Social media
Marketers are more optimistic about the future of social media than any other marketing channel. Of those surveyed, 69 percent expect social media will be more effective in two years than it is today.
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Consumers aren't there yet. The vast majority do not buy into the idea that social media is an appropriate place for marketing. We found that 55 percent believe social networks should be used only for personal communication, and 57 percent do not feel marketers are welcome participants in social networks.
Even worse, as the industry tries to understand the value of a fan on Facebook or a follower on Twitter, marketers cannot afford to look at these as simply new channels for their direct marketing messages. Of consumers who visit Facebook at least once a month and say they are a fan of at least one company/brand, 70 percent claim they have never given a company permission to send them information through a social network.
The growing number of case studies featuring social media success stories clearly point to its potential. However, to succeed, marketers need to overcome considerable skepticism from consumers. It's not that marketers can't launch social media campaigns, it's that they can't act and think like marketers when doing so. They must find ways to align with their fan bases and collaborate with them instead of talking at them.
Conclusion
So, if "marketers don't get it!" then what exactly is "it" that they don't get? Based on the comparison of the attitudes of marketers versus the attitudes of their consumers, I believe there is a pretty simple answer. Regardless of industry or the demographic of your target audience, marketers don't get that marketing is a service industry first and foremost.
Instead, 54 percent of marketers say that each channel they use competes with the others for budget. And yet, while this competition festers, customers are trying to interact with your brand. Some want your email promotions, some are DMing you on Twitter, and others are looking for a SMS shortcode for their customer service questions.
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Consumers don't care about which channel got funded. They simply want to interact with you according to their rules, not yours.
In an age where stories about customer service -- good and bad -- have the ability to reach millions within the course of a day, we need to move beyond siloed marketing approaches. Our job is to create better customer service experiences and make good on the bad ones quickly by listening where they are talking and responding through the channels of their choice.
At its core, our job is not much different than the job of a waiter. We are responsible for serving customers what they want and when they want it. Do that and your current customers will love you, will talk positively about you, and new customers will find you.
Morgan Stewart is director of research and strategy at ExactTarget.
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