Miami Marketing Associates: Marketers Underestimate the Need of Traditional Customer Interaction

    MIAMI, FL, October 09, 2013 /24-7PressRelease/ -- The study shows that brands often underestimate what their customers prefer. Marketers believe that only around half as many people favour customer care contact via email than actually do; 17% versus 32%. Furthermore, they undervalue the proportion of consumers who prefer using the telephone, 28%, by seven percentage points, and the demand for face-to-face conversations, 16% versus 18% (marketingweek.co.uk). James Frost, Managing Director of Miami Marketing Associates, says: "The results clearly demonstrate how important traditional marketing channels still are. Consumers wish to be looked after and to have that personal contact to another human being."

For the Marketing GAP Tracker research, 1,000 consumers and more than 350 marketers were surveyed. The study had been produced in partnership with the Institute of Promotional Marketing (IPM) and the Institute of Direct and Digital Marketing (IDM) and highlights the need for traditional customer service channels in favour of social media (marketingweek.co.uk).

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James Frost of Miami Marketing Associates states: "Of course, nowadays social media channels are important for brands in order to engage with consumers, but the study results should allow marketers to slow down a little and listen to what their customers have to say." James Frost adds: "Consumers want more interaction through traditional marketing channels, such as face-to-face or telephone interaction or direct email contact."

According to the Marketing GAP Tracker research, brands significantly overestimate the popularity of social networking sites Facebook and Twitter amongst consumers. Marketers believe that 8% of people prefer Facebook to engage with their brand, while only 2% do so. In addition to that, 7% of marketers think that consumers favour Twitter whereas only 1% does (marketingweek.co.uk).

David Reed, editor of IDM's Journal of Direct, Data and Digital Marketing Practice, says: "Despite the belief among some marketers that their customers prefer to browse for answers on a website or have a live online chat, the reality is that behaviour is not changing that fast." He adds: "Don't believe your customer service representatives will be doing their job via Twitter and Facebook next year. If listening to the customer really does mean anything to brands, then they need to hear [them] saying, 'slow down the pace of channel switching'" (marketingweek.co.uk).

Miami Marketing Associates, a direct sales and marketing firm based in Florida, promotes and sells products and services on their clients' behalf on a face-to-face basis. "We notice every day how much consumers want to talk to someone in person," says Managing Director James Frost. "We are not just selling things, but build relationships with people, help them if they need advice and answer their questions patiently. That's what we are here for," adds James Frost. Miami Marketing Associates feels the strong need of direct customer interaction on a daily basis and their success proves them right. Thanks to Miami Marketing Associates' face-to-face strategy, their clients have increased customer loyalty and retention and have now asked the firm to expand into further markets by early 2014.

Sources:
http://www.marketingweek.co.uk/home/do-brands-really-understand-the-needs-of-customers-it-seems-not/4008009.article

http://www.marketingweek.co.uk/trends/put-your-foot-on-the-technology-brake/4007945.article

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