Basic Information About How to Write a Project Brief for Any Digital Work

A creative project brief is a document that outlines the key details and objectives of a project before it begins. It acts as a roadmap for the creative team and helps ensure that everyone is on the same page. Whether you're a manager in company or a freelance client, writing a creative brief is an essential step in the project planning process. In this article, we'll guide you through the process of writing a creative brief that will help you get the results you're looking for.

Background and Overview Information

The background and overview section of a project brief explains what the project is about and what needs to be achieved, it includes information about the product and the main message that needs to be conveyed. It sets the context for the project and aligns everyone's understanding of the project.

If the company has been in the market for a long time, it probably already has ready-made materials such as a brand book and presentations. All that is needed is to attach all relevant materials and provide a brief general description of the project. For beginners, it is recommended to provide some information about the company, their business, and project ideas.

A company that has been in the market for a long time basically already has ready-made materials in the form of a presentation of the brand book, etc. All you need to do is to attach all relevant materials and describe a brief general description of the project. Beginners at least can provide some information about themselves, the business, and project ideas.

Before establishing a long-term partnership, it is natural for people to want to learn more about each other. A creative brief is a useful way to do this, as it allows both parties to understand each other's past experiences and goals. While it is not necessary to share extensive personal information in the short term, it is important to clearly outline the purpose of the project.

This helps to build trust between people and leads to better outcomes. Unfortunately, there are unscrupulous individuals and incompetent individuals on the internet, and both customers and service providers are often concerned about these issues before starting any project. Competence on both sides is essential for effective communication and partnership, and a creative brief or technical specifications can be a useful tool for achieving this.

Google Alerts is a free tool that can help you keep track of your competitors and stay ahead of the game. Simply enter the name of a competitor or a relevant keyword, and you will receive email notifications anytime your competitor or topic is mentioned online. This allows you to be the first to know about any news, scandals, product announcements, or blog posts related to your competitor.

Google rank: 4.8

The Buzzsumo dashboard offers a wealth of information about your competitors' content, including the most shared content from their domain and where it is being shared. This can give you insight into where your audience is located and which topics are receiving the most engagement. By exploring the content section of the Buzzsumo dashboard, you can gain valuable insights into what is working well for your competitors and what may be less effective.

Google rank: 4.4

Keep track of your competitors' top ads, including their monthly traffic and average ranking. Set up alerts to be notified when a competitor adds new PPC keywords, ad copy, or organic keywords. You will also receive alerts about the top-performing keywords and ad copy for as long as the alert is active. This can help you stay informed about your competitors' advertising strategies and make adjustments to your own campaigns as needed.

Google rank: 4.4

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Setting Goals and Objectives

Goals and objectives work on the principle of the general-to-specific method, where the general is the goal and the specific is the objectives.

The brief and the terms of reference or technical specifications are often confused. As you go deeper from a company description and general information to detailed requirements, the brief becomes technical specification (terms of reference).

Technical specification or specific tasks are more precise requirements necessary to achieve the goal.

Depending on whether the project is commercial or nonprofit, goals and objectives have a different nature of creating a product or service.

Commercial is a specific or objective set of rules to achieve certain goals, developed by experts over time, these rules are known to most, so there are not many questions.

Nonprofit projects are mostly based on a subjective idea of the goal. These are often individual preferences. Nonprofit project over time can become successful and monetized. But at the stage of its development are mostly some kind of subjective notions of future success.

In the creation of creativity for commercial purposes creation of something new and not standard is meant and the value of something new and non-standard is difficult to define if there is nothing to compare it with similar already having value. Creativity often originates as a non-commercial idea and only over time is monetized and capitalized by other market participants.

When you set creative goals and objectives it is worth taking into account what part of it is already objectively established norms when creating such objectives and what part is subjectively a new approach.

Since it is not always possible to determine everything during the construction of goals and objectives, planning errors are possible. Such mistakes can undermine the trust between the performer and the customer. This often happens when the budget is fixed and the customer is an intermediary.

From product to service, there are many different techniques for setting goals and objectives. Agility and waterfall are two different process methods for completing a project or work item.

