Search Engine Marketing of Under Armour

The Usefulness of Search Engine Marketing

Search engine marketing, or (SEM), is a form of internet marketing that "seeks to promote websites by increasing their visibility in search engine result pages" (Roberts & Zahay). Companies can maximize their search engine marketing in two ways: Search engine optimization (SEO) and pay-per-click (PPC). The maximization of this marketing form can help increase the brand name of a company and ensure their company jumps to the top of search engine lists. 

The main difference between these two is paid and unpaid advertising. SEO focuses on creating sites based on content that pushes it to the top of a search engine list such as Google and Yahoo. They are also known as natural, or organic searches. 

PPC is also called paid advertising, and it uses targeted keywords to gain search results on search engines. It's main purpose is to obtain a high ranking in specific search categories based on certain keywords.

Natural Vs. Paid Search Results

As seen in the image below, the natural results are boxed in green, and the paid ads are boxed in red. The paid ads are the first thing that a searcher will see. However, these paid ads may not always be the most reliable since larger companies can afford to pay more money to have their ads come up above others. That is why the natural search results can be more advantageous at times.

Of course there are advantages and disadvantages for both types of searches. Below are some of the advantages of disadvantages of each and how they relate to Under Armour (Roberts & Zahay). 

This post will look at Under Armour's search engine marketing, both natural and paid, on Google to see how effective Under Armour is at optimizing their search engine efforts. It will also show Under Armour's social media presence. 

Under Armour on Google 

When looking at the natural search results of Under Armour, I decided to use "running shoes" as the keyword since Nike and Under Armour are competitive in these areas. The results are shown below:

When searching for "running shoes" in the Google search bar, Under Armour does not come up in the natural searches even after searching through several pages. Here, we see the disadvantages of natural search for Under Armour. Through the natural search, we see that Under Armour would not be an immediate result for those searching for running shoes. As a consumer, I'm willing to search through the third page of results at most before moving to another search. Nike came up as a result at the bottom of the first page, while Under Armour was not even in the first three pages. 

When looking at the paid search results, we see that Under Armour is much more successful: 

Here we see the advantages of paid searches. Under Armour holds the first ranking position for the keyword "running shoes". Although a consumer may not always click on the paid searches, they will always look at them. This gets Under Armour's brand out there and in the eyes of consumers. It is immediate, and it shows consumers that Under Armour is a top brand name as they can afford top rankings.

When using the search "running shorts", Under Armour came up on the first page for natural searches as well as a top ranking in the paid search. This goes to show the importance of keywords and how beneficial paid searches and organic searches can be when used together. 

Social Media

Social media has become a huge part of a brand's success. It provides a way for a company to relate to their customers, to interact with them, to humanize, and give character to a company. It also helps companies to choose keywords by interacting with their customers through hashtags (#), comments, and trending items. 

Under Armour's social media efforts seem to be behind most other competing companies in the industry. Under Armour's Instagram for instance has mostly images of their sponsors and are not interactive or personable, use few hashtags to gain interest, and look more like blow up pictures seen as billboards instead of a social media post: 

Nike has more personable posts with details about pictures that help their customers relate to Nike as a brand rather than a company. They also tend to highlight their products rather than their sponsors in their posts. Nike's NRC grabs those that are part of Nike+ Run Club (#NRC) and tells the story of one of their dedicated customers that embodies what it means to wear Nike:

Finally, lululemon also has personable posts that engage their customers. On Thanksgiving, they shared a photo that read "I'm Thankful" in artsy print, encouraging their customers to share what they're thankful for. lululemon was also the leading poster, having a post as recent as 2 days ago, with Under Armour following 5 days ago, and Nike coming in with their most recent post at 6 weeks ago. 

What Can Be Made Better?

I think that Under Armour utilizes paid search very well, coming in at the top of most keyword searches for products in their industry. However, their natural search results vary based on the item being searched. This may have to do with the fact that Under Armour is more focused on their apparel rather than running shoes. To increase their natural search results, Under Armour should focus on their target market and using keywords favored by this market in their pages. 

Under Armour's social media efforts have room for improvement as well. With pictures that highlight their clothes and products, with normal people wearing them, I think they would be able to increase their social media presence. By using more creative hashtags and tapping into to current events, such as Thanksgiving as lululemon, Under Armour could gain more traction in trending items. A well-tuned, well-kept social media site can really help a company interact on a more personal level. 

Works Cited:

lululmeon. "The secret to having it all." Instagram, 26 November 2015. Photograph. 30 November 2015. 

Nike. "04:40:08." Instagram, 7wks. Photograph. 12 October 2015. 30 November 2015.

Roberts, Mary Lou., and Debra L. Zahay. Internet Marketing: Integrating Online and Offline Strategies. Mason, OH: South-Western Cengage Learning, 2013. Print.

Under Armour. "You can't spell UNDEFEATED without UA" Instagram, 25 November 2015. 30 November 2015.