There is no such thing as the perfect brief, but there are things to consider when producing your brief to ensure you get the best out of your chosen agency.

Here are our top tips on writing a good brief.

Know your strategy

Every business or organisation needs to have a clear strategy before they can even begin to think about formulating a brief. This means having a plan of action that will achieve your organisation’s long-term goals and vision.
 
It is important not to confuse a strategy with tactics. A strategy does not mean having a step-by-step process to achieve a certain outcome, those are the tactics, a strategy is an overall approach to achieving your desired outcome. The strategy is the driving force of the decision-making processes that will ultimately improve your company’s financial stability in a competing market.
 
A succinct strategy is an effective strategy. The biggest compliment you can receive for your brief is that it is obvious.  An agency doesn’t want to have to second guess what it is that you want. This can lead to a lengthy and confusing process that wastes time and resources. Providing clear strategic direction will ensure the recipient of your brief understands exactly what you’re trying to achieve.

Establish Clear Objectives

A detailed brief begins with a clear definition of the campaign’s objectives. Whether the goal is to increase brand awareness, drive sales, or launch a new product, having specific, measurable objectives provides direction and a benchmark for success, not only for the client and their internal stakeholders, but for the agency working with you.

Example: You may want to increase sales of a particular product, but a detailed brief would specify what success looks like i.e. you want increase product sales by over 10% in a 6-month period via this marketing campaign and to be measurable by channel.

Provide Competitor Insights

Understanding the competitive landscape is vital for positioning your brand effectively. A detailed brief includes insights into your competitors’ and their strengths and weaknesses, helping to identify opportunities and threats. Who are you competing against? Do they offer a similar product?  What is their pricing strategy?  

Understand the Target Audience

Knowing who your audience is and what drives their behaviour is also crucial. A thorough brief includes detailed demographics, customer personas and insights. This information ensures the campaign message resonates with the intended audience and meets their needs effectively. 
NB: By defining your audience early in the process you can identify any knowledge gaps and fill these before investing in developing your messaging and campaign. 

At Absolute we have developed our own successful 5-stage approach, Absolute Clarity - in our stage 1 ‘investigate’ we support clients in unearthing these valuable insights.  We cover everything from persona creation/development, market and competitor research as well as holding brand workshops. The more insight you have available the better the outcome for a successful campaign.

Define Key Messages and Tone

The brief should articulate the key messages that need to be conveyed and the tone of voice that should be used. This helps maintain consistency across all marketing materials and ensures that the brand’s voice is cohesive and aligned with its values. If you are working with an agency, alongside your brief, you would share your Company Strategy, Brand Guidelines including Values and Tone of Voice guidelines.

Outline Deliverables and Timelines

A well-crafted brief outlines all deliverables, including specific content types (social media posts, videos, etc.), and provides a clear timeline. This helps manage expectations and ensures that all parties are aware of deadlines and project milestones.

Allocate Budget and Resources

An effective brief includes a detailed budget. This helps avoid scope creep and ensures that the campaign can be executed within the agreed budget allocation.  It’s important to also specify the budget investment for media spend/buying and what success looks like as mentioned above.

Example: "The total budget for this campaign is £30,000, which breakdowns as £20,000 for narrative and creative development and £10,000 for content/asset creation.

It’s also worth mentioning that a contingency budget could also be helpful for any unknowns that arise after writing your brief, this could be a gap in data or insight which is uncovered and needs some support on, or it could be recommendations from your agency partner to elevate your creative execution above an beyond the brief.

Collaboration

A detailed brief ensures that everyone involved in the campaign, from the creative team to the client, is on the same page. It serves as a reference point throughout the project, facilitating communication and effective collaboration. Regular check-ins and feedback sessions will be scheduled to ensure alignment and address any issues promptly.

Conclusion

In summary, a detailed brand or campaign brief is the cornerstone of a successful marketing initiative. It provides a clear roadmap, aligns all stakeholders, and ensures that the campaign is executed effectively and efficiently. By investing time in creating a comprehensive brief, you set the stage for a campaign that not only meets but exceeds expectations.