Social Media Strategy of Nike

Nike Social Media Strategy

There are several things about Nike that are worth noting. Apart from being innovative in terms of products, product quality and design, it is also innovative in terms of marketing. The brand has made great use of digital marketing to promote its brand and products. The focus is not just on promotions but on customer relationship and engagement.  Nike’s main focus are the athletes and not just the athletes but everyone connected with sports. It is a maker of sports apparel and shoes. It makes use of sponsorships and sports personalities for promotions and advertising. While one main reason of its popularity is its innovative products, another is its marketing.  From Andre Agassi to Michael Jordan and Spike Lee, the brand has used several stars to market its product and brand to the sports fans. This is an era when digital technology is changing the dynamics of marketing in an unprecedented manner.   Nike has also utilized the technology to get closer to the customers and fans and to bring inspiration and innovation in every sports fans life.  Its social media presence is especially remarkable. The brand has utilized the various social media platforms very well to increase its market presence and to expand its customer base. Social media has become the marketing avenue of choice for most of the big brands.  Here is an analysis of how Nike has used these platforms to grab its customers and fans attention and to win hearts.

Facebook: Facebook is the social media platform of choice for the social media marketers. Brands use it for several purposes including promotion, customer engagement, discussion and even for customer service. Nike has also utilized it for a branding and marketing. Its Just Do It Slogan and Swoosh logo introduce the brand on its Facebook page. They are followed by photos, videos and updates. There are more than 29 million followers of Nike on Facebook alone. The photos and videos are related to Nike products and marketing campaigns and several of them relate to the events sponsored around the world by Nike. These photos and videos are shared and liked extensively and the fans also share their feelings about Nike products and events on Facebook. When it comes to marketing, Nike is very creative with its strategy. These photos and videos are full of impact because of the creativity and imagination invested in them.

Twitter: Nike and Nike.com are two twitter accounts related to Nike on Twitter with 7.2million and 4.45 million followers each respectively. Nike has other accounts too like Nike NYC and Nike Run Club. Like Facebook, Nike promotes its brands and products as well as events through the several accounts and regularly tweets to its fans and followers. It publishes its photos and videos of its products and events through the Twitter account. Twitter can be an excellent marketing platform for social media marketers. There are some excellent features in twitter like you can follow anyone and easily share and like posts. Moreover, like Facebook, it allows for very stylish sharing of photos and videos that keep flowing like a newsfeed and you keep receiving real time updates from the brands and people you follow.

Google Plus: While Google Plus has not been as popular among the social media marketers, it is still a good channel and several brands have used it for showcasing their products and brand. On Google Plus Nike has more than 4.5 million followers. Nike regularly posts photo and video updates on Google Plus to keep its fans and followers engaged. Followers plus one the posts they like and leave their comments. Thus, it uses the platform for promotion and discussion both.

Instagram: This is one of the most favorite social media platforms of the fashion brands. Several fashion brands including Zara and H&M have utilized it to connect with millions of their fans and followers Instagram is mainly a picture sharing platform where you can share pictures, like them and follow others. However, for the fashion brands it can be a very effective platform which is also visible from the number of followers that Nike has on Instagram. There are more than 74.5 million followers of Nike on Instagram alone. Apart from views and likes, fans also comment on the pics and videos posted by Nike on Instagram. It can be a wonderful platform for engaging your fans and can alone provide access to a very large fan base. The total number of Nike fans on all the other social media platforms does not equal that on Instagram.

Pinterest: Pinterest is also a good platform where you can share pictures and a suitable one for fashion marketers. There are several accounts in the name on Nike on Pinterest and particularly Nike women has the highest number of followers; around 205 K.

YouTube: YouTube is a video sharing platform with features for sharing, commenting and liking videos. Videos are a major part of Nike’s marketing strategy. Apart from its main channel, Nike has other channels like Nike Football and Nike Baseball, each devoted to a different game. Nike’s promotional videos are made to inspire energy and enthusiasm. Nike itself is a brand devoted to sports.  The focus of these videos is the unending energy that is in every devoted athlete. These videos are made to inspire athlete to push the line farther and to engage the fans. In its main account, Nike has uploaded 275 videos and has more than 671 thousand followers.

In this way, Nike has got an effective social media strategy that has helped it reach millions of fans and followers globally. Social media has added impact to marketing and become the favorite venue of brands for the low cost access to a large customer base it offers.  Nike’s social media strategy and its creative execution can be worth following for other brands. However your effectiveness on social media is decided by your content and your style. It can be used for deeper market penetration and for better customer engagement. Nike’s strategy is among one of the most effective and it reflects in its number of followers. However, for the fashion brands Instagram, Facebook and Twitter can be particularly very effective which is also proved in the case of Nike.