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Contact UsThe Creative Brief – The Art of Linkshaping
By Ricky | August 24th, 2010 | No comments yet
Ahoy there! There’s been a brief delay in getting new articles cranked out recently, mainly because the other Linkshapers have done a fine job of keeping me loaded with work. Thanks guys!
Today, I’ve got my sea-legs back and I’m ready to continue our journey down the Linkshape website design and Internet marketing service process. So far, we’ve gained a basic understanding of the approval process and the project description. Together, these two topics lay the groundwork for the fun stuff that we get to do at Linkshape, which get kicked-off by the creative brief. In fact, the meeting we hold to conduct a creative brief is called the project “kick-off”. It’s a jubilant sort of discussion – the project is starting and everyone is abuzz with ideas and aspirations for the journey.
The creative brief, briefly
The creative brief isn’t unique to Linkshape, or even uncommon among marketers, even those of the Internet variety. If you’ve worked with other designers or website design companies, you may have done a formal creative brief like the one we conduct at Linkshape, or perhaps an informal one, even if it wasn’t called that or even named at all. The format will vary by project type and purpose, but for those who haven’t directly witnessed the creative brief, here’s a brief explanation:
The creative brief is a creative exercise – a discussion in question and answer format, held by the creative team and the client – which has the purpose of orienting the creative team to the product/service/offering and serves as a compass during the project development.
Creative brief for the small business website design
Most small businesses don't have the resources to think about their business from a marketing perspective.
In the traditional definition, the brief is described as a document and contains some of the elements of the Linkshape project scope. This is because the traditional definition is better suited to large organizations with an internal marketing department. In those cases, the creative brief is developed internally, typically by a marketing team member and is then provided to the internal creative team or perhaps an external creative agency they keep on retainer.
Because Linkshape has chosen to work with small businesses, most of our clients don’t have the luxury of an internal marketing department – at least, not in the traditional sense. Often times, we’re working with the administrative assistant, the business owner, or the guy who “knows the Internet”. Sometimes, when we meet for a kick-off, it’s clear that our client has never thought about their company/product/service in a marketing-sense before.
I think one of the things that sets Linkshape apart from the stereotypical website design company is that we have somehow positioned ourselves to serve as an external, on-demand marketing department for our clients. We empower those of you who have been assigned the “marketing” hat in your company.
Creativity, the wind in our sails
The creative brief helps us actively channel creative thoughts and ideas, the wind in the sails of creative design and marketing.
If you’ve ever had the opportunity to listen to one of our talks on Internet marketing, most recently through a venue provided by one of our clients and partners, Central Florida Technology Solutions (visit their site, when you get a chance), you’ve probably heard us talk about importance of a “purpose-driven site”.
I describe the creative brief as an exercise, because it’s not just filling out a Q/A document. During the questions and afterwards, we’re actively generating and identifying creative marketing ideas and messages. Continuing our sailing metaphor, these ideas and messages are the wind that propel us forward on our voyage, sustaining our travels throughout the entire project. It’s invisible at first – elusive, the perfect metaphor for creativity. That’s why it’s such a critical element in the Art of Linkshaping. It can be the difference between a dead, static website and a thriving, purpose-driven online business.
These creative energies aren’t just useful in our website design projects. They can be used, reinforced, and intertwined in other media, including other Internet marketing technologies, such as email marketing and traditional media, such as print. If we’ve done our jobs as Linkshapers, they can help you think about your business in a new and better way and guide you to success.
A sample online business creative brief
Now that we understand what the creative brief is and why it’s such an important element in the Art of Linkshaping, I’d like to post some of the questions that frame out our kick-off meetings. Bear in mind that there’s nothing really special about the structure or wording of these questions. It’s the dialog that takes place between the lines where you’ll find those elusive creative forces. Still, if you’re reading this without the luxury of actually talking with your Linkshaper, perhaps the dialog will play out internally in your mind. If you have questions of your own or would like a bit of free feedback, please do leave a comment below.
I. Welcome new Online Business
Thank you from all of us Linkshapers for allowing us to guide you in taking your business to the next level. We welcome you to the exclusive community of Online Businesses.
The creative brief is an important exercise that will allow us to gain valuable insight into your company, products, and/or services (“company”).
II. The “elevator pitch”
The “elevator pitch” is an overview of your company, which can be completed in the time span of an elevator ride (approximately 30 seconds to 2 minutes).
- What is your elevator pitch?
III. The brand promise
The “brand” is the identity of your company, often in the form of your name, logo, slogans, or other symbols. The “brand promise” is the reaction (words, thoughts, or feelings) that are evoked by others when they see your brand.
- What is your current brand promise?
- What is your desired brand promise?
IV. Unique selling proposition
The “unique selling proposition” is what sets you apart from other, similar companies. It is should be a compelling reason for a customer to choose your company versus your competition (either direct or indirect).
- What is your unique selling proposition?
- Why should customers believe your proposition?
- Who are your target customers? (demographic, lifestyle, etc.)
- What valuable, attainable goal can be reached through this Online Business?
- What ideal action can we reasonably expect visitors to take on your online business?
- What products / services does your company offer that you wish to list on your online business?
V. Customers
- Who are your target customers? (demographic, lifestyle, etc.)
VI. Primary goal / “Call to action”
- What valuable, attainable goal can be reached through this Online Business?
- What ideal action can we reasonably expect visitors to take on your online business?
VII. Products/Services
- What products / services does your company offer that you wish to list on your online business?
VIII. Look and tone
The “look” of an online business refers to the overall appearance of the online business’ design and layout. The “tone” of an online business refers to the page copy.
Based on the information we’ve collected for the above topics:
- What words describe the desired look of your online business (traditional, web 2.0, artistic, clean, simple)?
- What words describe the tone of your copy (funny, sincere, professional, etc.)?
IX. Keywords
Keywords refer to the words/phrases you know (or expect) potential visitors to use to find your online business through search engines.
- What keywords would customers use to find a company like yours? Please select up to 5.
