"Should social media be integrated into your organization's marketing initiatives, or should it be a stand-alone campaign?"

This question was posed by Shana Keith (CBeyond) this morning at the TAG Marketing event where I had the pleasure of hearing Paul McKeon (Content Factor), Jennifer Jones (Porter Novelli), Hope Dlugozima (Mother Nature Network), and Jeremy Porter (Definition6) discuss using social media as a part of your company's marketing mix.

While there was some controversy in the discussion, the overwhelming message was clear.  The answer to the question was a resounding "YES!"  Marketing is how your organization communicates its message, services, and culture to the outside world.  It dictates how your organization is perceived by the public.

Social media has allowed the public to originate a lot of the messaging being delivered to the masses about your company.  You now have a choice, should you ignore it and hope that more people consume the message that you dictate, or should you get involved and participate in the conversations being had about you, your company, and your services?

So, the question begs to be asked: "Which is more important, the message that our organization delivers to the public, or the message that the public delivers to each other?"  Bill Flitter writes in an article titled Maximize Your Content's Reach on the Social Web, "For brands, consumers tend to be more responsive to [social media] marketing than other forms of online marketing. With content flowing freely on the siteless web, your fans will be more likely to share it. Good content reaching the right people in the right way builds loyal customers." 

The moral of this story is this.  Consumers will be sharing a message about you whether it originates from your organization or the public using social media.  In order for your Marketing department to do its job, it is crucial that it participates in the messaging being delivered through social media.