Marketing agency brief: what information should you include?

A marketing agency brief should explain the decision your business needs to make, the people it wants to reach and the work it can actually support. It does not need to be a large document. One or two pages of clear priorities are often a more useful starting point than a list of posts without a purpose. Before comparing proposals, gather the information that will help each provider understand the same problem.

Start with the business and one priority

Describe what you sell, who buys it and how an inquiry currently reaches your team. If you offer several services, choose which one you want to address first. An agency also needs to understand your constraints: capacity to serve new customers, inventory availability, service areas and the people responsible for answering messages.

Turn a broad intention into a specific question. “We need more visibility” might mean that people do not recognize your brand, that you receive unsuitable inquiries or that customers do not understand an offer. Each situation calls for a different response. Your brief should identify which one applies and what evidence you have, even if it consists of simple conversation examples.

Do not turn an objective into a guarantee you expect from a provider. Describe the outcome you want to explore, when you will review progress and which conditions depend on your own team. If you are still deciding what you need, our guide to choosing a marketing agency in Panama can help structure the discussion.

Describe customers through real situations

Alongside general information, explain what problem leads a customer to look for your business, which questions they ask and what prevents a decision. Collect phrases you hear in sales or customer service. A specific need, such as arranging a service without disrupting a shop's operations, provides more context than simply saying “business owners.”

Separate observations from assumptions. If you believe price is the main obstacle, explain whether customers have told you that or whether it still needs to be tested. Share examples without names, phone numbers or unnecessary personal information. The purpose is to understand a buying decision, not to hand over a complete contact database.

Clarify scope, budget and responsibilities

List the work you want to discuss: strategy, production, design, publishing, answering messages or follow-up. Do not assume that a social media proposal includes photography, advertising and sales management. State what your team can contribute and what you need to hire.

Give a budget range and distinguish service fees, production and advertising spend where relevant. If you cannot set a figure yet, request different scopes and explain your investment limits. Our guide to social media management costs in Panama offers ways to compare proposals beyond the number of posts.

Identify who will provide materials, who will approve work and how much time they can devote to reviews. Mention available accounts, brand assets, photographs with appropriate usage permission and existing channels. Account access should be shared later through a secure process; do not put passwords in the brief.

Use a short, comparable template

You can organize the document around these questions:

• What do we offer, and which product or service comes first?
• What customer situation are we trying to address?
• What happens today, and what evidence do we have?
• What support do we need, and what will our team handle?
• What budget is available, and what must it cover?
• Who decides, who approves and when will we review progress?

As a hypothetical example, a small maintenance company might want to explain a preventive service more clearly. Its brief could identify purchasing managers as the audience, collect common questions and clarify that its own team will handle inquiries. The agency could propose explanatory content, while the company would need to confirm its ability to deliver the service. This example illustrates a defined scope, not a guaranteed result.

Compare responses to the same problem

Send the same brief to the providers you are considering. Ask them to explain assumptions, deliverables, exclusions and responsibilities. If a provider recommends changing the objective, ask for the reasoning before comparing prices.

A brief may also change after a useful conversation. Update it and share the new version so that everyone works from the same information. Keep the final decision alongside the agreed scope so you have a reference when reviewing progress.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need a complete strategy before contacting an agency?

No. You can hire support to develop it. Explain what information you already have and which decisions remain open so that diagnosis can be included in the agreed scope.

What if I do not know my budget?

Describe your limits and request options with specific deliverables. Avoid treating proposals that cover different work as equivalent offers.

Can Portier help me prepare the brief?

You can discuss the challenge and a potential Consulting scope with Portier. Explore our strategy and marketing services to identify the next step that fits your business.