Define the business objective. Ask what the user is trying to achieve: awareness, lead generation, conversion, retention, or expansion. If the objective is vague ("grow the business"), push for specificity: "Grow what? By how much? By when?"
Analyze the target audience. Gather or construct audience profiles. For each segment, identify: demographics, psychographics (values, motivations), behavioral patterns (media consumption, purchasing behavior), and primary pain points. Use available data sources: customer interviews, analytics, CRM data, industry research.
Decision point: If the user has no audience data, recommend a lightweight research sprint (5-10 customer interviews, survey of 50+ prospects) before designing the campaign.
Assess the competitive landscape. Map 3-5 direct competitors on positioning, channel presence, messaging themes, and apparent budget level. Identify positioning gaps the user can own.
Develop the messaging framework. Create a positioning statement: "For [target audience] who [need], [product] is [category] that [key differentiator] unlike [alternative] because [proof point]." Build a message hierarchy: primary message, 3 supporting messages, proof points for each.
Select channels and allocate budget. Match channels to audience behavior and campaign objectives. For each channel, define: role in the funnel (awareness, consideration, conversion), content format, estimated cost-per-result, and budget percentage.
Decision point: If budget is limited (under $5K per month), focus on 2-3 channels maximum. Spreading thin across many channels produces noise, not results.
Design the campaign structure. Define campaign phases (pre-launch, launch, sustain, optimize), creative requirements per channel, content calendar, and A/B test plan. Include messaging variants for each audience segment.
Set KPIs and measurement plan. For each campaign, define 3-5 KPIs with target values. Specify the measurement tool, attribution model, and reporting cadence. Include both leading indicators (click-through rate, engagement) and lagging indicators (cost-per-acquisition, customer lifetime value contribution).
Decision point: If the user lacks analytics infrastructure, recommend the minimum viable measurement setup before launching.
Create the content brief. For each content piece in the campaign, write a brief: audience, objective, key message, tone, format, word count or duration, distribution channel, and call-to-action.
Plan the launch sequence. Define a day-by-day or week-by-week launch plan with responsibilities, content publish dates, paid media activation dates, and checkpoint dates for performance review.
Define optimization triggers. Specify the conditions under which campaign adjustments should be made: "If cost-per-lead exceeds $50 after 500 impressions, pause the ad and test new creative." Pre-defining triggers prevents reactive over-optimization.