Trust Agents:Using the Web to Build Influence, Improve Reputation, and Earn Trust

Two social media veterans show you how to tap into the power of social networks to build your brand's influence, reputation, and, of course, profits. Today's online influencers use social media to accrue the influence that builds up or brings down businesses online. If you want your business to succeed, don't sit on the sidelines. Instead, use the Web to build trust with your consumers.

There's no doubt that the Internet has changed the way we do business, especially when it comes to marketing. Customers have become easier than ever to reach, but it's less likely that they'll listen. The consumer environment is short on trust and populated by consumers who are cynical, savvy, and well-informed. Today, the most valuable on-line currency isn't the dollar, but trust itself.

At the same time, social networks and personal connections have far more influence on consumers than your marketing messages ever will – unless, that is, your business knows how to harness them.

In our summary of Trust Agents: Using the Web to Build Influence, Improve Reputation, and Earn Trust, Chris Brogan and Julien Smith will show you how to tap into the power of the Web, social networks, and “trust agents” to build your brand's influence, reputation, and profits. Trust agents aren't necessarily marketers or salespeople; instead, they're the digitally savvy people who use the Web to humanize business using transparency, honesty, and genuine relationships. As a result, they wield enough on-line influence to build up or bring down a business's reputation.

In this summary, you'll learn how to build profitable relationships with trust agents and even become a trust agentyourself.

Chris Brogan is the co-founder of PodCamp, a popular new media conference series focused on the use of social media to build business and personal relationships, and a widely read blogger on the subject of social media. Julien Smith is a veteran trend analyst who has run Web communities for more than 10 years. He helps companies prepare for and profit from disruptive changes in their industries.