With internet giants such as Amazon running the ecommerce world, it can seem nearly impossible for other companies to make nearly as many gains online as their successful counterparts. However, brick and mortar giant Nordstrom has not shied away from the ecommerce fight. Nordstorm is one of America’s largest and most profitable upscale fashion retailers. With 225 stores and nearly $10 million in annual sales, there’s no doubt Nordstrom is a retail powerhouse. But how are they changing the way the operate by utilizing technology and data?

Well, they are definitely not just using the same data we all think of when someone says data. No, companies like Nordstrom are employing a subject known as Big Data to help determine the wants, needs, and shopping habits of their customers. So what is Big Data, anyways? Well, Big Data is basically just a metric ton of data. Big Data analytics is the process of sifting and sorting through all of that data in order to identify patterns, trends, and correlations. Understanding this, retailers like Nordstrom can determine the best ways to market to their consumers, improved customers service, etc.

Using Big Data In-Store and Online

One of the reasons Norstrom is such a powerhouse in the world of retail? The ability to blend shopping experiences using Big Data really gives Nordstrom a competitive edge. For example, Nordstrom used WiFi to keep tabs on its customers while they were shopping in stores. Nordstrom tracked variables such as who comes into their stores, which parts of the stores they visit, how long they hang around and more. While this experiment caused some controversy, Nordstrom was able to gain important and unique insights into customer shopping trends. Another major innovation that Nordstrom is delving into is a completely seamless in-store and online inventory so customers know when and where they can buy an item and, more importantly, choose how they want to buy it.

Social Media Game Changer

Besides being innovative in-store, Nordstrom is also a heavy hitter when it comes to the world of social media as well. Nordstrom has a massive social media following. With 3 million Facebook fans, 4.4 million Pinterest followers, and 584,000 followers on Twitter, Nordstrom it is no wonder that Nordstrom utilizes Big Data to gain insights into their customers. But how exactly do they use that social media reach?

Nordstrom’s social media strategy is actually pretty straightforward. Let’s talk about Facebook, first. Nordstrom’s approach, as mentioned, is straightforward yet simple. They often feature a post with an eye catching image, a simple line of text, and a hyperlink to the ecommerce site. And that is pretty much it. Despite their almost unrelenting sales tactics, most posts receive upwards of 100 comments and several thousand ‘likes.’  Nordstrom also makes it a point to respond to questions and comments in a timely manner, making customer service stand out as a priority to their social team and the entire Nordstrom company.

Where Nordstrom really seems to shine, however is on Pinterest. With 4.4 Million followers, Nordstom is one of the most popular brands on the site. What really makes Nordstrom stand out, however, is not the number of followers they have, but the clever way they utilize Pinterest. Sure, if you look at Nordstrom’s Pinterest boards they have everything you’d expect. From “Well Said” to “Beauty Spot” Nordstrom curates content they think their followers will enjoy. What is interesting, however, is their “Top Pins” board. This board is a collection of the most popular customer-driven pins from Nordstrom.com. Because most of their pins link directly back to their ecommerce site, it is probably pretty safe to bet that Pinterest is a huge factor in driving traffic to the Nordstrom website.

Innovative Techniques

Perhaps one of the most interesting things about the way Nordstrom is utilizing Big Data and analytics is the innovative techniques they are using to really enhance the ways in which they interact with customers, create marketing strategies, and sell products. Nordstrom created the Innovation Lab where they analyzed big data and creative technology to enhance the shopping experience of their custoemrs. From the ashes of the Innovation Lab came the Nordstrom Technology People Lab, which, according to its website, is “focused on bringing a data-driven, human-centered, creative lens to our People, Culture, and Leadership practices and programs.” The People Lab focuses on building the company from the inside while the Customer Experience Center, a replica of a typical Nordstrom store, offers essentially a playground for Nordstrom to test their new and unique customer experiences.

Even Nordstrom’s credit card program helps them to gather data on their customers. Nordstrom really pushes for customers to sign up for their credit or debit card by having a rewards program attached to it. The Nordstrom Fashion Rewards Program offers a lot of benefits to customers and allows Nordstrom to gain additional insight into the shopping and spending habits of their customers.

