Companies don’t need bigger audiences, they need better conversations.

I have expressed my concerns about the “sales lingo” that companies use when addressing customers. ” Hey, another rainy day in Seattle. Glad I have my brand X waterproof-breathable gear.” -from the Brand X Twitter Account. Self-serving. Worthless. No, worse than worthless. Damaging to the brand. People don’t want to hear from a giant megaphone.

And we have Facebook being turned into a discount center by the Outdoor Brands. Who are they attracting? Certainly, not customers who will sustain the brand. “Win a pair of shoes if you friend us on Facebook!” Or “win a backpack if you join our new Facebook event!” Add Groupon into the mix and you have a millions ways for consumers to “discount” brands…which they do with great regularity. I’ll write it again, discounting your brand by giving away product or offering cheaper ways to buy to attract followers will hurt your brand. These are not followers. These are people who search for discounts. Bargain hunters. They will not talk with you. Will not give you feedback. They will not carry your message. In short, they will not grow your brand.

And now we have companies turning natural disasters into opportunities to build brands. Admirable? Don’t think so. You want to help with rebuilding communities struck by a tornado? Send your people there. Dig in. Pitch in. And spend real money. Then bring the cameras. And get the publicity. Put it on Facebook. And Twitter about it. You’ve earned it, and consumers will believe.

But to say that you are raising money to help people repair from a natural disaster only means that you are collecting money from consumers and then sending money. And some of these companies are not announcing how much money they are giving, if any. They are just inviting consumers to give. For what purpose? Uhhh, my only conclusion is to build the brand on the backs of real victims.

Conversations with consumers must be earned. Companies earn followers and friends by providing good content about their products. And sponsoring grassroots events where fun is had and the product used. This builds communities within communities using the only thing that is authentic: the product.

Now, let’s go do this the right way.

Stephen Denny , a marketing consultant and good strategist recently interviewed Guy Kawasaki about his new book Enchantment. I haven’t read the book yet, but I like one idea being brought forward; that influence can be generated from the ground up. Here’s what Kawasaki says:

There are two theories of marketing. One is that there are a small number of influencers, experts, oracles, A-listers, reporters, journalists, and analysts who have the monopoly on insight and intelligence. You have to suck up to them and hope that they like your product and tell the ever-attentive and compliant unwashed masses what to do. If that happens, you are assured of success.

My theory is that social media has inverted this pyramid. Now, nobodies are the new somebodies—if enough nobodies like your product, then the somebodies, too, have to pay attention to you. So now the A-listers don’t make a product, they report on made products. The key is to get a lot of people to try your product because you don’t know who will make your product tip.

We’ve seen this happen at Channel Signal, where an influential blogger has reviewed a product and the traction has been minimal. However, the product got traction when consumers first gave it high marks on the product review sections of  Zappos or Amazon. Then it was picked up by the major Influencer.

And we watched with amazement when a commercial produced by Motrin backfired when it portrayed moms carrying babies in slings as causing back and shoulder pain. The moms who created the momentum were not Mommy Bloggers with a million followers, but average moms that tweeted, “was anyone else offended by that new Motrin commercial about moms?” The momentum was carried forward by other moms until it was noticed by the big bloggers and then taken to new heights. But, the momentum had been created.

Kawasaki continues:

I just don’t believe that it should focus on only the A-listers of the world. Somewhere out there is a bunch of “Lonelyboy15s” who aren’t rich, powerful, and famous, but as a group they could make your product succeed. Your job is to find them, and the only way I know how to do that is to plant many seeds.  I’d like to see a bottom-up movement at the user level take off, too.

Now he does make the point that major Influencers should not be ignored, but that there should be a two-pronged approach: Influencers and a seeding program. In the Outdoor Recreational Industry we believe this is the case, that seeding should be aimed at both the Influencers and avid users. And those users will be found in the active bulletin boards of climbers, hikers, mountain bikers, and skiers. People who have a passion and like to talk and write about product. You might not have heard of them because they really don’t sell themselves, and they don’t have blogs with a lot of advertising. But, these are the people who really create momentum.

Do your product seeding on the ground-level, with the enthusiasts. And with the Influencers. If the product is good, both groups will carry the message.

And you might be surprised where the real traction is generated.

According to The Outdoor Foundation’s latest annual top-line report, the rate of participation in outdoor recreation in the United States remained solid in 2010. Nearly half of Americans ages 6 and older, or 137.9 million individuals, participated in at least one outdoor activity in 2010, making 10.1 billion outdoor outings.

The research shows significant increases in adventure sports such as kayaking, backcountry camping and climbing as well as slight increases in youth participation among those individuals ages 13 – 24.

I saw  this a couple of weeks ago when we visited Zions National Park. Here’s what was so impressive. I saw four year-olds hiking at least two miles with parents to see waterfalls. And no whining. I saw teenagers hiking with other teenagers and enjoying it. And not looking at cell phones.  I saw parents laughing and viewing the sites WITH their children.

We all had to take a Zion’s bus up to the sites during the Easter Holiday due to the crowds. And the crowds, young and old, were remarkable. Well behaved. Happy. And full of wonder at seeing the Park.

I am not prone to hyperbole, but this two day experience was refreshing. It also reinforces the Outdoor Foundation’s latest report. American’s are finding adventure just beyond the backyard. And children, young adults and adults, at least a healthy number of them, are enjoying the outdoors.

There is a lot of work left to do to encourage more Americans to experience outdoor recreation, understand the environment, and participate in saving open spaces.

It seems to me we are headed in the right direction.

It was a good weekend.