Extremism vs. Integration

A couple months ago, I was on a panel about public relations. One of the panelists called Twitter “bunk.” Another panelist said “no one” reads the newspaper, so traditional media clips have zero value.

Here’s the thing: They’re both wrong. And, they’re both right. Sort of.

If you check out the top of my blog, you’ll notice it says “Collaboration. Integration. Social Good.” I incorporated that into the design to let readers know a little about what I believe in and focus on, and to help me keep stay focused on areas that are important to me and my business. For the purposes of this post, let’s focus on integration.

The panelist who finds no value in Twitter works in a very niche market. Her clients aren’t on Twitter, so I can see how she gets little value out of it from a business development perspective The anti-traditional media person focuses a lot on SEO. He’s not a PR person in the pure sense of the word. He’s an online marketer. So, for what he’s doing, I can (sort of) see how he doesn’t place a lot of value on newspaper clips.

There are lots of communication professionals who take these extreme approach to their craft. But, that’s a problem. Why does it need to be one way or the other? Aren’t the most effective communication strategies a mixture of traditional and new strategies? Let’s take the “newspapers are dead” example. Getting a clip in traditional media is still valuable, even if it doesn’t always deliver the big bump that it used to. But, if you alter your perspective a bit, and think of the clip as the beginning — not the end — you’ll create additional value. Along the same lines, I’d be careful about focusing all your efforts on Facebook and Twitter. It’s just not a smart business decision.

Consistency and repetition are key to creating and building a strong brand. There are lots of tools available in the communication toolbox to support organizations’ business goals. Why limit yourself to just a couple? Instead, take an integrated approach to communication, and understand how your online and offline tactics can work hand-in-hand.