The marketing landscape is an arena where individuals and brands must realize that consumers lack confidence in advertising. Audiences have a knack for recognizing pitches and sales tactics aimed at bottom line growth. Markets are bombarded with messaging from all sides aimed at their wallets and attention leading to reluctance over purchase intent and a lack of authenticity. Chris Brogan and Julien Smith call this a trust deficit.

The most successful companies are those who engage in relevant conversations and create experiences that resonate with changing consumer tastes. Trust is a glue that helps capture attention, build advocacy, and establish repeat business. People are the core of business.

The Web has changed to be more humanized, and the people who will succeed in understanding this and using the Web to build businesses are called Trust Agents.

The United States is getting younger thanks in large part to the growth of minorities who not only overindex in technology adoption but serve as pioneers and mainstays in social media activity. The rising influx of digital natives and social media butterflies has created an atmosphere of marketing and communications where technological aptitude and digital savvy separate the haves from the have nots.

Likewise, there are people out there right now working to understand these new technologies and learning everything about how to use them--from etiquette to audience building and beyond.

Perhaps the biggest challenge facing many marketers and small business owners is the reluctance to grasp the potential and legitimate value found in social media strategy. Time and significant effort are valid reasons for apprehension but this does not slow down the movers and shakers in new media from capturing attention, maximizing opportunities, and establishing a lasting presence.

Like your kids, they know more about technology, and maybe even more about people, than you do; and that makes them very powerful.

An excellent article entitled "Old Media Beware: Blogs Rely on Cleverer Tech, Leverage Social Media, Making Bloggers More Money" provides some great insight into the current state of the blogosphere.

"bloggers themselves feel their work is having an increasing impact on the world. The greatest impact will be felt in politics, technology, and business..."

Take note that these findings highlight these three key sectors as being areas with significant leverage and unique opportunities facing bloggers. Great news for those who specialize in niche business areas such as public relations, social media, and of course, content marketing.

"One message is very clear: The traditional media should realize blogging, as the prime example of what's dubbed "new media," is a measurably more serious threat to its dominance in the publishing business."

Bloggers and content creators are indeed a force to be reckoned with.

Findings are based on Technorati's State of the Blogosphere 2010.

However, some still forget about the ultimate shortcut to engagement and relevance.

Content.

Quality content can be the key that unlocks new doors of opportunity and influence.

Content matters.

Trust is an important factor in building connections and solid online business relationships. Chris Brogan has a good book out on the subject of becoming a trust agent. I agree that there is a significant set of rules and guidelines in play in terms of how to be a good citizen on the internet.

You can have the best content, product, or idea but if you don't know how to interact and communicate online your efforts are pretty much null and void.

"The difference between social network advertising and marketing and traditional online campaigns are the ecosystems where engagement is fostered. Social networks are “social” and therefore respect and empathy are the minimum antes necessary to potentially earn attention, a precious commodity in Social Media. Without a genuine intent to offer value, trust is elusive.  It’s the difference between shouting “at” people and speaking “with” someone." - Brian Solis

We have journeyed beyond the path of traditional media into a new arena where the content and control are conveniently placed in the hands of the masses. Today it's easier than ever to publish ideas and sound off on virtually any subject imaginable. The essence of social media is built around the people factor.

Consumers are no longer solely a target market or customer segment but rather a democracy of opinion, agents of influence, and dynamic content producers.

User generated content is what makes new media such a hot topic in today's society.

The internet allows us to have a voice and be heard.

The level of immediacy and intimacy offered to individuals is unparalleled in terms of media channels and modes of communication.

Where and what we do with these tools is definitely up to the people.