Erin Byrne from Burson-Marsteller shares a quote so dead-on I wanted to share it with you:

People talk about online, online, online, it’s really about integration. Conversations go online, then offline, then online again. The most successful PR professionals use traditional PR to build awareness and then use social media relations and digital tools to drive from awareness to action.

Many times I first meet with clients who are so caught up with the shiny objects (e.g. social media, iPhone apps, Flash on their website) they easily forget the bigger picture. I often have to remind them, the entire touch-point experience your customers and audience has with you and your brand is multidimensional, multilayered and multifaceted. Don’t forget that. The read, they click, the search, they watch video and TV, they talk to their friends and work professional/colleagues/competitors. Understanding the flow of these customer experiences is critical to know before you can even begin crafting a strategy for desired outcomes, conversions or positioning of your brand.

Your “footprint” online, offline, on TV, in-person, even what’s said about you by other people- these are all are apart of a larger narrative that tell a story. Ensuring this story is consistent, cohesive and aligned with your larger organizational objectives will ensure you follow one of the fundamental marketing / branding rules: consistency facilitates recognition.
–