There is a BIG difference.

As a lot of my friends know that several weeks ago I was in a shoe shopping mood.  I put it out on Facebook for some suggestions of where to go, knowing all along where I was most likely to go, but still wanted to see what people would suggest.  Here’s how it went:

Retailer #1- I spent 15 minutes trying to find someone to offer assistance. The only employees to be found were behind checkout counter with a long line. I left frustrated.

Retailer #2- I walked into a store that looked like hell’s storage room (or my teenage son’s bedroom) with deep piles of shoes that hadn’t been restocked, used footies, etc. I left disgusted.

Retailer #3- I finally went to Nordstrom at SouthPark Mall.  As always, the store was clean and well staffed. I got attention and helpful assistance from a sales associate and guess what— I bought shoes.

Here’s the thing— Retailers #1 and #2 are plotting social media marketing success. They have “Join us on Facebook” links on their home pages — one has 500,000 fans and the other has 1 million. They’ve enabled their catalogs with social tools so that site visitors can share products with their social networks.  They run social promotions including online events and sales. And they spark engagement around fashion trends and scintillating discussion starters, such as “Pick your preference: black or brown shoes?” Or—one of the companies actually has a “build your own custom shoe” where you pick the colors, patterns, etc.

But what good does this all do if these retailers fail to provide the sort of real-world experience that get people saying positive things?

While tools customers can use to post material to social networks are helpful, what matters more are experiences that inspire people to engage with and about the brands in social ways. I don’t think it is any coincidence that since the recession began in December 2007, Nordstrom’s stock (JWN) is down just 10%, while the stock of the other two retailers is down between 30% and 50%. And while Nordstrom has fewer Facebook fans than the other two retailers, it has more fans-per-location based on it 193 stores. Nordstrom succeeds at both social media and social media marketing.

The difference is not found on Facebook or Twitter, but in the ways companies are led. Marketing leaders that only focus on messages in social channels but fail to attend to how the brand is realized in actual product and service experiences may succeed with social media marketing but fail miserably with social media.

How are you doing?  I’ll follow up this article next time with another example to further clarify.  In the mean time, if you have questions or comments, please leave them here or give us a call!