The success of Apple
It’s a big question. How does Apple succeed? How do they stay relevant? I thought this was an interesting topic to talk about because they’re such a big name and they do things a little differently than the ordinary business on social media.
Social media presence
Their lack of social media presence is what interests me, and how they do it so well. Apple’s marketing strategy is pretty different from anyone else. They do have social media platforms but they are for different uses that are otherwise non traditional. For example, Apple does have a Facebook page and an Instagram account but they are both not used regularly. In fact, the official Instagram page is entirely made up of post that other users have submitted and tagged Apple in! Apple also does have a Twitter account but it is for help and queries. I found this all interesting because they are such a big name in the world. I wonder how they do it?
The allure of being exclusive
Part of why I think Apple’s social media strategy works so well is because of their reputation. There are a few different factors I think it comes down to when thinking about why and how Apple does what it does and so well:
- Price point of products
- Ease of use
- Simple design
- Creating mystery
- Big launches every Fall season
Most importantly, Apple keeps it simple. The design is foolproof and the platform is easy to use for almost everyone. The photography used is top notch and they allow their products to speak for themselves without essentially begging the consumer with deal after deal. They are letting the consumer come to them. Almost reverse psychology if you will. But not every business can do this successfully. Apple is the one that can purely because of their reputation they have built over the years of being an exclusive, expensive and visually appealing brand.
Creating hype
The most you’ll ever see Apple do for their marketing strategy is launching new products every Fall season, some bigger than others. This works well because it creates hype among consumers. It creates so much hype in fact that there are regularly leaks that come out before the product comes out. It creates excitement among the consumers and ultimately leads them to buy more products and upgrade every year.
They speak for themselves
It’s clear the tech giant speaks for itself. With so many businesses and corporations clogging the social media platforms, it’s amazing to see how one can succeed without it. Apple doesn’t need the extra exposure that comes with selling on social media. They let the customers come to them. And even though Apple’s marketing strategy is very different than anyone else, they obviously know what they are doing! So what do you think? Is their success warranted? Could they do anything better?
Algonquin College Social Media Certificate Program 
Millie, I really enjoyed your post. I’ve never checked out Apple’s social media so this was interesting to me from a strategy point of view. I think they know exactly what they are doing. When I think of Apple users I often think of die hard techies and industry people. I don’t think Facebook would be their stomping ground. Using IG for tags and reposts from their followers/audience is a great idea, far more authentic and influencial to would be consumers, to have unsolicited opinions and reviews (assuming they are mostly good). And, I’m sure they have full time people curating the content that they repost. Using Twitter for their customer service makes sense too. I’m sure they have around the clock techies to provide 24/7 support. That sounds like a good platform to run that from.
As you mentioned their Brand is about exclusivity, quality and design. If you have to continually promote how great your product is, it does tend to dilute its influence. The ‘less is more’ approach sounds in line with their business model/Brand.
Running their new releases every fall would absolutely increase hype and sales. I’d also add that Apple users would possibly hold off buying new tech toys during the year, because they would rather wait for the next version. Thanks for an interesting post.
Hi Mille!
What a unique way of looking at this. I never recognized this in Apple before, but you are so right! Their social media is not what one could call the norm, yet they continue to have wonderful success world wide. I think you hit it on the head that they have been able to create that allure of elegant products with an air of mystery and all the glamour that goes with it. Thanks for sharing!
Hi there!
I really enjoyed your blog post. I’ve honestly never even realized Apple’s social media activity or lack thereof. Based on what we have learned in this course, one would assume that Apple would be one of the top social media users and would pay very close attention to their online presence. I’m of the opinion that any company whose customers are as brand-loyal as in this case, might not need to do their own marketing. If you’re in the market for a new phone and you’ve always had an iPhone, you’re likely to pick up a new iPhone. On the other end, if you’ve always owned an Android, an attractive Facebook or Instagram post about the new iPhone just isn’t going to persuade you to make the switch. Therefore, then there really isn’t a point in spending millions of dollars a year on social media presence. I’d also add that even without much social media content coming from Apple, we still see Apple products multiple times every day. This leads to a much further reach than any social media marketing campaign could ever achieve.
Best.
James
Hi,
This was a very interesting post. I have often wondered why people go crazy for the Apple products. I am not an Apple person. I had an Apple once and I found it extremely frustrating. They have products that surpass others by leaps and bounds. Apple has proven itself time and time again for making reliable devises with new technologies.
But, I found Apple not the right product for me because they wanted to have my credit card on file and at the time I was nervous about that. They make their products only work with their products which if your are tight on funds didn’t seem to be feasible. During my college years I had decided that the brand was not the type of brand that I stood for.
I didn’t want to has the products because they were exclusive and/or expensive, that didn’t resonate with me. Having said that it does resonate with an awful lot of people so they are clearly doing something right.
I do like that they have used the social media platforms to talk to their customers instead of advertising. They are using these channels to ensure that they are able to answer their customers questions quickly and not to get their message out quickly. If feels they are putting their customers first in this situation and it does look good.
Thanks
Hello Millie,
This was a very interesting post! I have heard so much about Apple that I never even realized that they had such a limited presence on social media. Looking back, I realize that most of the information I have learned about Apple has come to me through word-of-mouth. I have also seen announcements regarding Apple in the news, and Apple products often appear in movies and tv shows.
As Social Media Marketing students, we are taught to look into the risks and benefits of social media marketing. However, it appears that Apple has chosen to pursue different avenues of marketing, and allowing their supporters to spread the word for them. That being said, although their accounts do not appear to be actively updated, I would assume that a large company such as Apple must still have staff members devoted to controlling their image on social media. Despite the company’s limited activity on social media platforms, Apple continues to appear in the media. As you said in your post, Apple’s Instagram is largely made up of posts that tag Apple. This shows that, even though they are not putting out a lot of content themselves, they are still listening to what is being said about them.