In the era of internet marketing, in order for a social media campaign to be successful, it’s a given that it must move beyond traditional media (print, broadcast, radio) channels to include a consumer driven online PR and social strategy.

The question now isn’t whether the social media component is necessary for a campaign, but rather:

How can online and offline entities work together to effectively promote a campaign and build word of mouth marketing?

From my experience, having worked on both sides, one of the most important factors in ensuring the success of an integrated campaign is the need for traditional and interactive campaigns to be launched simultaneously.

It’s important for managers on both sides to coordinate a launch date for the campaign and make sure both traditional and digital media fronts are mobilized by this date in order to maximize exposure and build on momentum.

Case and point, the integrated publicity campaign for the premiere of the third installment of the New Moon trailer on the MTV Video Music Awards this week:

• Pre-launch: MTV exclusively announces on the network and website that the debut will be presented by the Twilight cast during the VMAs. After MTV runs the exclusive, the news goes wide and is picked up by syndicates, entertainment news sites, fan blogs, etc., driving fans to tune into the VMA’s.

• Launch: Robert Pattinson, Kristin Stewart and Taylor Lautner present the extended trailer during the VMA’s. Shortly after, the trailer goes live on The Official Twilight site and all of its branded social media profile pages: YouTube, MySpace, Facebook.

• Post Launch: Thanks to the coordinated efforts of both traditional and digital campaign managers, fans have a forum to share, replay, and comment on the trailer immediately following the debut.

Traditional media channels help draw in a large amount of viewers in a short amount of time. Interactive media channels offer users a place to voice their opinion and share content, helping to keep the buzz and momentum going long after the traditional media spot.

In order to take advantage of the strengths of both marketing channels, it’s important for both sides to sync on timing and messaging to ensure that fans are engaged every step of the way.