A professional and thoughtful creative brief can jumpstart the project and save you a couple of weeks at least. Including the key elements in the creative brief is essential for avoiding any diversion later. During the initial stages of any project, the creative brief will work as a blueprint to help the creative team get things done as per the requirements of the client.
On the other end, the client will now have something to refer to when it comes to tracking the progress of the campaign. The creative brief needs to be compelling and should consist of seven key elements. We will highlight these elements below.
1. Needs of the Client.
The team needs to understand the requirements of the client. Only when the goal is clear and measurable, the campaign can move forward.
The client and the team need to be on the same page with that. When they have the same vision for the campaign, things will proceed smoothly throughout the campaign.
2. Market and Audience Demographics.
A service provider needs to understand the demographics the client wants you to target, so you have to spell it out clearly in the body. You cannot progress any further without it — the whole campaign will be lopsided if you get this wrong, and it will result in a lot of wasted time and resources.
Jot down the market and audience demographic. You can sit down with the client and ask them questions about the same before creating the brief to eliminate any confusion and doubt. The importance of this element in the brief cannot be overstated.
3. The Scope of the Project.
The scope of the project is similar to the purpose of the project. It comprises of different parameters, including:
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Goals: The goal refers to the result the client wants to achieve from this project.
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KPIs: KPIs stand for key performance indicators. These are the metrics the client needs to monitor to know more about the success of the campaign.
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Process: The scope of the project also consists of the processes. It will mention the resources and the intended use of those resources and give you an idea of how the campaign will be moving forward. The process highlights the internal working mechanism of the team.
These are the three most essential things which you should include in the scope of the project, enabling you to have informed conversations with the client regarding the project’s operations.
4. Competitor Analysis.
Every business has competitors. The competitor analysis also highlights the amount of risk which a project faces. The brief should highlight the competitive risk and conduct a proper analysis to help the client understand how the project can outwit the competition.
If your team isn’t familiar with the industry, sit down with the client to learn more about the competitors. You need to monitor competitors digitally before drafting the competitor analysis section. Using different tools and different information on your client’s competitors, you can create a holistic picture of the market. This will allow you to gain more insights into the kind of competition which you are facing.
5. Business Brand.
Any marketing campaign has the potential to impact the business’s brand. The team should align the campaign with the interests of the business and the client; it should be clear from the start how this campaign will benefit the business branding and image.
If you’re not aware of the current branding and image of the business, ask your lead about it. Ideally, you should plan a campaign in such a way that it is an extension of the existing positioning and branding to help you reinforce the identity of the business in front of potential clients.
6. Deliverables.
The deliverables are the milestones the client can track during the campaign. These will allow the client to understand whether the campaign is progressing as per the goals and as per the schedule or not. Some of the deliverables can be:
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A specific number of leads.
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A certain amount of revenue by a specific deadline.
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Increase in engagement.
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Increased social media interaction.
A campaign can have any one of these as deliverables or all of them. Most of it depends on the type of marketing campaign which the client seeks. Nevertheless, it’s important to mention all the deliverables on which the campaign focuses to avoid misunderstandings or misconceptions.
Pro Tip:
If you plan on engaging the client in the decision-making process, the deliverables can also include things like a rough draft of the campaign, rough draft of the website redesign or permission to create a new landing page.
7. Deadlines.
The seventh key element on this list is also the most prominent one: You should be 100 percent clear about the deadlines of the project.
One way to do this is to break up the entire campaign in two different milestones and set a deadline for each milestone. However, the most transparent and beneficial way is to mention the deadlines for every milestone. This will help the client understand the pace at which the campaign is moving forward.
The Takeaway
So, if you’re creating a creative brief for a client, these seven elements are essential. This will not only help you to understand your new project better but also ensure that the client has all the necessary information to monitor the campaign.
With a comprehensive creative brief, you can keep the client in the loop and also have a proper blueprint for the campaign. The right creative brief is not just beneficial for the client but also for your team.
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Content Marketing
