Repeat after me… Lululemon does social media well!
’ve been doing social media for 7 years… in social media time, that’s an eternity! Sometimes I feel like I’ve been preaching social media so long that all I do is talk about it. I’ve seen a lot of good social media examples, strategies and tactics. But, I have to say, one company is doing social media better than I’ve seen in a long time.
Repeat after me…. Lululemon does social media well!
Well… besides… being incredibly active on how they talk to Fans on both Facebook & Twitter, Lululemon is about brand values (accentuating them, talking about them, and living them) with Fans. Lululemon’s message is clear, concise and demonstrates how you can take the power of a fresh brand message coupled with amazing products and move mountains of brand awareness.
I have two things to point out about Lululemon – so stay with me…
When it comes to having a clear vision of who they are and how to communicate that vision with their “guests” they have it nailed! A quick visit to their website and you will find the words – goals, outgoing, upbeat, energetic and fun – permeate the site. Here’s the really cool thing – had I only ever gone to their Facebook fan page, blog or Twitter feed I still would have received that message.
Lululemon customers are not just your average retail customers, they are loyal fans who are vocal advocates of the Lulu brand.
The first thing that caught my eye about Lulu was that they approach social media from a unique way. Yes, they have both a corporate (national) Facebook and Twitter channel, which does an awesome job of connecting with Fans. I would say that their strategy on these channels is to: build brand awareness, but more importantly filter these Fans to the local level.
That’s correct, almost every single Lululemon store has a local Facebook presence, cities like Dallas, Naperville, LA, Green Bay and Minneapolis.
Lululemon harnesses the power of social media in two distinct ways:
1 – By using the tremendous amount of reach with the largest social media demographic (women between the ages of 18-30). It’s no secret that Gen Y is the largest demographic of active social media users. Lulu is able to tap into this demographic by its’ product but also by social media use. These women attend free yoga sessions on Saturday’s they also post their ideas and thoughts readily on the local Lulu Facebook channels.
2 – Using store Advocates. I sometimes feel like I can’t preach enough about the use of Advocates in social media. Having a workforce of Advocates for your brand is like (a million worker bees) promoting and establishing your brand. In Lulu’s case the Advocates are the store owners and workers that bring a strong sense of community to each store (they know you, they talk to you and most of all they are informed and ready to help YOU on Facebook).
I’m not sure if Lululemon has a true social media strategy that they are following (a roadmap, a gameplan) but, virally the brand’s social media ecosystem is being created. Social media firms (like mine SPECK Media) try to design this very thing for Fortune 500 brands and Lululemon is already doing it and doing a good job.
Let me hear your thoughts
