wrong brand voice
Generic content with no business-specific details
Factually wrong in ways that can't be fixed with a quick edit
Content that reads like obvious AI output

After rejecting, adjust the brand kit or add custom instructions to the agent config to prevent the same issue from recurring.