Profitable digital agencies rely on streamlined processes built with the sole purpose of scaling and growing the business. A creative intake form is a key tool to guarantee that all new client projects get off to a strong start with a defined process from day one. While some tech-savvy customers may provide a creative brief, many won't do so, and if they do, it is possible that they miss some important information you need for a smooth process.
In these cases a project intake form designed by you and tailored to your business needs will make it easier for the client to effectively convey project information to your design team. Additionally, this questionnaire helps to outline expectations and serves as support for you to come back to in case something goes wrong down the road.
If you want to create your own creative intake form, we have outlined some of the main aspects for you to cover in order to create a bulletproof digital strategy.
Note: Streamline your intake process using Bonsai to easily create custom client forms, business proposals and contract templates. All documents are fully customizable so you can make them your own providing a unique and professional solution that fits with your workflow. Try a 7-day free trial here.
Essential Elements to Include in Your Creative Project Intake Form
When creating your creative project intake forms, remember the main objective is not only to gather the basic contact information but to get a deep understanding on the project's scope. Depending on the specific services you offer this creative intake form may cover different topics, however there are some key elements that can be used as a general outline for you to create a comprehensive document.
Let's take a look at these elements to help you dig deeper into the important details.
Contact Information
To begin your creative intake form, add a section for the prospective client's basic contact details including their full name (or business name if registered differently), phone number, email address, billing/physical address, and business website if applicable. You may also request the same basic information for any other point of contact or project manager whom you might need to reach during the project.
Business Overview
Next, give your potential customers a space to describe their company's mission, goals, and products or services they offer. By letting them explain this information in their own words, you might learn a lot about how they see their company and have a better chance at delivering a tailored final product. Take a look at some aspects you must consider covering in this section.
- High-level overview of the business including company name, years in business, values, and the products or services they offer.
- Top competitors
- Unique Value Proposition (What separates your potential client from their competitors?)
- Geo-demographics and target audience
- Data on customer value
Project Specifics
It's time to gather all the important project information so you can fully understand why the client is seeking your services and what their expectations are regarding the final product. This section will be extremely helpful for you to determine whether the services you provide are appropriate for the prospective client and you can meet all project requests. Make sure not to miss the following vital aspects.
- Services required/Project type (Research project, social media campaign, webinar, blog post, etc...)
- A brief description of the proposed project
- Key metrics to monitor and project success criteria
- Milestones, priorities and start/end dates
- Client's goals and challenges regarding the new project
- Estimated budget for the project and monthly retainer (if applicable)
- Intended audience for the specific project (current audience, new demographics, internal team, etc...)
Expectations
To make this a smooth collaboration, consult with your clients to learn what they want from you during the process and how they would like to interact with you. Ask them about any previous experiences with other digital agencies to gain valuable information into what you should and shouldn't do in order to provide a quality final product. Try to cover the following aspects.
- Previous experiences with agencies and reasons for seeking new collaborations.
- Preferred communication channels (email, phone calls, in-person meetings, video calls, etc...)
- Documents and file types required
- Desired frequency of process updates
- Level of involvement the client wishes to have during the project
- Content revision and review process
Try the Perfect Client Intake Form With Bonsai
Ready to draft the perfect creative intake form? Make it simple with Bonsai's lightweight form builder! You can fully customize every aspect of the forms to add as many questions as you need, choose your preferred answer format, rearrange fields, and incorporate your own branding elements. Once your intake form is ready, you can easily print it or share it with your potential clients via email or URL link as an online document.
If you want to boost lead generation and get more clients, you can also create a generic project intake form template and have it embedded into your website. Need more help? Bonsai offers many more tools to help manage your administrative tasks more efficiently. From client onboarding to invoicing, payment processing, feedback surveys and more, your new projects will be in good hands!
Start your 7-day free trial today and take your business to the next level.
