While creating a media campaign plan may seem obvious, it can be overlooked especially if deadlines get pushed up, you’re wearing multiple hats in your current role or you just don’t have the time. However, creating a campaign plan, especially for high priority initiatives, can help ground you and keep your team and partner agencies on track. Below are some of the benefits of creating a campaign plan, components to include in a campaign brief, an overview of the strategy & tactic stages and finally the importance of creating a timeline.

Media Planning Benefits

While there are many reasons why creating a media plan is an important process, below are three main reasons why you should consider implementing this practice if you are not doing so already.

Accountability

By creating and having a media plan in place, your team can easily check to make sure all tactics have been implemented or are in the process. This can also be a useful tool for you to share with your internal team to show progress.

Measurement

Creating a media plan can also help with overall campaign measurement. By outlining and creating tangible goals from the start, you have something to map performance against as the campaign progresses.

Historical Reference

It is helpful to have your campaign mapped out not only for the reasons mentioned above, but so you know how to build upon or make changes for the next year.

Campaign Kickoff Brief

What is shared in a creative brief can vary depending on the industry. However, there are several parts that are critical for building out a successful campaign.

Objective 

Outlining a clear and concise objective gives your team an idea of what you’re trying to achieve. Your objective should reference a tangible goal for your team to measure performance against. Most objectives are fairly high level and reference overall business goals such as increasing online sales by 20% year-over-year.

Target Audience

A critical component to a successful media campaign is knowing who your target consumer is. By defining your target, your agency partner can craft a plan to connect with that consumer when they are the most receptive and with the most relevant message to them.

Key Performance Indicators

This portion of a brief is key to help level set what metrics will be important for measuring campaign success. Most KPI are defined by collaborating with your partner agency, but it is important to come to an agreement on how campaigns will be measured.

Additional information to include:
– Campaign start & end dates
– Estimated Budget
– Landing pages that you will drive your media campaigns to
– Products/services to be featured

Media Strategy & Tactics

Once a campaign kickoff brief is created, an overall strategy can be developed which will outline how the campaign objectives will be obtained. This should include details on what media channels to leverage as well as partnerships. From there, the actual tactics within each media channel can be further honed in. For example, this is when you would want to include finalized keyword targeting for paid search or what types of ads should be created for Facebook.

Product & Media Timeline

While most of this discussion has been focused on media, the timeline is where you can bring together all the components and make sure you’re leaving enough time for success at each stage. The timeline should not just include production but also adequate time for the above planning and feedback/reviews of the plan and final ads. The main thing to watch out for here is understanding your different partners’ timelines including how long creative takes to make and how long your media agency needs to setup campaigns.

Strategies and tactics can vary greatly depending on the industry, but by having an established media planning process you will ensure you and your teams are organized and prepared for success.