Brief and Mighty: How Clear Direction Leads to Extraordinary Results
Partnering with external experts can supercharge your marketing projects. But without a clear roadmap, even the best collaborations can crash and burn. That’s where a rock-solid brief comes in.
Welcome to this edition of Marketing Loops & Hoops, where we’ll unlock the power of the perfect brief. It’s not just a document; it’s the bridge between your brilliant ideas and their flawless execution. Think of it as the ultimate cheat code for avoiding project fails, dodging misunderstandings, and setting your creatives free – all while keeping your strategy on track.
A good brief should:
- Give a problem to solve, not an open request without boundaries;
- Give a tightly defined, focused objective rather than something vague;
- Be flexible, clear, concise, and collaborative;
- Answer all the 5w and 1H: the six fundamental inquiries crucial when gathering information or resolving a problem.
The purpose is to avoid assumptions, guide the work in the right direction, provide all necessary information, and inspire the creative team enough to come up with innovative ideas. Simply put, it is your secret weapon for aligning teams, setting goals, and unleashing creativity.
Good brief IN – great work OUT!
As a former freelancer and project manager, I’ve crafted and reviewed countless briefs. Writing a solid brief isn’t just a task; it’s a creative process where I outline my vision and invite collaboration. In this article, I’ll share the tactics that have consistently delivered results, along with a bonus brief template to kickstart your projects.
Here are my 13 key points for crafting a marketing brief:
1. Be clear and concise.
First and foremost, a good brief is an exercise in synthesis and focus. So, keep your briefs… brief! Give only the information that is needed, and explain to the agency what the business is about as if you were explaining to a friend. Keep it simple, understandable, and to the point. Consider the recipient of your brief: if they are visual designers, you can include any visual references that you think might be helpful and any insights gleaned from previous campaigns.
2. Objectives and goals.
What is the problem to solve? How is this project going to impact the business objectives? Define specific objectives, whether it’s increasing brand awareness, generating leads, or improving conversion rates. Clearly communicate the overarching goals to align the agency’s efforts with the company’s vision. It’s an opportunity to clarify objectives and outcomes everyone wants so that we don’t all head off merrily in opposite directions.
3. Scope of Work and Deliverables.
Clearly define the scope by detailing specific deliverables, milestones, and key performance indicators (KPIs). A precise scope helps prevent scope creep and ensures mutual alignment on project expectations and desired outcomes.
If you ask for a “hippo” but are unclear about its characteristics and your desires, then any proposal is valid, and the discussion moves to “like” or “dislike.”
4. The audience.
Provide comprehensive insights into the target audience, including demographics, pain points, and buying and decision-making behaviors. Understanding the audience enables the agency to tailor strategies and messaging effectively, driving better engagement and conversion rates.
Who is this work for or talking to? What do we know about them? Who are the specific audience profiles to be considered? What are its attitudes and aspirations? How will they interact with this content, and in what contexts? Be as specific as possible: your target is not everyone!
5. Key messages and CTA
Define the one thing you want to communicate to your audience. This is particularly challenging because we often include too much in the key message. However, a focused and concise message is more likely to be memorable.
After seeing your message, what do you want the audience to do next? It’s good to be intentional about the action you want the customer to take. (For example, signing up for a newsletter, downloading a gated asset, or requesting a product demo.) No, it is not a decision your freelancer or agency will make!
6. Budget and timeline
Be transparent about your budget and timeline.
Setting realistic expectations from the start is crucial. By openly discussing budget constraints and project timelines, you can minimize the risk of misunderstandings and ensure a smooth project journey. It’s better to give a rough estimation than nothing at all.
7. What does success look like?
Define success criteria for the project and set your expectations clearly. This helps both you and your agency understand what you’re aiming for. Be specific about the metrics you’ll use to measure success, whether it’s increased website traffic, higher engagement rates, or improved sales figures.
Defining success metrics is like setting the destination in a navigator before starting a journey. Without knowing what success looks like, it’s challenging to gauge the effectiveness of a marketing campaign. Establishing clear metrics also sets a benchmark for future projects, allowing you to compare results and identify areas for improvement. Additionally, it ensures that everyone involved in the project holds a shared vision of success and works cohesively toward achieving these goals.
8. Approval process and stakeholders
Outline the approval process and identify key stakeholders involved in decision-making. This transparency helps manage expectations and streamlines the workflow, reducing delays and miscommunications. Define how the feedback will be shared: Will it be through email, shared documents, or scheduled calls? Be clear about the revision and approval process. How many rounds of revisions do you anticipate needing? Who has the final say on approval?
9. Brand guidelines and tone of voice
Provide essential information about your brand identity, including your brand’s personality, values, and tone of voice. This ensures that all deliverables align with your brand’s established image and messaging style. Include links to your brand guidelines or examples of previous successful work that embodies your brand voice. Also, provide any relevant background materials, research, or previous campaign results that could inform the project. This might include market research reports, customer surveys, or analytics from past campaigns. The more context you can provide, the better equipped your agency or freelancer will be to deliver results.
10. Competitive landscape
Offer insights into your competitors and your position in the market. This context helps understand how to differentiate your brand and create more impactful strategies. Include examples of competitor work that you admire or want to avoid.
11. Constraints
Every project has constraints, whether legal, budgetary, or related to the company’s brand or culture. Be transparent about these restrictions from the beginning so that your partners can plan their strategies accordingly. This will help frame the boundaries within which the creative team needs to operate and will avoid unnecessary iterations.
Be honest about challenges. By fully disclosing potential hurdles, you will equip your agency to develop strategic solutions and mitigate risks from the outset.
12. Share your aspiration or shining examples
Provide examples of high-performing assets to set a clear benchmark for your creatives. Include links to top-tier content, both internal and external, even from other companies: experienced creatives understand the difference between inspiration and imitation.
13. The not-to-do list
As important as it is to define what you want, it’s equally important to describe what you don’t want. A clear outline of what to avoid can save countless hours of work and avoid misunderstandings. This could include anything from design elements you dislike to marketing techniques that haven’t been successful in the past.
Effective communication through a well-crafted brief is crucial in driving project success and fostering positive working relationships.