Digital marketing can be a daunting and complex task for businesses, especially for those who are new to the game. But fear not, for there is a simple and efficient way to create a digital marketing brief that will help agencies and contractors understand your needs and goals: TAAGS.
TAAGS is a proven marketing brief that can help businesses plan and execute successful marketing campaigns. It stands for Timing, Audiences, Assets, Goals, and Spend, and provides a framework for organizing and prioritizing the key elements of a marketing campaign. By considering each of these elements carefully, businesses can ensure that their marketing efforts are effective, efficient, and aligned with their overall goals.
Digital Marketing Brief Template
Feel free to use this template for your next digital marketing campaign. This digital marketing brief template is designed to help you easily plan your campaign, and it includes sections for TAAGS. Feedback welcomed!
Timing
Timing is a critical aspect of marketing, as it can impact the effectiveness of a campaign. By carefully considering the timing of a campaign, businesses can ensure that they are reaching their target audience at the right time, with the right message.
Key Fields for "Timing":
- Campaign: launch date, end date, ramp up/down period, pause dates
- Retainer: planning and setup dates/duration, retainer duration, reporting cadence/dates, phases
Audiences
Audiences are the people that businesses are trying to reach with their marketing efforts. By understanding their target audience, businesses can tailor their marketing messages to be relevant and engaging to the people they are trying to reach.
Key Fields for "Audiences":
- Definitives: demographics, geo-market
- Subjective: motivations, intent, interests
- Email Database(s)
Assets
Assets are the materials and resources that businesses use to create and execute their marketing campaigns. This can include things like advertising copy, images, and videos, as well as tools and platforms for publishing and promoting content.
Key Fields for "Assets":
- Related domains and webpages, campaign messaging guide/brief, ad copy, creative asset library (images, videos, etc.), logo files and brand guidelines
- Email Database(s), analytics platform(s), available audiences in ad platforms
- Past reports and research
Goals
Goals are the specific objectives that businesses hope to achieve with their marketing efforts. This can include things like increasing brand awareness, generating leads, or driving sales. By setting clear goals, businesses can measure the success of their marketing campaigns and make improvements as needed.
Key Fields for "Goals":
- Primary and Secondary Goals (i.e. Achieve "x" by "y" time.)
- Associated KPIs and metrics
- Optional: Stretch goals
Spend
Spend is the amount of money that businesses allocate to their marketing efforts. By carefully managing their spend, businesses can ensure that they are maximizing the return on their marketing investments.
Key Fields for "Spend":
- Media budget (optional: per market and/or channel) and how it relates to Timing (i.e. ramp up/down periods)
- Retainer fees, third-party fees, expense budget
- Reserve Budget
Ending Notes
Overall, TAAGS is a powerful marketing brief that can help businesses plan and execute successful marketing campaigns. By considering the timing, audiences, assets, goals, and spend of their campaigns, businesses can ensure that they are reaching the right people, with the right message, at the right time.
In case you've missed it, here is the Digital Marketing Brief Template we use. Feedback is always welcomed!
Shoutout to Carlie Nishi, Daniel Crough, and Jake Johnson as the original contributors of this framework!
Last Updated: Dec. 12, 2022