Visual Content Intake
A campaign brief lived in one document with 214 fields, ten sections, and every answer typed into the same line as the question it answered. This is what replaced it.
The problem
Great creative work is like a must be aimed at the right problem. Valid ideas originate from creative teams internally but also from their stakeholders and customers, and often a synthesis of both. But requesters don’t often know how to say what they want effectively, which is why creative briefs exist.
The problem within the problem
But project briefs can easily become obstructive rather than enabling. A painful request process can be a barrier to requesting work -- which we do not want in an era of “I’ll just have my favorite AI do this” -- and perhaps worse, a barrier to understanding the request. Asking creatives to sift through a ten page wall of text is an operational absurdity.
In one work scenario I observed, the regular request form was perhaps as bad as it could have been, but it had gotten there understandably. Each development was bolted on without regard to usability or bloat. The end result was user-hostile:
- A huge editable document in a nonstandard format inside a popular task platform
- Users needed to remember to duplicate the template and fill it out each time
- Instead of standard form fields, requesters had to write in the same space as the questions in a different color for visual separation
All resources from whom work was being requested were exposed to the ENTIRE document and had to find the parts that were relevant to their work, and ignore everything else.
The document
The template is in black, and the requester’s answers are in pink. Scroll through it the way a designer had to and see if you feel prepared to take on this request.
Huge Requirements Doc
Edited 4 minutes ago · 6 collaborators
Please note any specific/hard deadlines HERE
Sept 29 for the blog, everything else can follow. The email has to land before the webinar on Oct 2 or there is no point sending it.
Please put your answers in a different color.
BLOG requirements
- Topic: why month-end close breaks at scale
- Byline (who is the blog attributed to): Marisol Ferreira
- Stakeholders (internal associates who need to see content before it goes live): Marisol, Dev on the controls side, and legal has to see anything with a customer number in it
- Primary audience (controller, CFO, analyst, mixed): controller
- If controller, specify target audience: mid-market, 200–800 invoices a month, still closing in spreadsheets
- Goal(s): get the Close Faster page some qualified traffic, and give sales something to send after a discovery call
- 3-5 key messages
- e.g. XYZ is a trend in finance that we need to talk about because X.
- X study shows that X% of controllers do/do not do XYZ.
- Key message the matching is not the hard part, the exceptions are
- Key message most teams automate the half that was already working
- Key message you cannot automate a judgment nobody has written down use this one
- 3-5 Research resources the 2025 close benchmark report, our own support ticket data, and that survey I sent Marisol in March
- SMEs (internal or external) Marisol, and Dev if we need the controls angle
- Data (reports, stats, sites) I can pull the ticket numbers but they need scrubbing first
OPTIONAL:
- Does this align with any key plays or campaigns? If so, what?: Close Faster
- CTA (include link, contact information, etc): the calculator
- SEO Keywords: skipping this, ask the SEO team
- Previous content to reference:
- Other relevant information you'd like to share: please do not use the word "seamless" anywhere in this
CASE STUDY requirements
Is this a net new topic, or have we communicated this topic in the past? (yes/no)
Please list all internal associates who need to approve this piece before going live:
Was the intake form approved prior? (yes/no)
Who/Where (Describe the client: industry, size, systems in place, monthly transaction volume, and finance team headcount)
When (When did the relationship begin)
Why (What was the need the client came with, why did they come to us) Provide a brief overview of the problem faced by the client:
Solution: What solutions did DLR provide to the problem?
Description of the Solution/Approach Taken (include Key Features/Components of the Solution and Technologies/Tools Used):
Result (How was the problem addressed, what was the change in operations, staffing and close timeline, etc.) Metrics/KPIs Used to Measure Success (include Quantitative Results (e.g., Reduced Days to Close, Reduced Costs) and Qualitative Results (e.g., Customer Feedback, Team Satisfaction)):
Client Testimonial: Include Feedback/Testimonials from the Client and any Additional Information:
not doing a case study this round
QR code requirements
Is there a QR needed for this URL? yes/no
Where will the QR code be used?
CREATIVE requirements
CREATIVE'S MENU:
Please put your answers in a different color.
New request/Update: new
- Creative type (choose one):
- Static image yes
- Carousel
- Animation
- Size/Specs (if needed) the usual social sizes, plus something for the top of the email. Whatever you normally do is fine
- Details/Description: clean, not busy. The stat should be the biggest thing on it
- CTA calculator link
- Copy see the social section below, same line
- Associate to approve: Marisol
- Please complete the following if this item needs to be uploaded to the Asset Library:
- Keywords for the Asset Library:
- Target Audience: (Controllers, CFOs, both)
- What should the external name for this document be?
