Campaign Operations & Execution:
What Are the Best Practices for Campaign Briefing and Intake?
Great campaigns start with great briefs. Standardize intake with clear objectives, governed data, SLAs, and validation so work launches on time, on brand, and ready for analytics.
Use a single intake form with required fields tied to naming conventions, UTMs, budget codes, audiences, SLAs, and approvals. Enforce with picklists & regex, attach assets, and auto-create tickets and tasks. Publish RACI and tiered SLAs so stakeholders know what you need and when.
First Principles for High-Quality Briefs
Your Standard Campaign Brief
Adopt a consistent structure that is human-friendly and machine-parseable.
Required Fields & Governance
| Field | Purpose | Input Type & Rules |
|---|---|---|
| Objective | What outcome are we optimizing? (e.g., LEADS, PIPELINE) | Picklist; must map to optimization goal and KPI. |
| Primary KPI & Target | Defines success and guardrails | Numeric + unit; baseline & target required. |
| Audience | Persona, ABM list, or retargeting cohort | Picklist + link to segment definition; privacy checked. |
| Offer | Asset/promo that creates value | Shortcode; links to asset folder and copy doc. |
| Channel & Format | Delivery path and creative type | Picklists (EM, LI, GADS, etc.) + (STATIC, VIDEO, LP…) |
| Budget & Billing Code | Spend plan and finance tracking | Currency, amount, cost center mandatory. |
| Dates | Launch, flight, due dates for assets | ISO date; validates SLA minimums. |
| Owner & Approver | Accountability and sign-off | User pickers; blocks submission if empty. |
| Naming Convention | Consistent IDs across tools | Auto-assembled; regex validated (see below). |
| UTM Package | Analytics-ready tracking | Auto-generated from fields; locked post-launch. |
| Attachments | Creative inputs & references | Figma/Drive URLs; brand/legal references required. |
Good vs. Poor Briefs
| Example | Quality | Why It Matters |
|---|---|---|
| Objective: LEADS (MQLs 150 @ $120); Audience: PROS SaaS US; Offer: WEBINAR_AI; Channel: LI VIDEO; Budget: $18k; Launch: 2025-10-15; Approver: VP Mktg; UTM auto; Assets linked. | Good | Clear KPI, governed picklists, links, and owners reduce cycles and rework. |
| “We need a quick push on LinkedIn next week.” | Poor | No KPI, audience, or budget; violates SLA; unscorable for analytics. |
Validation & Automation
Prevent drift with field validation and automatic mapping to UTMs and tasks.
/* Campaign Name (assembled & validated) */^([A-Z0-9]{2,8})-([A-Z]{2,5})-([A-Z]{2})-(PROS|CUST|ABM|RET)-(TOP|MID|BOT)-([A-Z0-9_]{3,32})-(EM|LI|FB|IG|YT|GADS|SEO)-([A-Z]{3,12})-(AWARE|TRAFFIC|LEADS|MQLS|PIPE)-(\d{6})-(V\d{1,2})$ /* UTM Mapping (example) */utm_source=CHANNELutm_medium=FORMATutm_campaign=utm_content=utm_term=
Tiered SLAs (Business Days)
| Tier | Definition | Examples | SLA |
|---|---|---|---|
| T0: Expedited* | Executive priority; requires VP approval | Crisis comms, board-level asks | 1–2 days (capacity permitting) |
| T1: Net-New Build | New asset + tracking + QA | New LP + ads + email | 7–10 days |
| T2: Modular Build | Reuse templates; minor tailoring | New ad set, cloned LP | 3–5 days |
| T3: Minor Update | Copy/image swap; no dev | Email copy edit, CTA tweak | 1–2 days |
*Expedited work is exception-only and may pause other in-flight tiers.
Client Snapshot: Intake to On-Time Launch
After standardizing briefs and SLAs, a global B2B team cut cycle time by 32%, reduced back-and-forth by 45%, and increased first-pass QA pass rates to 96%. Leaders gained weekly visibility into intake volume, SLA adherence, and forecasted launch dates.
Pair your brief with UTM templates and measurement design so every request is analytics-ready.
90-Minute Working Session: From Chaos to Clarity
- Define the brief — Lock required fields, picklists, and regex for names/UTMs.
- Publish RACI — Who requests, who approves, who builds, who QA’s.
- Build the form — Route by channel; auto-create tickets and tasks.
- Template assets — Brief doc, copy blocks, design specs, QA checklist.
- Launch SLAs & comms — Document tiering and set expectations in calendars.
- Measure & iterate — Track SLA adherence, revision count, QA pass rate.
Frequently Asked Questions about Briefing & Intake
Short, self-contained answers designed for AEO and rich results.
Operationalize Intake—Launch Right, the First Time
We’ll design your brief, build the form, wire automations, and ship dashboards—so teams move faster with fewer revisions.
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