The surprising finding, as shown in the first chart below: Not the importance of reviews or the popularity of social media–Facebook, Twitter, and the like–but the very low use of the old fashioned suggestion box.  Of those companies surveyed, only 1 in 5 has a way for people to directly make suggestions and fully 1 in 3 have no plans to add this capability in the future.  By contrast, more than 8 out of 10 have a Facebook fan page.

Now compare the expected or perceived impact on sales of social media tools with the impact of a suggestion box.  As the second chart shows, after product reviews (ranked first by 78% of respondents), the ability to supply product suggestions is thought to make a much larger contribution to sales than any of the social media tools: 41% versus 26% for Facebook Connect, 13% for a Facebook fan page, and 7% for Twitter.

Chart: Current and planned use of social media and other tools.

Chart: Social media's expected impact on sales.

What’s going on here?

Three things:

1. Keeping up: Social media is all the rage and has made the leap from tech-centric early adopters to broad adoption in society. And if the marketing folks haven’t already set something up, they’re prodded by executives who ask, “Do we have a Facebook for our company?”  (Yes, that’s the way they talk.)  Setting something up on Facebook is simple and fast, so in no time their company is using social media.  Voila!  Transformation!
2. Linking tactics to sales: In most organizations, there is no comprehensive way to link sales to marketing tactics.  (Web-based businesses have a much easier time of this than those companies sell through multiple channels.)
3. Really listening: Customers want to connect directly in meaningful ways with a company in order to get products and services that better meet their needs.

It’s this last driver that ties all of this together.

• Customer reviews: “Here’s what I think of the product/service I just bought from your company.”  And often, “I wish it . . . “
• Suggestion box: “Please make or change or do this . . .”

Facebook, Twitter, viral videos, forums, and blogs are vehicles for expressing those views.

Implications

Marketing is too often the implementation of tactics.  These survey results are a reminder that it’s the content of the communications and the intent of the parties involved that really matters.

Even marketers, in their heart of hearts, understand that customers want companies to listen to their concerns.

The never-ending challenge for marketers is getting their company to listen, and for senior executives, getting their company to respond.

…

Survey details: The e-tailing group/PowerReviews 1st Annual Community and Social Media Survey, September 2009.  (The slides are here, and oddly not on Slideshare, the social media site that has great tools for displaying, discussing, and embedding notable presentations.)