Agile is an iterative methodology that involves cyclical and collaborative processes. Waterfalls are a sequential method that is also collaborative, but tasks are usually handled in a more linear process. According to agile methodologies, a project goes through a series of cycles throughout the project life cycle. Development phase, reviews, feedback, and release of work items-yes or no. If so, implement it and get the job done. If no, capture the required changes, track and adjust the backlog or priorities to reflect the new knowledge gained, and then proceed to the next task or sprint.

Following the waterfall method is a simpler process that guides the task through the stages of requirement definition, implementation design, work item deployment, implementation and quality assurance review, and finally feature maintenance.

Both service and service, commercial project or not measured in time price and quality. All the different methods combine specially designed programs for management.

List of popular programs for setting goals and objectives:

Monday.com is a cloud-based platform that allows users to create their own applications and work management software. The product was launched in 2014 and in July 2019, the company raised $150 million, based on a $1.9 billion valuation. The company went public in June 2021 and is based in Tel Aviv, Israel.

Google rank: 4.4

Trello is a web-based, Kanban-style, list-making application and is developed by Trello Enterprise, a subsidiary of Atlassian. Created in 2011 by Fog Creek Software, it was spun out to form the basis of a separate company in New York City in 2014 and sold to Atlassian in January 2017.

Google rank: 6.4

Asana is a web and mobile work management platform designed to help teams organize, track, and manage their work. It is produced by the San Francisco based company of the same name. The company was founded in 2008 by Dustin Moskovitz and Justin Rosenstein. The product launched commercially in April 2012.

Google rank: 9.4

Setting Measurable Result

The results are usually measured in relation to the ratio of price, quality and time. In general circles this is called the triple constraint. In the digital world of the Internet, it is common to measure the number of tasks to be done by the number of files or services, which in turn have a price, quality, and time to complete. It is customary to put each task into a milestone that has the triple constraint. A milestone can include both a fixed price and an hourly rate.

The measurability of tasks and work depends on various factors, including the competence of the customer. While physical work may be easier to measure, creative work poses more challenges in terms of measurement. Therefore, measurement should be approached with caution and careful consideration. The size and complexity of the project also play a role, as smaller and simpler projects are generally easier to measure. In such cases, a project may only have one milestone.

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Examples of Measurable Goals and Objectives

Do you often find yourself setting out big plans, only to fall flat and push the plan aside? This is a common occurrence. Luckily, there exists a well-defined solution that's easy to follow. It comes in a detailed system of measurable goals and objectives that puts you on a path to success.

Providing References

References are materials that serve as samples for your project. They allow the executor to understand the customer more accurately.

All new ideas are mostly created on the basis of old ideas or by mixing them, hence it is rational to find something similar to the existing one before you start creating something new. The more exactly the client's and executor's idea for a new project coincides, the greater the chance that everything will go without a hitch.

In the digital age, AI tools offer convenient and efficient ways to provide references for both text and graphics in project briefs. Text-based AI tools can automatically generate citations and bibliographies, saving time and ensuring accuracy. These tools analyze the content, extract relevant information, and generate formatted references in various citation styles.

For graphics, AI tools can assist in finding similar visual references or inspiration. They can analyze existing images or designs, identify relevant features, and suggest similar visuals or concepts. This enables the executor to understand the client's preferences more accurately and align their creative direction accordingly.

AI tools also facilitate the exploration of existing projects, research papers, and creative works. By utilizing natural language processing and computer vision algorithms, they can search vast databases and provide relevant references based on keywords, topics, or visual elements.

By leveraging AI tools for referencing, project stakeholders can enhance communication and collaboration. Accurate and comprehensive references lay a strong foundation for new ideas, fostering seamless project execution and increasing the chances of success.

Video bloggers know better

Referencing is an old idea of technical
approach to any works or investigations.

Identifying Competitors

Competitor analysis is a critical aspect of project management and business strategy. By examining the competition, organizations can gather valuable insights to inform decision-making and boost project success. In this article, we will explore the key components and stages of a comprehensive competitor analysis, including the significance of conducting a SWOT analysis of competitors.

Components of Competitor Analysis:

Identification and Profiling: Identify and profile your main competitors, including their strengths, weaknesses, target audience, pricing strategies, and product or service offerings.
Market Share and Positioning: Analyze your competitors' market share and positioning to understand their market strategies, differentiation, and how they stack up against your organization.
Marketing and Advertising Strategies: Evaluate your competitors' marketing and advertising tactics, such as their online presence, social media engagement, content marketing efforts, and advertising campaigns.
Competitive Advantage: Identify the core competitive advantages of your competitors, such as superior technology, exceptional customer service, strong distribution networks, or innovative features.

