With 2014 right around the corner, I’ve been reflecting a bit about modern marketing, specifically what the future of social media marketing looks like. The more I think about it, the more I realize that there has never been a more exciting time to be in marketing.

Whether you’re a marketing professional or the brand that relies on marketers to get the word out about your product, 2014 is the year to step your game up and start creating experiences. We have consumers who are willing to be engaged, and unlimited ways we can engage them. Unfortunately most marketing professionals are blowing it.

Instead of real desire to engage their audience and make a lasting impression, the majority of modern marketers are more focused on the volume of impressions. They are stuck in the cycle of creating slightly-above-average content, promoting it, and optimizing for maximum ROI.

How many more “7 Killer Social Media Tips Every Blogger Ought To Know” posts does the Internet really need? How many more ‘social media secrets’ are there left to reveal?

When I was a little kid I told my mom and dad that I wanted to be an inventor when I grew up. To succeed in the world of marketing in the 21st century, you need to embrace your inner inventor. After all, marketing in the 2014 means having the opportunity to do things that have never been done. That’s not fluff speak, it’s the truth. It should make you excited.

Even more exciting than the new technology is the new kind of consumer that we have the privilege to address. As Fjord illustrates, this is the era of consumer self-realization and this new kind of consumer — which includes you and I — does not want to be sold to, but rather engaged. As marketers we will win when we provide consumers with an experience, not ad-copy. Think about making a memory before making a sale.

To the content creators and marketers: We have this endless digital landscape that allows us to publish and promote anything our minds can imagine. It is being filled with soul-less content that gets impressions without making an impression. If we only harvest our most inspired work, we will get results, and that’s what marketing is all about, isn’t it?