How to strike the perfect balance between creativity and numbers in content marketing

Content marketing practitioners feel most of the brands today are creating content to get the maximum possible likes, comments on their social media posts and written content. In this race to produce the most ‘hit’ and ‘buzz-worthy’ content, it is often seen that brands overlook the creative aspect and are just focusing on what sells the most.

Looking at the media landscape today, while engagement and fame have definitely become two of the major ROIs for brands, would it be right to conclude that they have stopped creating content that can actually touch lives and are instead focused on something that can help them get the maximum possible positive reacts on social media platforms?

Experts told BuzzInContent that comments and shares are great metrics, but when the intent and brand message gets lost or when messaging is dull, this is where things go wrong.

It is often pointed out that the rabid influx of MBA, managers/ marketing professionals is one of the reasons for the decline in creativity in the content space, because they mostly view these activities from the numbers point of view.

Keerthi Kumar

Keerthi Kumar, Group Account Director South, FoxyMoron (Zoo Media), said that to a large extent this holds true.

“Since most brand managers and marketing team members go after pure numbers and the returns they are getting, more often than not the largeness of an idea is defeated and is a trade-off in terms of the results it can give you. There is a compromise, with some of the most creative and memorable ideas not seeing the light of the day because they may not give you quick results on a quarterly or half-yearly basis in the pursuit of numbers,” he said.

Azazul Haque

Azazul Haque, Chief Creative Officer, Mullen Lintas, agreed and added that of late, the entire landscape of media has been a little unplanned- due to which brands are losing sight of what matters the most.

“In the presence of so many social media platforms and OTTs, TV and other mediums, brands have gotten a little confused of where and what to put. In the past, it was easy to make it for TV which was one way and clutter was also less. But now clutter is increasing and brands have got a little lost. They need to decide and decipher content as per the medium.”

Most of the brands today expect quick reactions. Earlier, people used to get time to soak in and get to know a brand. However, today most brands expect quick reactions from consumers because of the sheer nature of social media platforms. They have become very desperate for instant positive reactions, without actually thinking about what is good for the brand in the long run.

He added, “A part of the parameter for any advertising creative piece has to have enough likes and shares among people. But if the likes are genuine (not bought), they are creative, because they are performing the job.”

Asif Upadhye

On the other hand, Asif Upadhye, Director, Yellow Seed-The Content Company, said that it would be stereotypical to say, at the very least, that MBA marketers are ignoring the creative aspect in the pursuit of numbers.

“If this was true, no ‘creative’ person would ever move to the client side. Plus, the purpose is to drive results. What’s the point of creating great ads if there is no connection to the bottom-line? Yes, some of these creative pieces will win awards. But did they serve their true purpose? To drive in customers, that is,” he said.

It is often said that likes and shares on SM posts are bought and widely shared across as part of aggressive marketing efforts- and this has nothing to do with how creative the post might be.

Joy Chatterjee

Joy Chatterjee, General Manager- Sales and Marketing, Mankind Pharma said that a strategy can never be implemented from the likes and shares perspective, it’s the concept and creative content that makes the brand stand.

"Renowned and big brands can never buy likes and shares for a post. For instance, Instagram algorithms don’t allow securing fake likes and shares, and the platform can even penalise the brand or this. Even Instagram has the right to suspend accounts that are found involved in such malpractice. This can never be seen from an aggressive marketing angle perspective, but a poor marketing gimmick,” he said.

Only small or unknown brands resort to such tactics to fast-track the process, but the results last for a very short period, he added. A brand becomes viral because of heart-touching, funny and unique content that appeals to the audience at large.

“It’s always the creativity that makes a brand, in today’s time we keep witnessing brands being applauded for their topical posts,” he added.

Likes and shares have become an undeniable part of content creation and marketing.

So what decides the success of a content piece and where creativity fits in?

Engagement rates are the true indicator, said Upadhye.

Brands sometimes take an aggressive route (fuelled of course by agencies) where they do not mind getting inorganic/paid likes and shares for the sake of holding up their brand image. If what’s popular is what sells, then paid likes, influencer activities and paid promotions all fall in the same bucket. However, where creativity is concerned, it can be very subjective, he said.

“For marketers, a post that communicates their agenda and looks appealing is creative. As for the audience, a post that reflects their situation or thought process is creative. For a content marketer, I may be extremely sure about a campaign working as it covers all my brand’s talking points, has a strong and clear CTA, looks appealing and we push it on the right platforms for the best reach. However, unless the audience sees it and relates with it no campaign is likely to generate the results. Of course visibility means better brand recall. But not if it is irrelevant,” he said.

When one dons the hat of a viewer, simply looking at content put up by brands out of personal interests, one will engage only with that creative which connects with him/her. This engagement can be liking, sharing or commenting on the post; even saving, as that too contributes to the efficacy of a piece of content. The moment one switches to the marketer mode however, he/she is more concerned with how well the creative talks about his/her brand and the bang for the buck he/she is getting.

He added, claiming that brands have stopped creating relevant content would be wrong. Brands today are more ROI driven (especially during the times we live in) and they are simply keen on staying relevant to their target groups.

Creatives have different objectives overall and formats like memes have become a part of the social media culture as of today. Brands take pride in being on top of trends to get the best for their efforts.

Kumar said that it is important to strike the right balance in a brand's marketing efforts. A person only shares a post if they find it extremely relatable and relevant for them and that is a great measure to see how relatable your brand is with the audience.

Netflix, Swiggy and Durex are some brands that are always ahead of the curve when it comes to this, which is why they are at the top when it comes to relatability and brand recall.

However, Kumar added that having a great creative mind is one thing, but that creative resonating with the audience is a completely different game. It’s very important for brands to identify their goals and objectives and tailor make the content and creatives accordingly.

“Comments and shares are great metrics for brands and more often than not they do go after this, sometimes if the intent is lost the brand message is lost or sometimes there is a force fit of the product in a creative and this is where things go wrong. Brands that are successful have clearly defined content pillars where they come in and they have the perfect balance towards calling out their products and also participate in trends to make the brand relevant amongst their TG,” he said.

Mukund Olety

Mukund Olety - Chief Creative Officer - VMLY&R, suggested that in a plethora of content, brands doing the most interesting and engaging work will rise to the top. On SM platforms, brands need to create their own voice, find their niche and own it. And once you do, people will look forward to actively engaging with the brand.

“The important thing is to create content that engages with your audience. They may see the post, but do they care enough to interact with it? They may like, follow your brand but do they care enough to listen? When a branded post pops up in your feed, does it make you smile, does it get you to act, and does it make you feel anything? These are important questions to ask. Process, metrics, data are useful tools. But let’s not forget the important tools - your Gut and Craft. You need both your left and right side of brains to function. Look at Hollywood. The studio execs have created these huge franchises based on numbers. Sometimes they are great. But if the content is not good, they die out,” he added.