Stages of Competitor Analysis:

Assessing Overall Competition Level: Evaluate the overall level of competition within your industry to understand the intensity and dynamics of the competitive landscape.
Competitor Map: Create a visual representation of the competitors in your market, their offerings, and their relationships with customers and suppliers.
Comparative Portfolio Analysis: Compare and analyze the product or service portfolios of your competitors, including features, pricing, and market positioning.
Comparative Analysis of Prices: Assess and compare the pricing strategies of your competitors to understand their pricing structures, discounts, and value propositions.
Comparative Analysis of Product Distribution: Analyze how competitors distribute their products or services, including channels, partnerships, and logistics.
Positioning of All Market Players: Evaluate the positioning of all market players, including your competitors, to identify potential gaps and opportunities for differentiation.
Promotion Methods and Advertising Budgets: Study the promotional methods and advertising budgets of your competitors to understand their marketing strategies and reach.
Description of Key Customer of Competitor: Identify and describe the key customers targeted by your competitors to gain insights into their customer base and preferences.
Technology Assessment of Competitors: Evaluate the technological capabilities and advancements of your competitors to understand their potential impact on the market.
SWOT Analysis Evaluation of Competitive Advantages: Conduct a SWOT analysis to assess your competitors' strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats, including their competitive advantages.

Tools for identifying competitors:

If you want more search traffic, all you have to do is follow the website analysis report. It will point out all of the SEO errors you need to fix in order to increase your rankings.

Google rank: 4.4

Social Blade is an American website that tracks social media statistics and analytics. Social Blade most notably tracks the YouTube platform, but also has analytical information regarding Twitch, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, Trovo, Dailymotion, Mixer, DLive, and StoryFire.

Google rank: 6.4

Another staple competitor analysis tool for SEO is Ahrefs’ site explorer, which allows you to check any URL’s top organic keywords. Additionally, you get a rough estimate of how much traffic a competitor receives on those keywords.

Google rank: 9.4

Identifying Target Audience

The target audience is a group of people who fit best with your ideal customer who uses your product or service. The more accurate description of the person with details of their preferences, problems, and everything that corresponds to the value of your product or service and the problems they solve, the more accurate the performer can provide you with a solution. Defining a target audience is creating a portrait of a potential customer. When a general idea of a potential customer is created, it is customary to segment it according to four attributes.

Demographic - age, gender, marital status.
Socio-economic - education, career, income level.
Geographic - location, district, if business is localized.
Psychographic - psychological type of people: philistines, intellectuals, innovators, careerists, hedonists, wannabes.

Target audiance is usually divided into main and indirect.

Main - those who make a decision, act, make a purchase.

Indirect - those who can influence the choice and decision-making, allocate money, but do not act themselves.

To obtain the most objective data possible, it is optimal to use:

Questionnaires

Interviews

Surveys

In reality, it is not easy to conduct a quality interview, collect questionnaires or even conduct a survey. Therefore, you can do a mini-study. Study of social networks. Search in social networks, profile communities, look through competitors' pages. Explore forums, blog comments, opinion leader profiles and other sites where representatives of the target audience can be found, If you already have a site with connected analytics (Google Analytics, Yandex.Metrika), study the indicators

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Creating Project Budget

Hourly rate and fixed price are the two main forms of project budgeting. There is also a сustomised payment for example when writing an article the price can be considered by the number of characters.

Which form of payment to use depends on the preference or persuasion of the client or freelancer.

Hourly rate works well when the client doesn't know how long it will take to do a certain type or part of the work. Also, he can't determine how long the changes or revision will take. It is more difficult to control the project budget at this level.

Fixed price payment works when all parts of the project are known or the budget is based on previous similar projects. The changes are either included into the budget or paid additionally.It is easier to control the project budget at this level.

There are three methods for estimating the project budget:

Hourly rate is measured by multiplying the hourly rate by the total number of hours. Hourly rate * Total hours (Type of works) = Total Cost

Usually a table is created in which the accounting is done with the help of five main columns.

Cost per hour

Amount of hours

Type of work

Total cost