A paid advertising campaign begins with a decision about what the business needs next. Before choosing an audience or writing an ad, a clear brief helps everyone understand the goal and the work involved.
1. What action matters?
A sale, an enquiry, and a website visit are different outcomes. Choose a primary action and explain why it matters to the business. Google’s Search campaign guidance also starts with the campaign goal and conversion goals.
2. Who is the offer for?
Describe the audience’s situation, the problem they are trying to solve, and the questions they may ask before responding. A useful description goes beyond age or location and considers whether the offer is relevant to that person.
3. What will the message promise?
Write down the benefit the business can reasonably deliver. Keep the ad and the landing page consistent. If the ad introduces one offer and the page presents another, visitors have to do extra work to understand the next step.
4. What can be tested?
List a few questions the campaign should answer. You might compare two ways of explaining the offer or two landing-page introductions. Document the changes so that a later review has context.
5. How will progress be reviewed?
Agree on the reporting period and the measures that connect to the goal. Clicks can describe traffic, but they do not explain the full business outcome. A review should also consider the enquiries or purchases the business records.
The brief does not need to be long. One page with an objective, an audience, an offer, a testing plan, and a review process is a practical starting point.
Need help turning your ideas into a campaign brief? Get in touch about strategy or consultancy.