More likes do not mean more sales

The post had more than 15,000 likes… but sales did not move.

When the client arrived at the meeting, they were thrilled.

“Look how this video blew up!”

Thousands of views. Thousands of likes. Hundreds of comments.

At first glance it looked like the perfect piece of content.

Then we asked a very simple question:

How many sales did it generate?

Silence.

After reviewing the data, we found that the content had generated barely a couple of inquiries and no attributable sales.

A week later we published another piece. Far less flashy. Only a fraction of the interactions.

But that second piece generated sales meetings, real opportunities and new clients.

That is when something many companies still confuse became clear:

Popularity does not always translate into results.

And understanding that difference can completely change how a company invests its time and budget.

The problem with vanity metrics

Social media taught us to celebrate visible numbers.

• Likes.
• Comments.
• Shares.
• Followers.

They are easy to measure and create an immediate feeling of success.

But those metrics, known as vanity metrics, do not always reflect the true impact of marketing.

A piece of content can go viral and still fail to attract the right audience or generate business opportunities.

A company's goal is not to collect reactions. It is to generate growth.

So… what should a company measure?

Organizations that make data-driven decisions tend to focus on indicators that directly affect the business. For example:

• number of sales opportunities generated;
• cost per lead (CPL);
• conversion rate;
• return on investment (ROI);
• customer lifetime value (CLV);
• close rate;
• revenue attributed to marketing actions.

These metrics answer the question that really matters:

Is marketing contributing to the company's growth?

When content entertains… but does not connect

Not all content has the same purpose.

Some posts aim to build awareness. Others educate. Others build trust. And others drive a purchase decision.

The problem appears when they are all judged by the same yardstick.

A funny video can get thousands of views. But if it is not aligned with the brand strategy, it will hardly contribute to sales goals.

The most valuable content is not always the most viral. Often it is the piece that reaches the right person at the right time.

Obsessing over the algorithm can pull you away from your strategy

It is common to hear things like:

“We need to do something that goes viral.”

The reality is that virality cannot be a company's main goal.

Trends change. Algorithms evolve. But a solid strategy lasts.

Brands that grow sustainably create content with intention, not just hoping for more reach. That starts long before the first campaign: it comes down to the decisions made before investing.

Marketing that sells is usually less flashy

Curiously, some of the best-converting content tends to get less engagement.

Why?

• Because it talks about real problems.
• It answers specific questions.
• It builds trust.
• It explains processes.
• It shows success stories.
• It attracts exactly the kind of customer the company wants.

It does not need to reach millions of people. It needs to reach the right people.

What should a company ask itself after publishing?

Instead of asking: how many likes did it get?, it could ask:

• How many conversations did it start?
• How many prospects came in?
• How many sales meetings were booked?
• How many sales were closed?
• What did we learn about our audience?
• Which content brought the customer closest to a decision?

Those answers are worth far more than any reaction counter. Tools like Google Analytics and the research from Think with Google let you connect what happens on social media with what happens in the business.

A like can feed the ego. A strategy feeds the growth of the business.

The real success of marketing

The best marketing is not the one that gets the most applause. It is the one that moves a company toward its goals.

Sometimes that means more sales. Other times it means building trust, positioning a brand or strengthening the relationship with customers.

Likes can be a positive side effect. But they should never become the main indicator of success.

At Creando Ando we measure what really matters

We believe social media is a tool, not the goal.

That is why we design strategies where every piece of content answers to a specific intention and every action can be tied to business results.

Because at the end of the day, companies do not grow because of likes. They grow because of strategic decisions that turn attention into trust and trust into opportunities.