So, once you’ve got the right people on board and a clear idea of what your team structure looks like, it’s time to put together a campaign brief. This will then shape your campaign plan, and help you implement it as effectively and efficiently as possible.

There are a few key things you’ll want to include in your campaign brief, starting with its purpose and goals. In other words, why are you doing this campaign in the first place?

These goals will most likely be centered around different areas of the marketing funnel, and should always support progress towards your overall business objectives.

By understanding what you want to get out of your campaign, you can then choose the most suitable channels to get in front of your target audiences.

A ‘top of funnel’ campaign is likely to be centered around generating awareness, so you might choose to deliver this through display ads or video-on-demand. For a ‘middle of funnel’ campaign, where you’re looking to generate interest and demand, you could think about using social media or eCommerce channels to distribute your ads.

You’ll also want to include key performance indicators, or ‘KPIs’, in your brief. These are the key metrics that will help you measure the performance and success of your campaigns. The KPIs you choose will depend on the type of campaign you’re planning, the channels you’re going to use, and the goals you’re hoping to achieve.

For a ‘top of funnel' goal, you might choose to measure things like cost per unique user, or on-target reach. A ‘middle of funnel’ goal could involve tracking video view-through rate or cost per completed view. And, for ‘bottom of funnel’ goals, you might measure cost per lead, cost per acquisition or cost per install.

There are many KPIs to choose from, and you don’t want to find yourself drowning in metrics, so make sure you pick the ones that make the most sense for your business and campaign.

Imagine you work for a company that’s launching a new flavor of one of its best-selling drinks. You want people to consider purchasing this new flavor the next time they find themselves in store, so you’ve decided to run a ‘middle of funnel’ video campaign, where the goal is consideration.

Achieving this should also drive sales and increase market share, but these aren’t metrics that can be measured straight away. Instead, you decide to track the ad’s view-through rate, which gives you an indication of how receptive your audience is to your campaign. If people are watching your video all the way through, then this could indicate that they’re interested in what you have to offer, and that the channel you’re using is getting your campaign in front of the right audience.

Keeping track of relevant KPIs is a great way to optimize both current and future campaigns. This way, you can make real-time changes that have an immediate impact on a campaign’s performance, and make improvements to any other campaigns later down the line.

Finally, your brief should include information about the audience you’re looking to target. Why should this audience be interested in your product or campaign? Consider the unique selling points that would appeal to them, along with any relevant information about your business or brand.

Once you’ve delivered your brief, you can then work on creating a digital media plan, which should include the different channels and platforms you’ll be using for the campaign. The plan needs to show why certain decisions have been made, and why certain channels or platforms will be the most suitable for your target audience. Things like recommended targeting options, ad formats, timings and phasing should also be laid out in this plan, along with a clear indication of how it’s going to deliver against any goals or KPIs.

Different regions will have varying levels of digital maturity, so the details in your plan will also depend on whether the campaign is local or global. For global campaigns, you’ll also have additional factors to consider, like any regulations around ad content or distribution. Either way, any digital media plan should still show a good understanding of your campaign goals, funnel strategy, and target audience - regardless of how local or global it is.

Developing a Campaign Brief

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