It appears many companies are doing this whole social media thing all wrong, according to a new study by IBM.

Fortunately, IBM this week launched a “Smarter Commerce” consulting practice that includes, among other things, a social media component. The serendipity of it all.

The IBM study does draw a big conclusion that has the ring of truth, which is that some companies make false assumptions about what consumers want out of social media interactions with businesses.

The study found that a majority of consumers say the top reasons they interact with companies via social sites are to receive discounts and make purchases, but companies rank those as the least likely reasons customers will follow them.

Nothing like understanding your customer! More>>