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The doctor will gather an analysis, the builder will look at the master plan and the SMM strategist will study the brief. A social media promotion brief is a kind of agreement (terms of reference) between the agency and the client, which sets out the introduction to the project, the tasks, and the goals that the team faces.
The usefulness of the brief:
The two main problems faced in practice are:
How does this process work in our agency?
To start with, each potential client receives a link to a brief (here it is, by the way).
It's a regular google form with just 16 short yes/no questions.
Its main purpose is to get initial information about the project without going any deeper and to understand the client's need (integrated promotion/strategy development/targeting/working with opinion leaders).
It usually takes 1-2 hours to process the brief. Having analyzed the material from the "Given" column, we proceed to the decision - preparation of a quotation, which is often a decisive factor for the client when choosing a contractor. The quotation should specify the scope of work (number of posts, Stories, moderation of messages, targeting, reporting) and, accordingly, the cost. We also suggest a recommended advertising budget and calculate what results can be achieved for that money. Instead of a conclusion - an email to the potential client with a price offer and an invitation to hold an offline meeting.
Then the course of events can vary: signing the contract, promising to think about it, or even playing the silent game. But when the contract is already on the table, the most interesting thing begins - the development of SMM strategy. And just at this stage begins preparing so-called (in our case) "client" brief. This is a 4 + sheet document, whose structure we will discuss below. Naturally, we have a certain template, but it is edited based on each brand (for real estate and FMCG, for example, they will be radically different).
The content of the 'client' brief:
Block 1: about the company
Block 2: goals and challenges
Block 3: a brief analysis of the competitive environment
Block 4: target audience
Block 5: texts
Block 6: inhibitions
Block 7: visual styling and design
Block 8: advertising
Not a bad volume, is it? Then everything is in the hands of the customer. The success of further communication and cooperation, in general, depends on how thoughtful, detailed and understandable he will fill out this brief.
No less important stage comes afterward - the debriefing. This is a personal meeting with the client when you discuss all the information you receive, ask questions, try once again to feel the company's pains, and understand the global challenges the business faces. At this point, it is as important as possible that there is no miscommunication and that both parties understand where they are going and why.
A guide, a lighthouse, an Ikea manual, a compass in the digital world - call it what you like, but the essence does not change. A brief is one of the most important documents for an SMM agency. We hope that we were able to convince you of that and if you need to fill the brief you will remember our article and treat the process with responsibility.
Ksenia Antonishyna, Head of SMM at Kiwi Agency