PRINT REQUIREMENTS:
- Print: Yes or No no
- Quantity:
- In-hand date (when the materials need to be in their delivery destination):
- Shipping address (if it's DLR HQ, just put 'DLR'):
- Shipping contact (who will be the recipient of the materials?):
EMAIL requirements
Campaign Name: Close Faster
Are you tying this to a strategic campaign? (if so, which one?)
- Close Faster this one
- Spend Visibility
- Audit Ready
- Payments Modernization
- SMB vs. Enterprise
Link to the audience list: I don't have access to build one, can someone pull mid-market controllers
Email Subject Line: "Your close is not slow. Your exceptions are." — open to changes
Email Copy: short. Three sentences and the calculator link. Same message as the blog but do not just paste the intro
Form Field Questions and Field Types:
Final Stakeholder to Approve: Marisol
General social requirements (please submit requirements for each post)
Desired copy within the graphic: (whatever copy is submitted here will be the copy on the image) "You cannot automate a judgment nobody has written down."
Desired caption within the post: Most teams automate the matching. The matching was never the problem. Five questions before you automate anything in the close →
Call to Action URL link: the calculator, with whatever UTM you normally use
Select which you prefer: ****see definitions below
- Carousel
- Still graphic this, LinkedIn first, and can we get a story size too
- Video
- Animation
*******
Still Graphic: short statistics, short sentences, titles, catchy phrase
Carousel: many different titles, several bullet points, groups of concepts, copy longer than 3 sentences.
Animation: a copy that has 2-3 sentences, more than one statistic,
Video: complex concepts
VIDEO requirements
Please complete these requirements per video:
- Link to Video File:
- What should the video be titled?
- Will this video need to be embedded on the website? Y/N
- If YES, what page?
- Should this video be gated? Y/N
- Will the video require any shorts/snippets to be uploaded? (Note: If promoting the video on social, the best way to do so is to crop the video down to 1080x1920 (9:16 aspect ratio) and create a 30-second or less short.)
- Link(s) to snippet files
- Should the snippets be gated? Y/N
- Please provide titles and descriptions for all snippets.
Thumbnail requirements for the video, please check the appropriate box:
- If creative is creating this image, please upload the file here:
- If no image is provided, a screenshot of the title card will be used as the thumbnail
WEBINAR requirements
Session title: the exceptions one, same title as the blog if that is allowed
Speakers (internal, external, or both):
Date it airs:
Registration: gated form or open link?
Abstract (2-3 sentences):
Please list every channel this session will be promoted through:
Will you post the replay? If gated, who receives the registrations?
Where will the replay live?
Will the replay require cut-downs for social? (Note: if yes, see the VIDEO section above for snippet requirements and complete that section as well.)
not this quarter, moving to Q4
SALES ENABLEMENT requirements
FOR ONE-PAGERS, BATTLECARDS, AND OBJECTION GUIDES:
Please put your answers in a different color.
- Format (choose one): one-pager / battlecard / objection guide / deck section one-pager
- Who uses this, and at what point in the conversation? AEs, right after the discovery call, same moment they would send the calculator
- What claim does the piece have to support? that the exceptions are where the time goes
- What proof are we permitted to print? (Note: any named customer requires written approval on file before the piece can be produced. If approval is not on file, do not list the customer.) no names, just the aggregate numbers
- Has legal cleared the figures? (yes/no) not yet
- If no, who is clearing them and by when?
- Associate to approve: Marisol
- If this piece is being printed, please complete the PRINT REQUIREMENTS section above as well.
LANDING PAGE requirements
- Who is the target audience of this page? same as the blog
- What is the goal of this page?
- Examples: Leads, Informational, Cross-site promotion, etc.
- What is the primary conversion action for the page? leads. The calculator is the page, basically
- Examples: Sign-up form, read more, download, etc.
- When will this page need to be up? before the blog
- Should this page be indexed by search engines, or should it be hidden?
- What multimedia will this page need to support?
- Examples: Video, downloadable files, etc.
- Will this page require a custom design, or will it use a template?
- Note: Custom designed pages are one-off pages that look unique to everything else on the website. These should be used extremely sparingly.
- If so, please provide examples of existing pages that match the concept of this proposed page.
- How should users be able to find your page? (Checkbox)
- Google Search
- Site's main navigation
- An existing hub page (client hub, News & Insights page, Survey & Research Reports page, etc.)
- This page should only be visible to those I send the link to (Email marketing, etc.)
