> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.snowdoughnut.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Make a campaign

> The full path from campaign idea to live campaign: which documents to fill, what to name things, where to save each output, and what to link it from. Hands off to the platform process for the build itself.

Use this when you're planning a campaign that will run in a paid platform. It's the channel-agnostic path. The build step hands off to the process for whichever platform you're running on.

<Note>
  Setup stages 1 to 3 in [get started](/overview) have to be done first. Without naming conventions and a brand system, you'll be inventing both while under deadline.
</Note>

## Before you start

| You need                                            | Where it lives                                                 |
| :-------------------------------------------------- | :------------------------------------------------------------- |
| A positioning statement and message pillars         | [Positioning](/positioning), [messaging](/messaging)           |
| The product this campaign sells, with an identifier | [Product catalog](/product-catalog)                            |
| A named customer profile                            | [Customer profile library](/customer-profile-library-overview) |
| Naming conventions decided                          | [Naming conventions overview](/naming-conventions-overview)    |
| UTM standard decided                                | [UTM standards](/utm-standards)                                |
| A budget                                            | [Budget planning](/budget-planning)                            |

## The path

<Steps>
  <Step title="1. Fill in the campaign brief">
    Copy the [marketing campaign brief](/marketing-campaign-brief) and fill it in. Pull the customer profile from the library by name, and pull the message pillar from [messaging](/messaging). Don't rewrite either.

    Full detail: [campaign brief process](/campaign-brief-process).
  </Step>

  <Step title="2. Name the campaign">
    Build the campaign name from [campaign naming conventions](/campaign-naming-conventions) before you build anything in a platform. Renaming later breaks the join between platform data and your reporting.

    Then name the ad sets or ad groups from [ad set, ad group and variant naming conventions](/ad-set-group-naming-conventions), and the ads from [ad name conventions](/ad-name-conventions).
  </Step>

  <Step title="3. Build the tracking">
    Tag every destination link using [UTM standards](/utm-standards). `utm_campaign` carries the **platform campaign name** you built in step 2, character for character, not the human name of the marketing campaign and not the brief's file name. See [which name is which](/campaign-naming-conventions#which-name-is-which).

    Build one tagged URL per ad set or ad group, not one per campaign. `utm_content` carries the ad set name, so groups that share a tag report as one row.

    If the campaign fires new events, add them to the [event tracking plan](/event-tracking-plan) first.
  </Step>

  <Step title="4. Check what already exists">
    Before briefing anything new, check the [asset directory](/asset-directory). An approved asset that already exists, or crops to fit, is faster than a brief and has cleared review. Same for words: search the [copy drive](/copy-drive) before writing fresh.
  </Step>

  <Step title="5. Brief the creative and copy">
    Creative concept goes in a [creative brief](/creative-brief), following the [creative brief process](/creative-brief-process). The words go in a [copy brief](/copy-brief). Both link back to the campaign brief rather than restating the strategy.

    Walkthroughs: [brief creative](/brief-creative) and [write copy](/write-copy).

    If the campaign needs a destination page, check the [landing page library](/landing-page-library) first, then see [build a landing page](/build-a-landing-page).
  </Step>

  <Step title="6. Get approvals">
    Brand sign-off runs through the [brand approval process](/brand-approval-process). Anything with a claim, a price, or a comparison also goes through [legal review](/legal-review-process).
  </Step>

  <Step title="7. Build it in the platform">
    Hand off to the process for your platform. Each one covers the platform brief, the build levels, the specs, and the pre-launch checklist.

    | Platform       | Process                                                     | Brief                                               | Final check                                                    |
    | :------------- | :---------------------------------------------------------- | :-------------------------------------------------- | :------------------------------------------------------------- |
    | Meta           | [Launching a Meta campaign](/meta-campaign-process)         | [Meta campaign brief](/meta-campaign-brief)         | [Pre-launch checklist](/meta-pre-launch-checklist)             |
    | Google         | [Launching a Google campaign](/google-campaign-process)     | [Google campaign brief](/google-campaign-brief)     | [Pre-launch checklist](/google-pre-launch-checklist)           |
    | LinkedIn       | [Launching a LinkedIn campaign](/linkedin-campaign-process) | [LinkedIn campaign brief](/linkedin-campaign-brief) | [Pre-launch checklist](/linkedin-pre-launch-checklist)         |
    | TikTok         | [Launching a TikTok campaign](/tiktok-campaign-process)     | [TikTok campaign brief](/tiktok-campaign-brief)     | [Pre-launch checklist](/tiktok-pre-launch-checklist)           |
    | Email          | [Launching an email campaign](/email-campaign-process)      | [Email campaign brief](/email-campaign-brief)       | [Pre-send checklist](/email-pre-send-checklist)                |
    | Organic social | [Publishing a post](/organic-social-post-process)           | [Post brief](/organic-social-post-brief)            | [Pre-publish checklist](/organic-social-pre-publish-checklist) |
  </Step>

  <Step title="8. QA and launch">
    Run the [campaign QA checklist](/campaign-qa-checklist) and the [campaign launch checklist](/campaign-launch-checklist) across the whole campaign, alongside the platform's own pre-launch pass.
  </Step>

  <Step title="9. File everything">
    Save the campaign brief to the [campaigns library](/campaign-library-overview). Save the creative brief to the [creative brief library](/creative-brief-library) and the copy brief to the [copy brief library](/copy-brief-library). A brief nobody filed is a campaign nobody can learn from.
  </Step>

  <Step title="10. Report and close out">
    The campaign's rows flow into the [flat file](/flat-file-template) and appear in [weekly reports](/weekly-reporting-process) automatically if the naming and UTMs are right.

    When the campaign ends, run the [campaign retrospective](/campaign-retrospect-process) and link the outcome back to the brief in the library.
  </Step>
</Steps>

## What you should have at the end

* A campaign brief in the campaigns library, with the outcome linked to it.
* A platform brief filed alongside it.
* Platform names that match your conventions exactly, unedited since build.
* UTMs that join cleanly to those names in the flat file.
* Creative and copy briefs in their libraries, with the finished assets linked from them.

## Related resources

* [**Marketing campaign brief**](/marketing-campaign-brief) The workbook this task centers on.
* [**Campaign brief process**](/campaign-brief-process) The detailed process behind step 1.
* [**Asset directory**](/asset-directory) Where existing assets live, before you brief new ones.
* [**Name something**](/name-something) If you're unsure which convention applies.
* [**Report on results**](/report-on-results) What happens after the campaign runs.
* [**Campaign structure best practices**](/campaign-structure-best-practices) What to get right at build time.