According to the 2008 Cone Business in Social Media Survey, a whopping 93% of customers say that they want businesses on social media sites.

“Americans are eager to deepen their brand relationships through social media,” says Mike Hollywood, Cone’s director of new media. “It isn’t an intrusion into their lives, but rather a welcome channel for discussion.”

As we’ve mentioned, being involved in social media gives your company a human face and gives a sense of transparency to the people who are using your products and services. Just being a face on social media platforms isn’t enough, however: 85% of those surveyed agreed that businesses should also utilize these new methods to interact with their customers. They cited customer service, solicitation of feedback on new products and services, brand interaction, and direct marketing as the areas businesses should explore in their social media endeavors.

This doesn’t mean you should be forcing your product down their throats all over the blogosphere, Facebook, Twitter, and MySpace, however. Customers want the capability and the option to interact on their terms, initiating the conversations themselves and having their conversations listened to with earnest.

One of the best ways to develop new marketing strategies is to listen to what your customers want and cater to their needs, and from the sounds of it, what they want is your participation in the social media revolution.

I think that speaks for itself.