campaign-planning

Campaign Planning

When This Skill Applies

• Designing multi-channel marketing campaigns
• Planning product launches and promotional campaigns
• Creating campaign timelines and milestone schedules
• Coordinating cross-channel content and messaging
• Allocating campaign budgets across channels

Core Guidance

1. Campaign Planning Process

Define Objectives -> Audience Targeting -> Channel Selection -> Content Planning -> Timeline Design -> Budget Allocation -> UTM Setup -> Launch -> Monitor -> Optimize -> Report

2. Campaign Types

Type	Duration	Channels	Complexity
Product Launch	4-8 weeks	All relevant	High
Seasonal/Event	2-4 weeks	Paid + social + email	Medium
Evergreen	Ongoing	Content + SEO + email	Low-Medium
Re-engagement	2-3 weeks	Email + retargeting	Low
Brand Awareness	8-12 weeks	Paid + social + PR	High
Lead Generation	4-6 weeks	Paid + content + email	Medium

3. Campaign Brief Template

CAMPAIGN BRIEF
==============
Name:       [campaign name]
Objective:  [specific, measurable goal]
Audience:   [primary and secondary segments]
Timeline:   [start date] - [end date]
Budget:     [total budget]
Channels:   [channel list]
KPIs:       [primary and secondary metrics]
Owner:      [campaign lead]

KEY MESSAGES
------------
Primary:    [core message/value proposition]
Supporting: [2-3 supporting messages]
CTA:        [desired audience action]

SUCCESS CRITERIA
----------------
Metric          | Target    | Stretch Goal
----------------|-----------|-------------
[primary KPI]   | [value]   | [value]
[secondary KPI] | [value]   | [value]

4. Campaign Timeline Structure

Phase	Duration	Activities
Planning	1-2 weeks	Brief, creative, audience, channels
Pre-launch	1 week	Teaser content, list building, setup
Launch	1-3 days	Coordinated cross-channel activation
Sustain	2-6 weeks	Content cadence, optimization, nurturing
Wind-down	3-5 days	Final push, urgency elements
Analysis	1 week	Performance review, learnings capture

5. Cross-Channel Coordination

Channel	Role in Campaign	Timing
Email	Direct reach, nurturing, conversions	Pre-launch + launch + sustain
Social Organic	Awareness, engagement, community	All phases
Social Paid	Reach, retargeting, conversions	Launch + sustain
Search Paid	Intent capture, conversions	Launch + sustain
Content/Blog	SEO, authority, education	Pre-launch + sustain
Landing Pages	Conversion, information	Launch + sustain
PR/Partnerships	Amplification, credibility	Pre-launch + launch

6. UTM Parameter Framework

utm_source:   [traffic source] (google, facebook, newsletter)
utm_medium:   [marketing medium] (cpc, social, email)
utm_campaign: [campaign name] (q2-launch, summer-sale)
utm_content:  [content variant] (hero-cta, sidebar-banner)
utm_term:     [keyword/targeting] (marketing-automation)

Naming Convention: lowercase, hyphens, consistent across channels.

7. Budget Allocation by Phase

Phase	Budget %	Focus
Pre-launch	10-15%	Teaser content, audience building
Launch	35-45%	Maximum reach and impact
Sustain	30-40%	Optimization, nurturing, retargeting
Analysis	5-10%	Reporting tools, post-mortem

Output Format

CAMPAIGN PLAN
=============
Name:       [campaign name]
Type:       [campaign type]
Objective:  [measurable goal]
Timeline:   [date range]
Budget:     [total with allocation]

TIMELINE
--------
Week 1: [Pre-launch activities]
Week 2: [Launch activities]
Week 3-4: [Sustain activities]
Week 5: [Wind-down + analysis]

CHANNEL MIX
-----------
Channel       | Budget % | Content Type      | Frequency
--------------|----------|-------------------|-----------
[channel]     | [%]      | [content format]  | [cadence]

UTM TRACKING
------------
Source     | Medium  | Campaign         | Content
-----------|---------|------------------|----------
[source]   | [medium]| [campaign-name]  | [variant]

SUCCESS METRICS
---------------
KPI            | Target  | Tracking Method
---------------|---------|----------------
[metric]       | [value] | [tool/method]

Quick Reference

Campaign Types: product-launch, seasonal, evergreen, re-engagement, brand-awareness, lead-gen Phases: planning, pre-launch, launch, sustain, wind-down, analysis UTM Format: lowercase, hyphenated, source/medium/campaign/content/term

---

Rules

• Always define success metrics and KPI targets before launch.
• Always complete a competitive landscape check during the planning phase.
• Always set UTM parameters for every trackable link before go-live.
• Always include a written kill criterion (stop-loss trigger) in the campaign brief.
• Always allocate budget by phase, not as a single lump sum.
• Never launch without a measurement plan that includes baselines and tracking methods.
• Never skip the competitive check during the planning phase.
• Never approve creative in the final week without localization and legal review.
• Never allocate budget by copying the previous quarter without re-evaluating channel CAC.
• Never run a campaign without cross-channel coordination documented in the brief.

References

• See ${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/references/campaign-brief-template.md for campaign brief template
• See ${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/references/timeline-phases.md for campaign timeline phases

Rationalizations

The following table captures common excuses agents make to skip the rigor of this marketing practice, paired with factual rebuttals.

Excuse	Rebuttal
"We'll figure out measurement after launch."	Measurement plan built post-launch produces unattributable spend; KPIs, baselines, and tracking must be frozen before go-live.
"One channel is enough if it's working."	Single-channel campaigns cap reach at that channel's ceiling and ignore cross-channel lift; integrated plans outperform siloed by 15-35%.
"Budget allocation mirrors last quarter."	Copy-paste budgets ignore CAC trends and channel saturation; allocation must be re-derived from current marginal CAC per channel.
"Creative can come together in the last week."	Rushed creative skips localization, legal, and A/B variant production, reducing campaign effectiveness by 20-40%.
"We don't need a kill criterion."	Without written stop-loss triggers (CPA ceiling, ROAS floor), underperforming campaigns run 2-3x longer than they should.