Who Is This Table For?

This briefing template is designed for marketing and business leaders who are responsible for managing media agencies or overseeing integrated B2B marketing campaigns. It can be especially useful for companies that want to:

• Streamline communication with media agencies.
• Ensure their objectives and expectations are clearly understood from the outset.
• Have a structured approach to briefing media partners, ensuring nothing critical is overlooked.

Ideal Users:

• Marketing Directors/CMOs.
• B2B marketers planning large-scale media campaigns.
• Business owners looking to outsource marketing activities to a media agency.
• Marketing teams responsible for overseeing complex, multi-channel campaigns.

Who Is This Table For?

This briefing template is designed for marketing and business leaders who are responsible for managing media agencies or overseeing integrated B2B marketing campaigns. It can be especially useful for companies that want to:

• Streamline communication with media agencies.
• Ensure their objectives and expectations are clearly understood from the outset.
• Have a structured approach to briefing media partners, ensuring nothing critical is overlooked.

Ideal Users:

• Marketing Directors/CMOs.
• B2B marketers planning large-scale media campaigns.
• Business owners looking to outsource marketing activities to a media agency.
• Marketing teams responsible for overseeing complex, multi-channel campaigns.

How to Get the Most Out of This Table

1. Be Clear About Your Objectives: Before filling out the table, make sure you’re aligned internally on the key objectives of the campaign. Are you focusing on brand awareness, demand generation, lead generation, or a combination? Having a clear understanding of your priorities will ensure that the briefing remains focused and actionable.
2. Provide as Much Context as Possible: The more detailed you can be in sections like “Target Audience” and “Business Objectives,” the better the media agency can align their strategy with your vision. Mention specific pain points of your target audience, recent market shifts, or internal changes affecting the campaign.
3. Use Data to Guide Decisions: Make sure to leverage previous campaigns, competitive analysis, or internal reports to inform your briefing. If you have access to industry benchmarks, share them with the agency for more informed media planning.
4. Regularly Update the Table: This template is not static—consider revisiting it as you gather more insights or when your strategy shifts. Keeping the media agency up to date ensures that they can optimize the campaign efficiently and adjust their tactics if necessary.

How to Conduct a Media Agency Pitch

1. Preparation: Use the briefing template as a foundation for the pitch process. Ensure the potential agencies understand your goals, target audience, and business context. Provide them with the template filled out, so they have a clear idea of what you expect from the relationship.
2. Focus on Strategy, Not Just Execution: During the pitch, evaluate whether the agency can offer strategic insights beyond execution. For example, are they equipped to help you with media planning across various platforms like LinkedIn, Bing, and Reddit? Can they provide innovative solutions for your challenges?
3. Ask for Case Studies: Request that agencies provide examples of past campaigns similar to your brief. Look for examples that align with your target market, industry, and media channels to see how they’ve helped other B2B brands achieve success.
4. Clarify Budget Expectations: Make sure you’re upfront about the total campaign budget and ask agencies how they plan to allocate it across the different channels. Ask about any additional fees or hidden costs that may arise, such as reporting or platform fees.
5. Evaluate the Team: Understand who will be working on your account. Is it the same team that will be present post-pitch? The people pitching may not always be the ones managing the day-to-day campaign, so ask for clarity on the team structure. 

Additional Topics for Consideration

• How to Integrate Media Plans Across Channels: A section could focus on ensuring your media plan isn’t siloed. How can you ensure that LinkedIn advertising works in conjunction with your Google or programmatic campaigns? What kind of cross-channel tracking do you need to monitor performance?
• Choosing the Right Agency for Niche Markets: If your business operates in an ultra-niche industry, it’s crucial to find agencies that understand your specific market challenges. How can you vet agencies for this expertise?
• Balancing In-House and Outsourced Marketing: Consider a hybrid approach that combines the expertise of an agency with in-house control over creative and messaging. What’s the right balance for your business, and how should responsibilities be divided?
• Optimizing Media Budget for Maximum ROI: Discuss different strategies to optimize budget allocation and reduce waste. When is it better to invest in high-cost platforms like LinkedIn, and when should you diversify into more niche platforms like Quora or Reddit?

After completing the B2B Media Agency Briefing Template, we’d welcome the opportunity of receiving it.