Silos Are For Grain

• Jun 16th, 2009
• Posted by Ron Schott
• Posted in Picture of a Barn, Question, Social Media, Spring Creek Group

With its somewhat shaky feet planted dead in the middle of PR, advertising, and other traditionally “old-school” offshoots of the marketing mix mothership, social media is causing quite a stir.

We’ve talked about this before a bit, but a recent article in AdAge about silos brought this back to the front of our mind (and RSS feeds).

Here’s a quote from the article that struck us as a bit old guard-ish:

But the social-media experts need to live among the experts in all the other marketing tools rather than in a new nation that adland will spend the next 20 years trying to reintegrate.

Of course the silo idea of social media marketing isn’t conducive to creating client wins – no area of marketing works in a vacuum; they play off the other pieces.  Even beginning to look at social media marketing as this out-there, spinning in the darkness realm of marketing is already putting your agency (and, more importantly your clients) behind the eight ball.

Another somewhat contradictory movement is this school of thought that claims social media marketers need to look at things completely differently than their predecessors.  We agree, but only in part. Certainly, the social media ecosystem is a dynamic and constantly evolving place that requires a fresh take on traditional marketing strategies, but this doesn’t mean we need to throw out the baby with the bathwater here.

Engaging consumers in a social media environment is not an instantaneous action.  To add real value and to create real conversation is something that takes time.  Why not have a dedicated team on hand to not only focus on social media, but also one that can work in harmony with all other facets of the marketing department?  Why can’t it be possible for experienced social media marketers to be a part of, while also standing apart from, a traditional marketing department?

We (especially your humble blogger) don’t have all the answers, just the right ones (kidding, kidding). What are your thoughts about where social media should live?