Working within an industry that changes direction in real-time and advising our clients on the best route to take can be tough for us online marketers. Whether PPC is dying or traditional PR skills are history we’re constantly being bombarded with the latest industry trends and everyone’s views on it.

What we do all need to do is to remember to stop, take stock and focus on the goal.

I attended an E-Consultancy round table earlier this week discussing Online PR & Social Media and the outcome was interesting. It was also peppered with a lot of questions and statements such as; We need developed measurement, We must move our clients forward within Social Media, Should our clients use interactive games to communicate with their customers? Whose responsibility should it be to interact with customers through social network platforms?

In my opinion, the answer to all of these questions should be considered with; What will meet my client’s objectives and what is my client actually trying to achieve?

Don’t get me wrong, we should of course all know what the latest developments are within our industry, whether it be the new Twitter search function or another new communication platform. In fact, it would be worrying if this wasn’t a personal passion for an online marketer, but what we should all do is listen carefully and consider everything.

The problem is with more concerning stories such as yesterday’s release of The Social Media survey by McCann Erickson, which claimed that two-thirds of marketing “experts” admit they don’t understand social media, we’re running the risk of panicking and making bad decisions. By not listening and taking consideration of what is important to our clients, decisions can be made on very cloudy judgement. Take the survey results released yesterday - the worst thing a marketer could do is panic. Panic, and then make the decision to quickly hire a young intern who’s been chatting online all their teenage life, with no Public Relations experience or solid knowledge of the brand to manage the social media footprint - just because ‘they get that world and I don’t. The result of this could be so potentially damaging they could be hiring a Crisis Management expert within weeks. Instead, take a step back and work out what you are trying to achieve. Then listen, monitor and create a strategy before diving in.

Stay focused on the brand mission

What I’m trying to get across here is that it shouldn’t matter what the latest technology platform or new trend is, what is important is if it will make a difference to your client’s objectives, brand reputation and bottom line. Duncan Forrester, Head of PR for Volvo Cars made a very good point in his blog this week when he explained his decision to hire Mindshare to handle Volvo’s SEO, digital PR and social media strategy over a PR agency. He adds “it’s not about letting the chosen agency set sail with your brand and steering in whichever direction they see fit. It’s about partnering with an agency who really understand the Volvo brand, its customers as well as the online audiences and influencers.”

So, let’s all listen to Duncan, let’s stop, take stock, listen and consider what is right for our clients right now.