So how can you take a page from Nordstrom’s analytical playbook? The main take away you should get from Nordstrom is their ability to innovate and not being afraid to fail. Nordstrom knows that not every tactic they employ is going to succeed. Jamie Nordstrom, president of Nordstrom Direct, said in a 2012 summit, “Some strategies and ideas will work. Others won’t. If you don’t test new things, you’ll never innovate. Don’t panic if something doesn’t work -- celebrate it!”

Why You Should Be Using Social Media Analytics

You generate content for your website, that content gets shared to social media, you track the referrals through Google Analytics. Done and done, right? Not so fast. Let’s think a minute. Are you really doing everything in your power to ensure you’ve implemented a successful social media strategy that’s going to help you drive traffic to your site and ultimately grow your blog and/or business?

We live in a very plugged in and digital age, an age where 74% of online adults are utilizing social networking sites. But with all the talk and hype surrounding Google Analytics, social media often times get pushed aside as not being as important. This is where marketers go wrong. It is no great secret that Google Analytics essentially rules the world of web analytics software. Everyone from bloggers to major ecommerce sites have utilized the popular analytics tools to track the success of their websites, the demographics of their users, and even consumer behavior. But Google Analytics is not the only web analytics tool you should be employing in your marketing strategy.

So why should you monitor social media analytics? For one thing, social media analytics tools can give you an even more in depth look at audience demographics, interests, and behaviors that can help you better understand them. A key element in running a successful website, blog, or ecommerce site.

Pinterest

Pinterest is one of the most heavily used social media sites, with over 70 million users globally. No matter where it ranks among other power players such as Facebook and Twitter, there’s no doubt that a successful social media marketing strategy will incorporate Pinterest into its focus. But what does that have to do with analytics?

Pinterest, like Facebook and Twitter which I’ll talk about later, has its own analytics tool for Verified Business Accounts (find out more here). While the original Pinterest analytics tool only shared information on how images directly from your site were doing, they have since expanded to include information about your Pinterest profile, audience insights, and activity to your own website. The Pinterest analytics tool gives insight to your most popular boards as well as pins. Another great feature of the Pinterest analytics tool is the Brands feature under audience interests. This section shows you what other brands, businesses, etc. your audience interacts with. Brand information can be key when searching for other companies to work with and even content creation.

Facebook

If your blog or business has a Facebook page (which it should) then you also have access to Facebook’s analytics tool also known as Insights. One of the most useful tools provided by Facebook Insights is the Reach metric. Reach essentially tells you how much of your content is actually reaching your audience among other things like, who is talking about your page, are people sharing your page, etc. It is similar to Google Analytics in that Reach will show you where your traffic is coming from (organic searches, paid and viral) among other useful tools.

One of my personal favorite features of Facebook Insights is the Post Type break down. Not only does it show you which post type gets you the most interaction, but you can also see other information such as post clicks, likes, comments & shares, etc.

Twitter.

Twitter’s internal analytics functions similarly to Facebook’s in that it tracks how much of your content that your target audience is actually seeing. On Twitter, this is known as Impressions. While Impressions tracks how much of your content your Followers are seeing, one of the most useful tools from Twitter Analytics is Audience Interests. While Google Analytics also provides a look into your audience interests, it is a more useful analytic tool if you’re trying to boost engagement with your Twitter followers. Why? Twitter is all about information. For example, the top interest of my followers appears to be Marketing. So if I wanted to really boost engagement, I could schedule some informative posts about marketing which should tempt my audience into engaging with the tweet.

Another really amazing feature of Twitter analytics is the “Top Follower” feature. This feature shows you the Top Follower you have for the month based on their reach. This can be an amazing tool if you’re seeking out a business partnership or trying to find a way to reach a larger audience. Additionally, according to Twitter’s blog, you can also see “whose Tweet mentioning your handle drove the most engagements” which can also be used for generating future partnerships.

Where Do I Start?

Take a few moments to familiarize yourself with each of these social media analytics tools. Are there trends you see that are positive? What are the commonalities between them? Now look again. Are there any negatives reflected in your social media analytics? What can you do to improve those negatives?

What do your social media analytics say about your audience? Are they similar across all sites? If they’re different, what is causing this? You may be able to tap into additional audiences that you had not considered before. Using social media analytics can really shape the way you market your brand, blog, and/or business. 

