When I wrote a brief to engage a new PR agency for one of my clients recently, I received complements on its detail and depth from every recipient, “Thank you! How refreshing to receive a decently written brief for once!” Whilst flattering, it also reminded me that the calibre of briefs I am sent – as a marketing consultant – are often poor. Whether it’s a rebrand, creating a digital acquisition campaign or launching a new website, being able to write a good marketing brief will deliver a better quality result.
So, I thought I’d step up and share some advice on how to write a good marketing brief, on behalf of all my fellow marketing agencies, web designers, copy writers and consultants.
Write it down
So often as a consultant I have found that potential clients view an introductory meeting as a brief. I have become adept at asking the right questions to tease out requirements, but even then, producing a formal proposal and costing estimate based on a 20-minute chat is tough. Whilst a conversation with a supplier can help round out your thoughts, it is still worth writing them down. Just a two-page brief will clarify your needs, develop your ideas further and ultimately lead to more responses from busy agencies who want to feel that writing a response is a worthwhile investment of their time.
Give background
Context is everything. Are you an established brand, or a start up? Are you trying to stand out in a crowded market space, or creating a new one? Of course any decent supplier will do some research, but by giving them the basics you are allowing them more time to put into creative thinking, which is surely what you value. Don’t forget to include company mission and vision, objectives and key strategies, alongside commentary on your culture and values. I often find for brand projects this information is the most important to help me create the right story and tone.
State your objectives
Knowing what you aim to achieve realistically in a set time frame is useful. Stated within the context of a five-year plan, even better. What is your target market segment? The more sophisticated your understanding of your marketplace, the more tailored a campaign or website design proposal will be.
Don’t be afraid to use examples of other companies to bring that to life. “We want to be as big as X,” or, “We want our website to be as impactful as Y’s.” This instantly creates understanding in a few words.
Share your ideas
Don’t be afraid to share your own creative ideas in a brief. Whilst you are paying for their expertise, working with an agency is a two-way conversation. Your market and product expertise are valuable inputs to the process and will help avoid off the wall creative proposals from agencies who don’t yet have a feel for your business.
Include a budget
Finally, budget, which makes everyone nervous for some reason. “Will we get taken for a ride?” The truth is that without stating a budget you may not even receive any responses to your brief. By including what your company can reasonably afford to pay, you are just naturally refining the list of potential respondents. Many agencies take the 90’s supermodel approach these days and just don’t get out of bed for less than a minimum monthly fee. So, you will only be wasting everyone’s time if they bid way above your budget level. And, if you receive no responses, you will know that your budget is unrealistic.
For branding, strategy, planning, content strategy projects, please feel free to send your beautifully written briefs to lauriedennard@perrfectmarketing.com – Many thanks!