Keep the CONVERSE-ation going! How this brand got a 15 times higher engagement rate than its competitors [Thursdays: FYO!]
Apple’s co-founder Steve Jobs once said:
“Quality is more important than quantity. One home run is much better than two doubles.”
This saying can be applied to a lot of things in life… and it’s also something that social media marketers should keep in mind.
Why?
Let’s repeat the first part of Job’s quote: “Quality is more important than quantity.”
In social media marketing, engagement is much more important than the number of followers a brand has.
Sure, having a lot of followers on social media is an important factor too but think about this: What is the point of having hundreds of thousands of followers if none of them are paying attention to or interacting with a particular brand they follow?
In that case, there’s clearly a gap that needs to be addressed in that business’ online marketing strategy.
Let’s take a look at one company that knows how to prioritize quality over quantity on social media…
Converse is an American shoe company that designs, distributes, and licenses sneakers, skating shoes, lifestyle brand footwear, apparel, and accessories. Founded in February 1908, the company has been a subsidiary of Nike, Inc. since 2003.
Converse and Instagram Marketing
With 10.2 million followers, Converse is the Top 12 brand on Instagram in terms of follower count.
Despite having less followers than its competitors, the shoe company reported a higher engagement rate than other brands, including Nike, which has the highest number of Instagram followers as of 2021.
In September 2021, Converse recorded a 1.79% engagement rate on the social media platform. That’s 15 times higher than Nike’s 0.11%!
Woah… how did that happen?
Before we proceed, let’s first talk about Instagram and why it’s one of the go-to platforms for brands to advertise their products and services.
Instagram is a photo and video sharing social networking service founded by Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger. It is the fourth most popular social media app in terms of number of active users and as of October 2021, the platform has a brand-engagement rate that is 58 times higher than other social media platforms.
No wonder that a lot of brands and businesses are looking to Instagram to promote their offerings!
Here are some benefits of Instagram advertising:
- Around 77 million people are active on Instagram every month. According to marketing specialist Kim Speier, more than half of these active users are millennials, a demographic that is on its way to reaching high spending power. This makes Instagram an ideal channel for brands to connect with a young generation of consumers.
- Instagram doesn’t have a filtered feed. Unlike Facebook, every sponsored post shows up in the timelines of every Instagram user, thereby enabling brands to reach a broader group of consumers.
- According to a research by video technology company VidMob, 1 out of 3 Instagram users buy directly from brands that publish ads on the platform. That’s more than 460 million people! Additionally, Social Media Marketing 2021 author Robert Miller mentioned that users on Instagram are inclined to spend an average of USD 65 per sale compared to Facebook and Twitter users who only spend USD 55 and USD 46 on average on their purchases.
- Increased engagement increases the chances of repeat purchases. If someone buys from you then follows your brand on Instagram, that person will likely see your sponsored posts on a regular basis and that will also increase the likelihood that he or she will buy from your brand again.
Now that we know some of the benefits of advertising on Instagram, let’s go back to Converse’s marketing strategy on the social media platform…
How did Converse record a higher engagement rate despite having less followers than its competitors?
Let’s take a look at Converse’s Instagram feed.
Based on the brand’s posts, we can see a trend. Converse has multiple collaborations with influential creators and artists such as Millie Bobby Brown and Tyler, The Creator.
Hmm. Instagram marketing and influencer marketing combined? Cool!
Below are two of Converse’s posts involving partnerships with famous personalities:
Thanks to an added contribution of influencers’ huge follower count, Converse’s posts garner over 100,000 likes and comments!
There’s more.
In July 2021, Converse went above and beyond its marketing efforts by producing a short film with Tyler, The Creator and posting it on Instagram.
(Short Film Title: The Really Cool Converse Club)
The film was about a club member who finds himself on the hot seat for violating all 3 rules of “The Really Cool Converse Club,” which are exclusively wearing Converse shoes, avoiding wearing denim hats, and avoiding other shoe brands AT ALL COSTS.
Because of these violations, the membership status of the club member was in jeopardy and the club leader called for a meeting to discuss how they should address the issue.
The video also features different types of people who wear different types of Converse sneakers.
According to Tyler, the Creator,
“There’s so many different types of people that wear this shoe and I just wanted to put them all in one place. Regardless of whether it makes sense or not, just seeing them all under one roof was important.”
The short film is now one of the brand’s most watched videos on Instagram―with over 240,000 views to date! This shows how Converse makes good use of influencer marketing and Instagram marketing to keep its target market engaged online.
Another thing that Converse does effectively is the clever use of one of Instagram’s features, which is integrating direct purchase links to product posts. This encourages followers to browse and purchase with ease―appropriate for the fast-paced, fast-view lifestyle of millennials.
The result?
A high engagement rate for Converse that enables it to stand out from its competitors on Instagram!
A round of applause for the brand!
As a business owner or marketer, what can you take away from Converse’s marketing strategy?
It’s important to know and understand who your target market is. Being familiar with their lifestyles, purchasing power, spending habits, social media preferences, and more will enable you to showcase and deliver offerings that meet their demands and address their pain points.
These things will also help you establish genuine connections with your target market and appeal to a wider demographic.
… and once you’ve established genuine connections with them, online interactions with your brand will follow, whether it be in the form of following you on social media, spreading positive comments about your brand, buying one of your products or services, etc.
Get inspired with Converse’s Instagram marketing tactic with a combination of influencer marketing!
Increase your brand’s engagement rates by being where your target market is and making the most out of the platform that best resonates with them.
Who knows? By properly executing your digital marketing strategies, you’ll get more consumers interested in your brand and also strengthen your visibility online.
Keep the CONVERSE-ations and interactions going with your target audience!
About The Dynamic Marketing Communiqué’s
“Thursdays: FYO! Find You Optimization”
Why should you stop thinking SEO and start thinking FYO?
We’re not saying that you should abandon Search Engine Optimization (SEO).
Don’t get us wrong, of course, we know this is something very important, especially in today’s digital marketing age.
The internet landscape is vast, and a world of its own. You really need to distinguish yourself and make your brand/company/website known and easily searchable.
Better yet, get to the top of page one for Top Results on Google or any other search engine.
However, what is the purpose of SEO? It’s that customers Find You!
That’s what matters. So, while SEO is one factor of FYO… it really is only one, and we ought not to abandon all the myriad of ways digitally and offline for improving your FYO.
How can we look at this from a different and better perspective?
Let’s say you have it in the bag! You and your team are experts in SEO. Awesome. But did you ever wonder what else you could do to push it further and give your SEO skills a boost?
FYO! Find You Optimization!
You need your target audience to FIND YOU—your brand, product, service, or offer. This is SEO plus other tools that increase visibility online (and offline).
Every Thursday, we publish content on how you can get your target market to find you, beyond the typical “type and search.” There are other things you can do along with your SEO to give your online advertising process a boost.
Try considering other tactics beyond it—WOMO (Word Of Mouth Optimization), RO (Referral Optimization), and “All-Other-Means-Of-Getting-Your-Target-Market-To-Find-You” Optimization (AOMOGYTMTFY, if you’d like a long acronym).
Part of a great marketing strategy is knowing how to adapt new methods and make use of different types of marketing and promotion that best fit your business goals and which give you the results you want.
Hope you’ve found this week’s insights interesting and helpful.
Stay tuned for next Thursday’s FYO!
Cheers,
Kyle Yu
Head of Marketing
Valens Dynamic Marketing Capabilities
Powered by Valens Research
www.valens-research.com