How to Make Social Media Work For You

Getting Social

No matter what reason for creating a website, be it business or blogging, one thing you absolutely must do in order to be successful is to get involved with social media. As Devesh Sharma from Twelveskip so bluntly states, “Social media isn’t just a fad.” You will need to rely on more than just some great SEO friendly content in order to make a splash online. While search engines can be helpful in gaining audience attention, social media is also a great way to leverage targeted traffic.

So What Social Media Platform Should I Use?

The answer to this is somewhat complicated.  Understanding your audience is the key to having an effective social media marketing strategy. For example, if you’re looking to target teens, recent data suggests that the popularity of Facebook among teenagers has fallen to as low as 10%! So where are they hanging out instead? Platforms such as Snapchat and Instagram are increasing in popularity among the younger generation. If teens make up a large part of your target audience, you may want to focus more of your efforts on one of these other platforms.

As Brian Solis says, you should aim to “discover all relevant communities of interest” and build from there. Most people use social media to form a sense of community so you want your social media strategy to build on that desire. For example, if you are a blogger and/or business that specializes in cooking, then Pinterest should be at the heart of your social media marketing strategy. Building upon starting with Pinterest, you could use Facebook to share quick tutorial videos, like Proper Tasty. Pinterest allows your audience to save the recipes they like for later while sharing videos on Facebook can give them a better visual on how to prepare the dish. Share a snapshot of the finished product on Instagram as a teaser to drive traffic to the other social media sites, as well as the main content.

Basically, you should use as many social media platforms as long as your content fits into the niche of that platform. Using multiple platforms in your social media marketing strategy will ensure that you are reaching your target audience throughout the day and perhaps reaching people who you would not otherwise reach if you only stuck to a single platform

Content vs. Conversation

As you’ll see, the strategy proposed above is mostly content driven. There seems to be a bit of a debate in the marketing world about whether or not content or conversation are the king of social marketing. There is a popular saying that goes a little something like this, “Conversation is King, content is just something to talk about.” Many people will view this as meaning only one thing that as long as you’re starting conversations with your audience, the content doesn’t really matter. However, the real deal is this: Without good content, no one is going to talk with you or about you. Yes, having conversations with your audience may be important for growing brand awareness and loyalty, but when you’re just starting out with your social media strategy, it is important that you rely on having good content. One cannot exist without the other. As Michael Greenberg states, “Without content, there is not a whole lot to talk about.”

Let’s Start with Content

There are a couple key things to keep in mind when planning the content for your social media account. The first is keeping everything in line with your brand. If you do not have a solid brand identification, it will make your blog or business come across as insincere. Not really an ideal way to start your social media strategy. The next big thing to remember is consistency. Major publishers don’t let their content lapse, so you should not either! With great tools like Hootsuite, social media management is doable for even the smallest of companies!  

Now on to Conversation

Conversation is the thing that really makes it feel like your social media strategy is paying off. Conversing on social media has a couple general rules of thumb. Constant, sincere engagement will get you the most positive feedback with your audience. Striving to empower and connect with your audience is a good way to make a long lasting connection with them via social media. Make sure you are always inviting people to share your posts and try to thank them when they do. A little thank you “tweet” can go a long way towards building brand loyalty. And, as Brian Solis states in his 21 Rules for Social Media Engagement, “Give back, reciprocate, and recognize notable contributions from participants in your communities.” Your audience is not going to grow exponentially overnight, but with some time and effort, content + conversation can get you on the path to where you want to be.

Where Do I Start?

Pinterest has some great resources for those trying to come up with a social marketing strategy. Everyone, even businesses can learn a lot from the bloggers who have really taken the initiative to understand and rock the social media world, mostly because they depend on it. If you already have a social marketing plan in place, take long, hard look at it. Are your efforts focused on platforms used by your target? If you are just starting out, think about where your target market hangs out. Do they use Facebook? Are they on Tumblr or Stumble Upon? Once you have narrowed your platform down to a couple choices, think about the kind of content you want to create. Are you going to produce videos? Are eye catching images the key to your audiences’ heart? Do not hesitate to ask other creatives in your niche for advice on developing a social media strategy. The final step is to simply dive in! You will never get ahead in your social engagement if you don’t take that first step!