A recent Forrester research yet again confirms how people demand a lot more from brands than just their products or services; they demand a corporate consciousness. Not only that, individuals today have the means to express their voices openly, freely and virtually with anyone around the globe – a shift in power distribution encouraged by the rise of social media. This, in turn, has severely complicated the job of communicators and marketers to successfully win the hearts and minds of today’s consumers.

According to the research, it is trust, not buzz that builds brand resonance. This means that if organisations want to build a strong and sustainable brand, it is critical for them to first earn the trust of their customers by meeting their growing expectations . But, as we’ve seen in the 2013 Edelman Trust Barometer and 2013 Ketchum Leadership Communication Monitor, trust in companies and their leaders is not really on the rise, but quite the opposite...

So then, what does the brand of the future is supposed to look like?

Last week Social Media Examiner published the results of their fifth annual social media marketing report. This year more than 3,000 marketers took part in the study and revealed some interesting facts about their activities and use of social media for marketing purposes as well as their efforts for the future and investment plans. The report basically covers the “who, what, where, when and why” of social media marketing. And there are some truly fascinating findings this year, which I am going to show you below.

Top social media questions marketers want answered:

• 90% of marketers: What social tactics are most effective?
• 88% of marketers: What are the best ways to engage my audience with social media?
• 87% of marketers: How do I measure the return on my social media investment?

Following the social media and marketing trends for 2013 it is clear that visuals will be a major driver of the communications and storytelling activities of brands. We can already see a number of companies who have put some great efforts into utilising visuals as a marketing tool to effectively capture people’s attention and engage with them. Visual content is therefore without doubt the new black – just as I’ve said in an article I wrote for Muddywall.

This shift towards visual content has provoked another powerful trend – the rise of infographics.

In another article for Muddywall, I highlight that leveraging infographics can help brands extend reach, drive traffic, improve SEO as well as increase social sharing and engagement.

There’s a simple reason behind why infographics provide so many opportunities – people are naturally more drawn to visual forms of communication than having to read lengthy text. What’s more, being presented with data in a visual way allows us to more quickly and easily perceive and understand complex information.

I personally love infographics! I’m sure you’ve noticed that already, considering how many infographics I’ve shared here and the fact that I myself created one, which summarised the survey findings of my dissertation.

For many years I’ve been a big fan of David Ogilvy, the father of advertising, a “pioneering adman and one of the founding fathers of our modern consumer society.” I recently read Ogilvy’s book “Confessions of an Advertising Man” for the second time, and for the second time I was absolutely impressed with it. I can only recommend it.

It is indeed a little unusual for a PR person to be fascinated with a book on advertising (you know, the ‘constant war’ between PR and advertising…), but it is the understanding of consumers and businesses and the practical tips that Ogilvy shares in his book that I enjoyed so much.

As Sir Alan Parker said, the confessions is “a blueprint for good practice in business” because “it’s not just about advertising, it’s also about how people think and behave at the sharp end of business.”

Understanding how consumers, media, business owners and other stakeholders think and what they need is as essential in PR as it is in any other marketing discipline.

While reading the “Confessions” I noted down everything that intrigued me.

Below are my 25 favourite quotes from Ogilvy’s book:

Platforms such as Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn are social instruments of two-way communication. This means, they offer businesses the opportunity to talk directly to their customers, but most importantly customers have the means to talk back to the company too, anytime, anywhere. And this is where the power of social media lies – in communication.

What some businesses get wrong is how social media can only serve as another advertising tool. The reality however is that broadcasting a message and simply selling don’t work anymore. As Brian Solis says: “People are searching for answers and directions, not messages or sales pitches.” It is ‘peer recommendations’ (the reviews and opinions about products and services by other people like us) that we seek on social media and that are absolutely critical to company’s marketing activities for one very simple reason: people trust friends and others like them, not organisations.

Research (see infographic by Hubspot below) shows that 75% of consumers do not even believe ads tell the truth, whereas 90% would turn to friends for brand recommendations and 71% are more likely to buy a product if someone referred to it on social media.

Here are some of the benefits and opportunities of actively engaging on social media that are worth considering: