Paul Greenberg was a keynote speaker on Friday morning at Radian6’s #Social2011 giving his presentation, Is Social CRM for real? He began with some pretty strong words – “This is a SOCIAL communications revolution that impacts all institutions – business among them.” He explained that the way we communicate has changed forever and will continue to trend this way.

The underlying reason? Trust.

“People trust differently. You trust your peers more than you trust any company,” he claimed. To solidify this he asked the audience to raise their hands if they used social sites to determine what kind of restaurants they go to or products they buy. He might as well have asked how many people eat every day.

He cited the Edelman Trust Barometer 2011 to explain that customers want businesses to produce high quality products and services, conduct honest business practices and be authentic.

When engaging a customer you want to generate information in their own environment. In the customer ecosystem you are engaging in real-time with customer centric updates.

If you want people to trust your brand you should be instigating conversation around it. Don’t be the only ones talking about how awesome your product it, get your consumers to do it. They may not trust Coca-Cola saying they’re better than Pepsi, but they will trust Joe from Maryland.

Generate buzz around your products and watch as your customers build your brand. Continue engaging them and eventually they’ll do your job for you.

Paul used the example of Proctor and Gamble asking customers to develop some of their new products. It was a bold maneuver, but actually turned out very successfully. Such products like the Swiffer or The Magic Eraser wouldn’t have been invented if it wasn’t for customer insight.

Give it a shot. Talk to some people. See what happens. Marketing was your father’s job, engagement is ours.

Paul Hlatky studies Marketing and Management Information Systems at Boston University with a minor in Philosophy. One of the few comedians interested in technology, media, marketing and entrepreneurship. Follow him on twitter and connect with him on LinkedIn.

Tags: Guest Blogger, social 2011, Social Media