- Who is initiating the content for this page? (All webpage content will be finalized in the Studio, but projects initiated from other teams will require a brief on which to build content.)
- (Examples: Studio, Growth Marketing, Brand)
- What external stakeholders may need to approve content before it goes live?
- What external stakeholders may need to approve the page before it goes live?
If the page has a form:
- What information needs to be captured by the form?
- (Examples: Name, Email, Phone Number, Texting Consent, etc.)
- Who will receive form fills?
- (Examples: This is a standard lead gen form, it will be sent to X stakeholder, etc.)
Based loosely on a real intake doc, recreated from memory. All specifics are anonymized.
The solution that didn’t help
Because we live in the era we live in, the first solution was to simply throw generative AI at the problem. “Copilot, make this a nice, structured project brief.” The result was AI introducing a host of ambiguous wording, extraneous verbiage, and y’know -- em-dashes. Work actually became more difficult. Creative resources were exhausted trying to extract meaningful information.
Executive Summary
In today's rapidly evolving financial operations landscape, organizations are increasingly seeking to leverage modern approaches to the month-end close. This campaign underscores a robust and holistic content initiative designed to elevate brand authority while driving qualified engagement across the funnel. It's not just about automation — it's about empowering finance teams to navigate complexity with confidence.
Strategic Objectives
- Drive awareness: Position the brand as a trusted thought partner in the close automation conversation.
- Generate demand: Deliver actionable insights that resonate with key decision-makers.
- Enable sales: Equip revenue teams with assets that seamlessly support the buyer journey.
Key Messaging Pillars
The messaging framework delves into the nuanced tapestry of exception handling within the close cycle. Rather than framing automation as a binary choice, the narrative invites finance leaders to consider a more balanced perspective in which technology and human judgment work in tandem. Key messages should emphasize that while process automation delivers meaningful efficiency gains, the exception workflow remains an area where thoughtful oversight continues to add significant value.
Audience Considerations
The primary audience comprises finance and accounting professionals across a range of organizational profiles. Content should be calibrated to speak to their operational realities while remaining accessible to adjacent stakeholders. At the end of the day, the goal is to meet the audience where they are.
Creative & Channel Requirements
Visual assets should be developed in alignment with brand standards and optimized for their respective placements. Social executions will follow platform best practices. Email creative should complement the broader campaign narrative. Deliverable specifications will be confirmed with the design team during kickoff to ensure seamless alignment.
Measurement Framework
Success will be evaluated against a comprehensive set of quantitative and qualitative indicators, reflecting both the immediate impact and the longer-term brand equity generated by the initiative.
The specifics were the first thing to go. A key message written as “you cannot automate a judgment nobody has written down” came back as “technology and human judgment work in tandem.” Mid-market controllers closing 200–800 invoices a month in spreadsheets became “finance and accounting professionals across a range of organizational profiles.” Requested sizes turned into a promise that specifications would be confirmed during kickoff.
The requester had also asked, in writing, that nobody use the word “seamless.” The generated brief used it twice.
The actual solution
Requesters needed ease of use. Resources needed clarity in the output.
Treating internal stakeholders as valued customers is an overlooked approach to harmonious work. They deserve a sensible UX. So that’s what I designed: I turned the request form and all its branching if-then dependencies into a clickable UI with graphical UI elements where possible. After a complete survey of all the tactics supported by the team’s expertise, a menu bloomed, allowing stakeholders to rapidly request what they want and fill in the details, while ensuring they provided the required details.
This kept requesters accountable to pass critical info on to the team, and think through marketing support in a structured way.
But waht about the output? In its ideal state, each resource only receives a write-up of what they need, but it includes everything they need. Dependencies and other contextual FYIs are generated in the resulting documentation. It is as graphical as necessary while retaining a history of all dates and specifications.
It cuts out entirely unnecessary fat from a process that already hasa bad diet.
The model
Working. Pick your content types, answer only what they ask, and submit to see what each resource receives. Social, Creative, and Email are pre-selected to show the dependency behaviour.
Dollarous is a fictitious FinTech brand created for this demonstration. The Dollarous mark uses "Money" by SANB from the Noun Project, CC BY 3.0. All names, campaigns, and sample answers are illustrative and refer to no real company or person.
How I made it
The process itself does not require generative AI, as it’s little more than a structured workflow and a PDF producer. Designing and coding it does, though. I used Claude Design and Code to design and build it respectively.
Implementation is highly variable depending on where clients host it an dwhat platforms they use for internal work. At the time, there was no obvious way to splice it directly inot the task platform for the client. However, the task platform rolled out a solution for exactly this use case 6 months later, strongly validating the project.
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