A useful marketing brief explains the business problem before it picks channels. Use this checklist to prepare for a conversation about your website, search visibility, advertising or content, so the plan that comes back fits your business rather than a standard package.
Define the business goal and a useful enquiry
Describe the service or product you want to promote, the customers it suits and the areas you actually serve. Explain what makes an enquiry worthwhile: the service requested, the location, the timing and whether the person is ready to take the next step. Keep enquiries, booked appointments, completed sales and repeat purchases as separate measures.
Bring evidence from your current customer journey
- How people find your business today, where you have that information.
- The landing pages, forms, phone numbers and booking tools used in campaigns.
- Recent channel reports, with their date ranges and what each one counts as a conversion.
- Common questions, poor fit enquiries and the points where customers stop responding.
- Who follows up on enquiries and how results are recorded.
More clicks do not tell you whether more of the right customers are buying. Compare marketing reports with your enquiry and sales process before deciding which activity to grow.
Set priorities before asking for every channel
If visitors cannot understand the offer or finish a form, put the website first. If the website works but the right people rarely find it, ask what evidence supports SEO, advertising or content. If enquiries arrive but replies are slow, include lead handling and follow up in the scope.
Ask every agency to explain where it would start, what that depends on and what will be reviewed before the next phase. Not every business needs the same mix of channels.
Set clear limits on scope and spending
State the budget available and the decisions that need your approval. Ask for agency fees, advertising spend, production work and software costs to be shown separately. Note who supplies content and creative, who approves claims and who owns each account.
Agree how results will be measured
Define the actions to measure and how duplicate or poor fit enquiries will be handled in reports. Confirm the access needed and review privacy requirements before any tracking is added. Name someone to check that forms, calls and bookings reach the right person.
At each review, compare results with the starting point, note changes in budget or offers, and be clear about what the data cannot show. Use those findings to decide what to test next. A forecast is a planning tool, not a promise.
Bring a short brief to the first conversation
Prepare your goals, audience, current website, available evidence, priorities and approval contacts. Leave out passwords and customer details. Our guide to what to look for in a digital marketing agency can help you choose who to send it to. When you are ready, explore our marketing services and send your brief to Canada Create™.
We plan and run B2B marketing across search, ads, content and email for Canadian companies.
Frequently asked questions
What is a digital marketing brief?
A short document that explains your business goal, your customers, what a useful enquiry looks like and the evidence you have, so an agency can recommend the right work.
What should a marketing brief include?
The service or product to promote, target customers and areas, current results, how enquiries are handled, priorities, budget and who approves the work.
Why define a useful enquiry before starting marketing?
Because clicks and form fills are not the same as customers. A clear definition keeps the campaign focused on enquiries that turn into sales.
Should I pick the channels myself before writing the brief?
Describe the problem first. A good agency should explain which channel fits that problem and why, based on evidence.
What reports should I bring?
Recent channel reports with their date ranges and conversion definitions, plus any notes on where enquiries come from and how many become customers.
How should agency fees and ad spend be shown?
Separately. Agency fees, advertising spend, production work and software costs should each be listed so you can see what you are paying for.
Who should own the marketing accounts?
Your business should. Note in the brief who owns each account today and who needs access.
How will I know if the marketing is working?
Agree the measures at the start, record a starting point and review results against it, noting any changes in budget, offers or tracking.
Should customer data go in the brief?
No. Share patterns and totals rather than personal details or passwords.
Can Canada Create review my brief?
Yes. Send it with your website address and we will reply with questions and a written proposal.
