This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. When completed, a marketing brief should: Write and design marketing briefs so they are factual, relevant, engaging, and easy to follow. Really, there’s an important connection here. Want to practice? And I’m here to tell you, you need to know this to write for your business. Business Plan Tips: Writing the Company Description, Run a Successful Marketing Campaign and Improve Your Results, How to Plan Your Marketing Campaign in 7 Steps, What to Know About Developing a Public Relations Media Plan, How to Whip Your Grant Proposal into Shape, Here Are Some Helpful Tips on How to Write a Winning Grant Proposal, What Small Businesses Need to Know About Account-Based Marketing, 10 Questions You Need to Answer to Create a Powerful Marketing Plan, The Balance Small Business is part of the. How the Paragraph Rule works Part of writing such an essay would be deciding which aspects of marketing are important for the analyst, the company and that of the product characteristics. Comment below and we’ll connect! Then take each first sentence and fill it in with your supporting points. © 2013-17 Bettyanne Green. I’m about to share with you a fundamental rule of writing that will help you connect with your readers (read: rabid fans, loyal clients). Here it is: The first sentence of each paragraph of your written piece should be the main idea of the paragraph. It’s likely that your reader doesn’t know why they’re sticking with you, scrolling down your page/newsletter/sales letter (besides your awesome offer and irresistible charm, of course). But now you and I know it’s because you’ve intentionally led them simply, logically, progressively to the outcome you want them to reach – which is to know, like, trust, and buy from you. So you do have artistic license here – Picasso used artistic license and I’d say it worked for him. The summary gives a quick overview of the main points of the plan. Learn how to write a paragraph? Your marketing plan should start with an executive summary. If you’re ready to create or improve your marketing message content, let’s talk. Set a tone and identify targeted segments. Simple, right? Explain and communicate the purpose of a marketing initiative. She's a marketing professional and author of "Consumer Behavior for Dummies.". Especially in today’s noisy cyberworld of virtual voices fighting for your attention and your money. YES! If you get stuck writing something, try using the Paragraph Rule to clear your path. Writing the summary is a good opportunity to check that your plan makes sense and that you haven't missed any important points. It’s how to write a paragraph that grabs their attention, carries them through your page, and brings them to YES! Is your point getting across? YES! Really, there’s an important connection here. They also ensure that your campaigns are launched on time or verify delays if they occur. They provide a “control” function, enabling you to verify marketing results at the end of a campaign and determine whether or not it was successful. So, mission accomplished. Each first sentence is the main idea of your piece. Key marketing attributes should be researched as a way for deploying a marketing strategy. Have questions? “I sit at my desk with my pen in my hand. And I’m here to tell you, you need to know this to write for your business. Marketing Master? Marketing briefs lay the framework and foundation for marketing initiatives by giving creative directors and copywriters what they need to know to carry out campaigns for public relations, advertising, websites, communications, and more. Does it still make sense without the other sentences? Find something you’ve written – blog article, sales letter, web copy, white paper – and read only the first sentence of each paragraph, all the way through your piece. They can be used internally or shared with outside resources such as ad agencies, copywriters, or graphic designers. Does this really work for everything?? I go on to provide evidence for that point by saying Picasso started out with the fundamentals of drawing in order to branch out his creativity to the greatness he achieved. By using The Balance Small Business, you accept our, Laura Lake is a former writer for The Balance Small Business. Let’s take as an example the first sentence of the second paragraph of this blog: “In anything we do, there are rules and foundations that actually work.” My subject in this paragraph is that many people don’t care about or have time for rules and foundations when they write – but the rules do indeed matter. But NOT with the fundamentals – don’t mess with them. Every sentence needs to count in order to capture and hold your reader’s attention so they will connect with you, stick with you, and be compelled to take action. A well-written marketing brief addresses 10 key elements: The Balance Small Business uses cookies to provide you with a great user experience. It’s one of the inside stories of great writing. Write and design marketing briefs so they are factual, relevant, engaging, and easy to follow. NOTE #1: Marketing copy is different from other writing, you say? To cease its wand’ring and keep to its work, For that is but one of a few of its quirks.”, This is the beginning of a poem called ‘The Poet’ which I wrote in 8th grade for a class assignment. All rights reserved. This is a two-sentence paragraph, so a short example, but that’s what a blog should be – short and simple. So stick with the Paragraph Rule, but let yourself go and do it in your own conversational style. (It’s also called a sentence outline.) The process of writing the brief helps walk you through the campaign in your mind and identify problems or opportunities. Before you know it, you will have written the piece. Regardless of style, your group of sentences should still progress in a logical way, leading your reader from point A to B to C. This is how a person’s brain processes information, a fact that is supported by numerous neurological studies. Although the executive summary appears at the beginning of the plan, you should write it last. I help small-business owners succeed in making a BIG impact with their marketing – for their clients, their bottom line, the betterment of the world – through authentic, strategic, and powerful messaging. Make sense? It was the foundation of drawing that lifted him to soar into the creative craziness that gave him a permanent place in the history of art. Establish measurements for success in a campaign. Effective marketing briefs streamline the process and paint a clear picture of your marketing objectives and goals. What Are the Elements of a Marketing Mix? Marketing can be key to market advantage and product adoption success. This was important to Mrs. Farwell, my high school AP English teacher, back in 19 (mumble, mumble) – and it is just as important today. It’s one of the inside stories of great writing. I remember wracking … Continue Reading. If you’re really hot, each of your first sentences will progress logically through the whole piece, so that the whole thing, from first sentence to last, LEADS THE READER through the thing you want them to know. Learn how your comment data is processed. Write simple sentences that describe your main points progressively from A to whatever. That, my friend, makes you a Master. Are You Winging Your Content Marketing Strategy? How to test it In anything we do, there are rules and foundations that actually work. Learn how to write a paragraph? Then Voila! NOTE #2: Bonus! Nice, huh? Set clear requirements to end up with a result that you can be happy with, and stay away from acronyms, industry lingo, or jargon that might not be familiar to everyone reading the brief. You’ve done it! In another type of writing, the rule still holds but you might have 4 – 6 sentences to support the idea you put forth in the first sentence. YOUR STYLE – your unique and authentic voice – is also key to connecting with your readers. How to Start Your Content Marketing Strategy: Mine Your Message, Attracting the “Right” People? 28+ years in marketing communications, I adapt tried-and-true communications principles to today’s dynamic online marketing world. It’s Not What You Think. Set clear requirements to end up with a result that you can be happy with, and stay away from acronyms, industry lingo, or jargon that might not be familiar to everyone reading the brief. Each sentence following it should support that first sentence, progressively moving the reader through proving your point – from A to B to C to Z. Marketing Master? Good marketing briefs can be the difference between success and failure. And I confess…I’m a life-long word lover, grammar geek and compulsive typo-finder! Identify and set goals for a marketing initiative. Marketing briefs take time to create, but they get everyone involved, clarify roles and objectives, and eliminate confusion. Did you know that Picasso was an accomplished draftsman who knew how to draw a human figure that could make you cry in the presence of its realism and beauty? Yes, absolutely true (Mrs. Farwell is turning over in her grave grasping her red pen – Bless you, Mrs. F): The purpose of your marketing message is to create a CONVERSATION between you and your reader. What’s up with that writer’s block thing.