What is a briefing and why is it so important?
Today, marketing has advanced a lot, which has made new techniques appear, for example, many do not know what a briefing is. This is a very important practice if you work with marketing, since it is a key to the development of any project.
Today we are going to talk a little more about what the briefing is, its importance and everything it can offer. In this way, you will realize the usefulness and importance that this has for you and for your clients. So, if you are interested in knowing a little more about it, keep reading this article.
What is a briefing?
Briefing is a word that comes from “brief”, which means “brief”, that is, it could be taken as a “summary”. So, we have that this would be a document through which the strategy that will be carried out to reach the stated objectives is summarized.
When you are about to start a new project, it is normal for many people to do it as it happens. That is to say, they improvise along the way and this is something that should not happen. It's like trying to build a building without plans, it doesn't mean you can't, but the chances of failure increase.
When one of these briefings is going to be carried out, it is necessary to answer some key questions, such as the following:
Why is it done?
What will it be done for?
When are you going to do?
What means are available to do so?
A briefing can be used for practically any thing or project that you want to carry out. That is, anything online (or not), can be supported.
How is a briefing carried out?
If you are still not completely clear about what it is, don't worry, we will tell you that it is an example briefing that will help you understand a little better what it is all about.
Suppose you want to make a website to offer a legal advice service in your city. In these cases, the first thing you should consider is the questions that we discussed earlier.
What are you going to do?
A website to offer an online legal advice service.
Why is it done?
Because of the lack of online legal advice sites in the city.
What will it be done for?
Offer quick advice online for people who do not want to go to a lawyer's office.
When are you going to do?
I want it to be ready in a month.
What means are available to do so?
I have advanced legal knowledge and capital to start my own online site.
Although this may seem simple, the truth is that it can be extremely useful. In this way you will be able to have a path to follow, which will allow your idea to be carried out in the best possible way and without complications.
What elements make up a briefing?
It is not only necessary to know what a briefing is, but it is also important to know what its elements are. Knowing all this will help you to carry out a quality briefing that will produce results.
Among the main elements that a briefing must contain are the following:
Objective of the campaign : The first thing to take into account is the objective that the campaign will have. This is the starting point of any briefing, and from this everything else is developed.
Audience : Once the objectives have been established, it is necessary to know which audience the campaign is going to target. This allows you to be much more efficient and effective.
Description of the company : It is necessary to include a brief description of the company. This helps to better understand the values and to adapt the campaign to their ideas.
Specific needs : It is possible that the client has some ideas in mind for the campaign. It is necessary that these be reflected in the briefing in order to be carried out if possible.
KPIs : A “Key Performance Indicator” is vital to be able to measure the effectiveness of the work being done. In this way it is possible to determine if things are really being done well or where it can be improved.
Limitations : It is common that there are some limitations or conditions that may affect the development of the project. This may be due to different factors, whether internal or external, and they must be specified in the briefing.
Budget : Another of the most important things to consider is the budget. It must be detailed how much is counted and how it is going to be used, which allows the resources to be used in the best possible way.
Times : The times in which the project will be carried out are fundamental, since it allows to have a specific term. Also, this helps to save a lot of time and avoid deviations.
These are the main steps necessary to be able to make a briefing report.
What types of briefing exist?
Now that you know a little better what a briefing is and you have a clearer idea of how it is carried out, the next thing is to know its types. This is a very versatile tool and, moreover, it is divided into several types. Next, we will talk a little more about them.
advertising briefing
This is probably one of the most common types of briefings on the market and is used for the purpose of targeting advertising campaigns. This takes into account different factors that will lead you to achieve the objectives of the campaign.
This is a kind of proposal of what will be done and, despite the fact that it may seem like something very simple, the truth is that from it, more developed and large-scale campaigns can be carried out.
creative briefing
This could be considered as a summary of the project that you want to carry out. It is used as a starting point for work teams to start working around it and towards the same goal.
This is a really useful document, which is vital for any creative project. It is very common to find it in places such as creative agencies and various work teams. These creative contents can be used for various types of campaigns, so they are not totally limited.
marketing briefing
In this type of briefing, the different actions that must be carried out in order to propose the steps to be carried out are taken into account. That is, all the steps that will be taken within what is marketing and the idea must be specified.
This serves as a starting point and from there, other types of briefings are started. That is why this is considered one of the most important and must be developed, especially if you work with marketing.
business briefing
This type of briefing is used as a guide for carrying out a project. As we already mentioned, a briefing can be a starting point for any project or business you have in mind. In this case, you will have to develop each of the aspects of it.
It details basic information about the project and its objectives, as well as competition and consumer issues. All this helps you to have a much clearer idea of what you are going to face.
Carrying out a briefing before starting a project can help you make better decisions. It may even give you a clearer idea of whether or not the business can be profitable.