As the social media mantra spreads across the marketing landscape, marketers fall into the trap of believing that it is the new cure-all for any and all marketing ills. However, according to B.L. Ochman in a recent Advertising Age article, there are some things that social media just can't do.

There is no doubt that social media has become a very useful tactical tool for marketers, but it is not a "one size fits all" marketing strategy. In fact, it is one more arrow in a marketer's quiver that can be used in conjunction with other traditional and new media tools as part of a focused, comprehensive earned media campaign.

One of the more important aspects of social media is the instant feedback of customers and stakeholders to a particular initiative. Whether it's a Facebook rejoinder, a blog post, or a simple Tweet, responses come in real time. Those responses, however, only have value if the company is prepared to acknowledge them and use them to improve their product, service and message.

Marketers looking for instant gratification through social media should temper their expectations. While there are many examples of campaigns that have generated high initial interest, a social media campaign should be expected to perform over a period of time, just as any traditional publicity campaign.

Social media can't be left to amateurs. The acceleration of a message through the viral aspects of social media can magnify that message, both positively and negatively. Proper strategy and respect for the community is vital to a social media campaign and should be left to seasoned professionals.

Social media campaigns should not operate in a vacuum. Without support from traditional PR, a social media campaign can lose impetus as quickly as deleting an e-mail or closing a browser window. As stated in the article, "No matter how great your Web site, video contest, blog, Twitter strategy, etc., you still need publicity. Or you may end up with a tree falling in the forest and nobody hearing it."

Or even tweeting about it.