Integrate. Interact. Engage.

With the rapid growing popularity of social media, it becomes easy for some to forget about traditional media. Social media should not be thought of as a replacement for traditional media but rather as another tool in your marketing toolbox. Instead of replacing one with the other, integrate the new with the old.

Ford is doing just that with their 2011 Ford F-Series Super Duty campaign. The campaign integrates TV, five print ads, online banner ads, webisodes focusing on the F-Series technical details, social chats hosted by Ford engineers and product placement at concerts and other events.

Another integrated campaign is the $5 million dollar plus branding campaign for Schwinn geared toward the recreational rider. The campaign is a mix of TV, print, online, social, a new website and retail components.

As popular as social media has become, it is important to realize that not everyone is socially active online and traditional media is still effective for reaching the masses.  If certain traditional forms of advertising have proven to be successful for you, don’t abandon ship entirely for social media. Enhance your current marketing efforts by integrating your online and offline campaigns to maximize reach and frequency. It’s important to continue with your marketing efforts that are working even if they are the old traditional methods.

The percent of your marketing dollars allocated for online versus offline will vary depending on the goals, objectives and demographics (among other things) of each campaign. Look at all the tools in your marketing toolbox and develop a campaign that integrates, interacts and engages.