Our wish for our clients – and all marketers – is that they focus on the message instead of the sale. Shift your marketing focus away from telling the consumer what we think they need to a message that focuses on what the consumer wants. You want to be successful in this economy? Here's the secret. Research and listen. We must engage consumers in dialog, solicit feedback and ideas, and craft our message (and product) accordingly. Be a part of the community. Social networking takes time, but it's essential. We must facilitate the conversation through Facebook, Twitter, blogs, you name it.
Social media is without question the newest, best (and inexpensive) way to gain reliable market intelligence about your product. Consumer feedback is what you want. But be warned. You've got to have a strong constitution to do this. You need to find out what you're doing wrong so you can make your product better. Make the consumer part of the solution. By doing this, you gain the consumer's trust. Once you have that, you're more than likely going to make the sale.