In marketing, the creative gets a lot of attention. It is the flashy side of marketing, and includes the photos and videos that visually express brand storytelling. But ask any experienced marketing specialist and they will also tell you that as fun as it is, it is also the hardest part of marketing. Crafting messaging that will connect and convert is no easy task. This is where strategy and execution can collide. During times when competition is high and you must capture your user in a matter of seconds, creativity is now a core differentiator. Choosing the right creative marketing agency that explores creative in every service offering they provide is essential to be able to compete at a higher level.
Why is Creative Marketing Truly Challenging?
Creativity can be easy to misunderstand. Most people think of the fun part of design and picture choosing colors and crafting logos or creating catchy website pages. However true creative marketing is much deeper and is more about crafting a compelling message that is both authentic and memorable to drive a brand experience. A few key points to keep in mind include:
- – It’s strategic AND aesthetic
- – Originality can be harder than it looks
- – Creative is subjective
Powerful creative work starts with strategy. Great ad creative does not just look good but it also communicates a message to a specific audience at the right time. Alignment takes talent that leverages insight, intent and iteration.
It’s also challenging today with so much content all around us to stand out. Following trends is great but creative marketers have to bring constant flow of new ideas partnered with ways to execute. Innovation is fast-paced and this can cause burnout and fatigue, especially if deadlines are tight and client demands are high. And with creativity being so subjective based on the unique vision of each person, it can be challenging to hit all audience types while at the same time supporting the objectives of the business.
Top Creative Obstacles for Todays Marketers
Marketing professionals have to deal with a number of both internal and external challenges when delivering creative work to clients.
- – New ideas mixed with keeping visual branding consistent
- – Managing deadlines with creative quality
- – Overall team collaboration
- – Ongoing feedback loops
- – Creativity blocks
- – Content that crosses multiple channels
Your brand voice should be consistent across all of your channels. On the other hand, if you have ever got served the same advertisement over and over and over again, you know that ad fatigue is a real thing and this can lead to stale content. Finding ways to push creative boundaries and keep ads fresh can be a challenge. This is especially true because of the way consumers digest content. A single campaign may require a ton of variations in creative to be tailored to user behaviors and specific formats – which can be a major lift for internal team members.
Along with consistency comes time. Creative minds take the time to bring visions to life and produce high-quality work, and that can be hard for businesses that need to move extremely fast. Too much pressure can cause compromised work and missed opportunities. The same can be said for only involving one person in the creative process. Collaboration between copywriters, designers, strategists, media buyers and more is necessary to ensure alignment and execution of the marketing strategy.
Make Sure Creative Advertising is Center Stage
Make sure that you do not push creative to the wayside or leave it for last minute. Prioritizing content creation and baking it into your overall strategy will help drive results.
Start with the story
Regardless of what you are marketing, crafting the right narrative is important. This is what will emotionally connect with your audience, and this should set the foundation for your creative elements. Remember: tell the story first and then focus on the sales side of the creative second.
Make sure the creative process is structured
Your creative process should include clear briefs, scheduled brainstorms, how you will test and what your timelines look like. This will prevent endless rounds of revisions and keep your team and customers on the same page. You can create templates and frameworks for your processes to help scale as you grow without comprising quality and originality.
Use the data to fuel the creative
Use the data to form your creative. Audience insights and campaign data can tell you a lot about who is interested in your brand and why. Social listening can also guide your creative decisions. Don’t ignore signals and let performance marketing and creative design exist in silos. Tip: Leverage A/B testing in ad platforms to help reveal what types of visuals, offers or headlines work best and resonate with your customer.
Involve the team in creative brainstorming
Involve the team! The best results come from when your creative is treated like a brand asset as opposed to a visual asset. Use your time with your internal team to discuss strategy and performance.
Tap into your partners
Fresh perspectives bring new ideas and can also help to revitalize the direction of your campaigns. Outside experts can at times be a huge benefit if you are lacking the internal resources or just hitting a wall when it comes to creative ideation.
The Hard Part of Creative Marketing
Although marketing tools and data are important components of any marketing strategy, the truly hard part is the creative and finding ideas that will cut through the noise and generate emotion. Creative marketing is building a unique brand voice that people will recognize and resonate with to ultimately drive traffic and clicks. That’s when marketing wins.
Is your current marketing truly creative? Whether you are building marketing campaigns or thinking of a full rebrand, making sure you take the creative into consideration is critical. Our creative marketing agency specializes in bringing you ideas and then implementing them to drive results. We take care of the hard part so you can focus on business growth. Contact HardPart Media today to explore marketing services and see how we can best serve you!