Social Spotlight: Nike and how to outpace the competition on social

Welcome to the Social Spotlight, where we dive deep into what we love about a brand’s approach to a specific social campaign. From strategy through execution and results, we’ll examine what makes the best brands on social tick — and leave you with some key takeaways to consider for your own brand’s social strategy.

Overview

The competition for attention is fierce for brands on social. Take a moment to consider what happens every 60 seconds on that channel: Instagram users post 277,777 stories and 55,140 photos, YouTube users watch 4.5 million videos and Twitter users send 511, 200 tweets—per minute! And if divided attention wasn’t enough of a hurdle for brands, consumers are also more informed, more selective, less trusting and less patient than ever before. It’s no wonder 58% of social marketers say increasing brand awareness is still their number one goal for social. How does a brand looking to make a name for itself overcome these obstacles? To help us answer that question, let’s take a deep dive into a company with arguably the greatest brand recognition in history.

At the time of writing, Nike takes the gold for most followed brand on Instagram clocking in at 117 million followers. When asked their opinion during our survey for the Sprout Social Index™ Edition XVI: Above & Beyond, 9% of our consumer respondents wrote in Nike as the best brand to follow on social. Sure, it’s the largest and most profitable athletic footwear and apparel company in the world. But success in the market doesn’t always translate to success on social. So what’s their secret? Consumers and social marketers agree that a brand’s social media presence stands out from the competition when it’s creative, memorable and impactful.

Here’s how Nike does it, and how you can (just) do it too:

Creative

1. Utilize innovative technology and gamification.

Product innovation is a big part of Nike’s success, so it’s no surprise that the brand likes to think outside the box on social, too. In 2018, Nike teamed up with conversational AI platform, Snaps, to create a Facebook Messenger Bot for its Air Jordan brand. The bot delivered content from the Air Jordan blog and Jordan.com and enabled users to shop, read and engage in two-way conversations with the brand. Incredibly, the brand reported that the content was generating 87% open rates vs. the typical 15-20% from emails.

Gamification is another way Nike turns heads on social. With the Nike+ app, the brand motivates consumers to share their fitness-related accomplishments on their social channels. It turns users’ daily physical activity into a community builder by inspiring a little friendly competition among their social connections.

Getting started: Employing a creative use of technology is one sure-fire ways to pique customer interest and get people talking about your brand. Consider partnering with either an existing or emerging tech solution like Nike did with Snaps. Do some social listening to surface trends and interests relevant to your industry. And don’t be afraid to tap into your audience’s competitive spirit when you invite them to engage with your brand or product on social.

2. Explore new video content.

Nike commercials are infamous. The inspirational music, the motivational voiceover. They’ve pretty much nailed the formula at this point. But in order to keep that formula feeling fresh, the brand team makes regular use of the different video formats and functionalities available to them on social. Some videos like this one employ the familiar “voice-over-inspirational-footage” format. But they also mix it up by replacing the voiceover with simple, on-screen text, or the video footage with static images or unedited user-generated content. They also take advantage of platforms like YouTube and IGTV to feature more long-form content like their fictional mini-series, “Margot Vs. Lily,” and their documentary-style “Common Thread” series.