Is Nike Getting it Right On Twitter?

Is Nike Getting It Right On Twitter?

Nike is easily one of the “Big 3” when it comes to athletic apparel/footwear, however, is their social media fueling that dominance. When it comes to marketing and brand image, social media is the way of the world nowadays. Leading the way in social media for over a decade, Twitter is a fantastic place for a company to increase brand awareness. But, is Nike getting it right on Twitter? Let’s see!

What’s the Message?

Compared to other apparel/footwear companies, Nike tends to focus more on inspiration and innovation rather than plain vanilla marketing tactics. Their social media team works to produce content that will consistently move and inspire Nike’s audience. One of the best practices I see in action with Nike on Twitter is the use of content themes. Nike is consistently posting/sharing content that is inspirations and very sentimental, which is a theme related to their mission statement. This fluidity between company mission and social media practice is another rockstar move out of Nike. Due to this consistency, Nike has become synonymous with producing world class content, usually stemming from philanthropic themes.

What’s the Plan?

Nike is different than other apparel/footwear companies because of the fact that they use this abstract content as a way to build relationships with their audience. Right or wrong, when you see a Nike ad, it’s going to make you reflect. That leaves a lasting impact in the minds of consumers and Nike has been doing it for years. That’s another one of their best practices, sticking to their plan. Nike has been under fire these past few years, regarding their support of Colin Kaepernick’s protest, as well as their public use of Chinese labor. Through this, Nike has remained steadfast in keeping their content neutral and quite deep. Most of the content on Twitter tends to be centered around comedy or information, however, when you see Nike content, it sticks with you because of the thought provoking aspect of the content.

Is This Too Risky?

Heck no! Nike’s Twitter content does not seem to possibly offend anybody and it leads consumers to feel that Nike is bigger than just a sports company. The idea that Nike cares more about world prosperity and diversity, rather than sports highlights and shoes, means that people are going to start to see them as an inspirational company. This is exactly their plan.

It Can’t All Be Perfect, Right?

Is Nike doing some great things on Twitter? Yes. But are they perfect? No. One of the things they struggle with is their posting frequency on Twitter. Nike posts on Twitter just about once every 9 days. Simply put, that is not enough! Before everybody says in the comments, “Oh well it takes a long time to create that meaningful content,” you have to realize that Nike is a multi-billion dollar conglomerate that definitely possesses the financial power to hire more content creators. Meltwater says that companies should be posting 10 times/day on Twitter, on average. Nike really drops the ball in this category and should certainly be doing better to increase posting frequency.

Show Some Love!

Another bad Twitter practice when it comes to Nike, is their disregard for engagement with their audience. You will never see Nike respond to comments or reach out to people that @ them. As a company, this feedback should be important to you and you should put in the effort to make your audience feel valued. It almost seems as if Nike thinks they are too big to respond to Twitter posts.

Takeaways

• Nike’s content is up there with the best in any brand in the world.
• Nike seeks to inspire others to look inward and constantly develop their character.
• A company of their size should be posting way more than once every 9 days.
• Doesn’t matter how big of a company you are, you need to engage with your audience.

Nike is doing a great job overall because I feel like the content is what leaves the biggest impact on Twitter users. They have some room to improve, and that should a very scary sight for their competitors. Let me know what you guys think and whether or not you have a positive/negative perception of Nike on Twitter!