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What is a Digital Marketing project brief? How do I construct a Digital Marketing project brief so the freelancer I hire can make me quality marketing content?
Here’s a Digital Marketing brief definition:
An effective Digital Marketing brief will contain an overview of your entire project, which includes:
- Content-type wanted – include samples of the content if you can
- Key dates & deadlines
- Audience for project
- Deliverable outcomes
- Project goals
The key to getting the type of marketing content you want is to make sure your client brief template is fantastic and includes everything your freelancer could possibly need.
Truth is, it can be hard to know what to include in these Digital Marketing briefs when you’re planning your project. A freelancer won’t know what’s needed of them if you don’t know how to construct a project brief. Now’s the chance to change that…
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Digital Marketing Brief Example
Below is a digital marketing brief example you can use as a starting point. It shows the level of detail that helps freelancers understand your business, your campaign goals, and the results you want to achieve.
This brief will provide your freelancer with everything they need to know about both your project and your business. If you’re struggling to get off the starting block, feel free to use it as a template for your own brief:
Name: Turbo Tech Digital Marketing Project
About our company: My name is Brandi, and I am the founder of Turbo Tech - a web hosting provider for SMBs and the self-employed. The company is brand new, and we currently have a roster of 15 customers.
What do we need?: We need a digital marketing expert to help construct and launch our marketing campaign.
Why do we need it?: We’re looking to quickly grow our web hosting business and need a marketing campaign to get the word out there. We’ll use it to raise brand awareness and take us forward in the industry.
Our vision for the project: We have a design team, so all branded assets are available to work with. The marketing campaign should be aimed at our target audience (SMBs and self-employed/freelancers) and also be suitable for the industry we reside in. As we’re new contenders in the space, we’d like the marketing campaign to portray that we are a trustworthy, reliable business. Our target demographic tends to spend most of their time on emails and selected social media (LinkedIn/Facebook/Twitter), so ideally we’d like to focus marketing efforts here. The core of our budget would be split between two projects: an email campaign and social media campaign.
Here are some examples of styles we like:
dribbble.com/shots/13644711-Empower-Email-Templates/attachments/5249762?mode=media
dribbble.com/shots/14929209/attachments/6645011?mode=media
dribbble.com/shots/11351559-BlueReceipt-Instagram-Story-Ads/attachments/2963679?mode=media
What file types are required?: All marketing will be displayed digitally only, so all files must cover this. If any new assets are made, we would require the original files to ensure future edits can be created.
Target audience: SMBs/Self-employed/Freelancers
Deadline: We’d be looking to work with the chosen Digital Marketer for at least 6 months to help run this campaign - the deadline can be negotiated with the chosen candidate.
Budget: $15,000-$30,000
Point of contact: You’ll be dealing with both myself and our CTO, Simon.
How to Write a Digital Marketing Brief, Section by Section
Now, let’s break the brief down section-by-section so you know exactly how it works:
Name: Turbo Tech Digital Marketing Project
Your freelancer is probably working on lots of different freelance projects, so give yours a name to distinguish it. It’ll help you keep organized too.
About our company: My name is Brandi, and I am the founder of Turbo Tech – a web hosting provider for SMBs and the self-employed. The company is brand new, and we currently have a roster of 15 customers.
Why does the freelancer need to know about you and your company? Giving them the whole picture helps the freelancer create the most appropriate work for you. Tell your freelancer what you do and how you do it.
What do we need?: We need a digital marketing expert to help construct and launch our marketing campaign.
Be specific about what you want. Is it just one piece of work you need, or an ongoing project? Let your freelancer know upfront and this will help them work out how long your project will take to complete.
Why do we need it?: We’re looking to quickly grow our web hosting business and need a marketing campaign to get the word out there. We’ll use it to raise brand awareness and take us forward in the industry.
This might seem completely obvious to you, but sometimes spelling out the motivation for your project can be really helpful. It gives the freelancer extra insight into why you need this work; do you want to reach new customers? Are you changing or launching your business? If you have current projects – why aren’t these working? All this extra information will help your freelancer do a great job.
Our vision for the project: We have a design team, so all branded assets are available to work with. The marketing campaign should be aimed at our target audience (SMBs and self-employed/freelancers) and also be suitable for the industry we reside in. As we’re new contenders in the space, we’d like the marketing campaign to portray that we are a trustworthy, reliable business. Our target demographic tends to spend most of their time on emails and selected social media (LinkedIn/Facebook/Twitter), so ideally we’d like to focus marketing efforts here. The core of our budget would be split between two projects: an email campaign and social media campaign.
If you already have an idea of how you want the work to look, write it down in your project brief. This will help the freelancer hit the ground running and could shorten the delivery time. You and your freelancer will ideally develop concepts together. Don’t worry if you don’t know what you want yet – mention this to your freelancer and you can talk through ideas.
Here are some examples of styles we like:
dribbble.com/shots/13644711-Empower-Email-Templates/attachments/5249762?mode=media
dribbble.com/shots/14929209/attachments/6645011?mode=media
dribbble.com/shots/11351559-BlueReceipt-Instagram-Story-Ads/attachments/2963679?mode=media
Sometimes it’s hard to describe a style you like, which is why you need to show your freelancer. Include images, links to other work you’ve seen, color pallets, fonts – anything that will help your freelancer get a good idea of what you want your finished project to look like.
What file types are required?: All marketing will be displayed digitally only, so all files must cover this. If any new assets are made, we would require the original files to ensure future edits can be created.
Granted, this may not be information that you know. But, depending on where you need to use the work, you’ll need different file types. If you’re not sure about this, it’s something to ask your freelancer.
Target audience: SMBs/Self-employed/Freelancers
Your target audience is a vital piece of information that your freelancer should know. It’ll help them create work that specifically targets that section of the market and helps you draw in custom.
Deadline: We’d be looking to work with the chosen Digital Marketer for at least 6 months to help run this campaign – the deadline can be negotiated with the chosen candidate.
When do you need your project to be completed? Don’t forget this crucial detail.
Budget: $15,000-$30,000
How much will you pay for the project? If you have a budget in mind, include it in your project brief. If you have no idea, you can discuss costs with your freelancer.
Point of contact: You’ll be dealing with both myself and our CTO, Simon.
Who will your freelancer be dealing with? Make it easier for remote workers to communicate with you by making it clear who their point of contact is during the project. There will be extra questions and work that needs to be signed off, so make sure your freelancer gets straight through to the right person.
Common Mistakes in a Digital Marketing Brief
Many clients lose time and budget because their brief is too vague. A freelancer can only produce strong work if the scope, audience, and business goals are clear from the start.
Common mistakes include:
- not defining the goal of the campaign
- listing channels without explaining priorities
- leaving out budget or timing
- failing to share brand guidelines or examples
- asking for deliverables without defining success
- not identifying who will approve the work
A strong digital marketing brief does not need to be long, but it does need to be specific. The clearer your brief is, the easier it is to hire the right digital marketer and get useful proposals.
A strong digital marketing brief helps you hire more confidently and gives freelancers the information they need to deliver better work. The more clearly you explain your goals, audience, scope, timeline, and budget, the easier it becomes to attract relevant proposals and avoid unnecessary revisions.
Before posting your project on Twine, review your brief and check that it answers the most important questions a freelancer will ask. A little extra detail at this stage can lead to stronger strategy, smoother communication, and better campaign results.
We vet all of our freelancers and match them to clients using over 10 different criteria. This allows both parties to gain maximum results at the most effective price. We’re here to help along every step of the way and will do everything we can to make sure you have an awesome experience.
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