Launching a marketing campaign can be both an exciting and stressful time. Often clients have been thinking about this moment for months, or even years, so when the time comes to actually get started, they’re keen to get the ball rolling immediately and start seeing results.
In reality, there are a number of steps involved before this can happen, the first of which is the briefing process. While it might seem boring or unnecessary, the brief is incredibly important. The time and effort you put into the brief will affect the effectiveness of the set-up and delivery, which in turn will affect your overall results.
So what exactly is a brief? And what should it include?
A brief is a document that defines or outlines the scope and aspirations of a project, which allows everyone involved to work towards the same outcomes and goals. It essentially forms a two-way conversation between the client and the marketing team to define all known variables from the beginning.
A brief should include everything from simple operational requirements, to the client’s overall vision for the campaign, expectations and ideal outcomes. A good brief is integral to the success of a project and will begin by outlining the client objectives.
Campaign Objectives
These are the goals and vision for the project, as seen by the client. Essentially this section will include what it is you wish to achieve from the campaign and allows your marketing team to understand exactly what you’re looking for and figure out a way to achieve it. This section should also consider what success looks like to you and the overarching objectives of the campaign.
Target Market
Next, it’s time to consider your target market – who do you want to target? Are middle-aged couples your desired audience? Or perhaps social-media obsessed teens? Whoever it is, knowing who you’re going to be targeting will form the basis of your entire strategy. Once you’ve defined your audience, you can then create a campaign that will perform well and target your chosen demographic specifically.
Your target market will also influence where your campaign is pushed out. Once you know your audience, you can begin to research where they hang out and consume content, which will form the basis of where your campaign is shown.
Competitors
Once you’ve locked in your target audience, you should take a look at the current market to assess your competitors. Who is targeting your preferred audience and particularly who is doing it well? This will help you determine a point of difference in your own campaign to ensure it will be successful. Make sure you research to see if similar ideas have been successful or chat to your marketing team to brainstorm new ways of doing things.
Timings
You should always be specific about the timing of your campaign within the brief. Be realistic about how long the project may actually take to create and how long it might be before you see results. Be kind to yourself, but don’t give it too much time – if it’s not working, you want to ensure you can fix things before it’s too late.
Budget
The final thing to consider in your brief is the budget. It’s integral to be open about this from the beginning to ensure you allocate money for all parts of the campaign and don’t run out of budget halfway through. Sometimes it’s also good to put a little extra money behind the campaign in the final week to get as much out of it as possible, however if you blow budget in the first few days this won’t be possible.
Many business owners worry that because their budget is limited, their campaign won’t be successful, but this is simply not true. There are many ways to tweak your marketing efforts to reduce cost and optimise results.
Sound a little overwhelming? The team at Sea Salt Marketing can help you create a brief and improve your overall marketing efforts. Get in touch with Amanda today to find out more.
