When marketers embrace and engage users' conversations, it leads to a better brand reputation and improved search rankings. 

The term "conversational marketing" is not necessarily that new. It was first coined after the release of the ClueTrain Manifesto in 1999, which basically declared that "all markets are conversations" and that companies need to learn how to speak with a human voice. It's very similar to the definition of relationship marketing, whereby marketers must first focus on building long-term relationships with their customers -- rather than doing what most marketers do -- and focus on one-time transactions, and then forgetting they even exist. These relationships evolve from conversations.

Conversational marketing is really about participation. With high-speed internet reaching critical mass, and with exponential growth in the popularity of user-generated content, users now have the opportunity to have online conversations. They are sharing their thoughts, opinions, likes, dislikes and complaints about political issues, the latest news and, yes, products and services that they use on a daily basis. These conversations are happening all over the internet within various blogs, forums, social networks, review sites and wikis. Participation in these conversations is imperative. Not participating is like being on trial without legal representation.

My marketing experience has always revolved around direct marketing (search engine marketing, search engine optimization and display advertising), so the only real conversations I used to have with my target audience were all marketing fluff. They were always one-way and filled with marketing messages like "buy now," "click here for your free offer" or "request a free proposal" in big, bold fonts. With that said, by trade, I am an SEO practitioner, and I am always looking for opportunities to increase the rank for my targeted keywords. Yet, by divine revelation, I am a conversationalist.

It wasn't until the evolution of social media, social networking and user-generated content that I realized that marketers must embrace these conversations and begin to engage in the dialogue. It's a fact that users -- and I would venture to say that most people in general -- respond much better in a conversation where they have a chance to talk. It definitely beats the aggressive, in-your-face banner advertisement that screams BUY NOW or CLICK HERE!

Author notes: Michael Brito is senior manager of community marketing for Yahoo. Read full bio.