Image of the Day 1.15.2011

Found today's image at brokendamage.com (which I must confess is perplexing blog due to the exteme variety of topics) - but I like the portrayal of digital marketing as a tree.

What speaks to me most is the sturdy size of the tree trunk, which represents your web site.  The tree depicted has a great balance between the "conventional web site" and all the extensions (limbs) of your digital marketing strategy.  If you are wondering how social media, blogging or other limbs on this tree can work for you, but you don't have a great website, you need to fix that problem first.  

Think of your digital marketing and compare it to the following two trees.  First is the Baobab tree, which grows in Africa and Australia.  This very recognizable tree is known for its massive trunk, especially when compared to the size of its' limbs.  If you have a great website (good for you) but your limbs are under-developed, then you aren't optimizing your digital marketing opportunities.

The next tree is my personal favorite tree on the planet, and is located not far from my former home in Charleston, SC.  The tree is known as "Angel Oak" and is around 1,500 years old.  The limbs of this live oak tree are so massive that many of them are now artificially supported by cables and props.  It is an amazing tree, but if your spending all your time and resources building great Facebook pages, Twitter feeds or e-mail campaigns without having a dynamic website, you are missing the foundation of your digital marketing tree.