I was watching c-span tonight (for some reason, the people talking about disease control and prevention were far more engaging and enjoyable to listen to than idiot sitcom characters - not to say that I don’t get a good laugh out of shows like family guy, and that hereos isn’t seriously a great show). Dr. Julie Gerberding, Director of the Research Center for Disease Control and Prevention, must have used the phrase “holistic approach” about three times. She was talking about integrating efforts of groups working in similar areas and connecting great minds to achieve maximum results. In response to a discusssion that was basically regarding “how to stand out in all the noise” she declared, “We have to somehow aggressively engage our public.”

Its funny how similar politics is to business and marketing.

Today, to keep up you have to be engaging, aggressive may be too strong of a word, but there’s no doubt you really have to put yourself in front of the right people, you have to work harder and smarter than the competition, you have to be efficient and you have to be great. You must stay up to speed with all the possible vehicles you can use to engage your public and never loose site of who they really are. Julie talked about keeping up with modern ways of engaging your audience, and she used one of my favorite words: “New Media.” She talked about podcasts and blogs, social networks and second life… and I just smiled.

At least people in politics are keeping up with whats happenin’ - sometimes I feel like we all live in a dream-world or something.

To do business or advertise in today’s digital world you must live it. Just as Babs Rangaiah, director of media and entertainment at Unilever USA is trying to convey when he says, “Planners have got to have a better sense of the entire media landscape.” Via Advertising Age.

Not only must you loose the silos but you must live the way the digital world lives to advertise in it.

You must understand how the digital world thinks, where they spend their time. Or at least be able to really try and think like someone else. Where would you spend your time if you were their age, and in their shoes? Would you frequent myspace and spend all day downloading torrents or be reading blogs like lifehacker, techcrunch, adfreak, adage, searchengineland, clickz, stuntdubl, searchreturn, alistapart, marketingpilgrim, seomoz, seoblackhat, graywolf, copyblogger, nickwilson, shoemoney, seobook, mashable, micropersuasion, coolhunting, fecalface and (well just check out the blogroll on the side of this page, you get the idea), tagging and bookmarking links to your del.icio.us account as you read them through your normal day’s rss and link-surfing trip? Or would you spend all your time cruising sites like fark and digg? Or maybe you’d be reading work-at-home mom blogs and forums?

Where would you be?

Still, today marketing alone is not enough, knowing where your audience is isn’t going to cut it. Innovation and creativity are what make all the difference. Are you solving a problem in a better way than everyone else? Are you using your imagination in the best possible way to add value to your business, further satisfy your customers and even create new demands? Asking the right questions is usually the best way to start.

“Search marketing cannot live in a silo anymore,” Says Nasreen Madhany, Global CEO of Neo@Ogilvy. “It needs to be part of a 360 strategy for delivering marketing solutions. When managed holistically, search marketing can deliver branding as well as business results.” Via an Ogilvy Press Release pointed out by Marketing Pilgrim regarding Neo@Ogilvy’s purchase of search marketing firm Global Strategies.

Nasreen’s word ring true. I have always spoken in terms of holistic approaches to business and marketing. Today its imperative to understand and apply this philosophy. I call it Modern Business.

Today a businesses cannot live silo’s.

Business today requires a holistic approach to all aspects of functioning in order to succeed. No one can live in a silo. Management, Marketing, Technology, Sales, Business Development and Customer Service must understand each others needs and concerns. This approach includes coherence between functioning bodies. It includes integration of tools and automation of redundant tasks. It’s about knowing your strengths and weaknesses, using everything in your power, and in technology, to stay at the front of the pack. This means constant refinement, combined with a unique and cutting edge value proposition. After all, you have to be amazing.

To succeed today a businessman cannot live in a silo. Today a marketer or technologist cannot live in a silo. Today, in Modern Business, no one can.

A holistic approach must be used.

A holistic approach means all contributing parties must work together, taking everything they interact with into account while functioning. It means that internal technologies, such as CRM and ERP tools, must interact with one another and external technologies such as analytical tools. It must take into account historical and market data. It must be driven by team members that are connected to every part of the group. It means that what you do, the way you look, how you interact within your organization and with your customers, must all be in line.

I believe we will see a further reduction of silos and more emphasis placed on holistic approaches and integration of all functioning bodies. The businesses that do not do practice this approach will have a tough time keeping up.

To succeed, ask these questions before every action:

1. What will my planned action ultimately affect?
What will this impact? What technologies can I use to ensure its efficiency? Who internally in my group will this affect? Who externally? How can I ensure each entity affected is approached in the best possible way?

2. Now, really ask yourself again, what *really* will my action affect? How can I integrate my resources and approaches in the best possible way?
How will this idea work with Marketing, with Technology, with Sales and Customer Service?

3. Who is the best possible person or people to solve goal?
Am I? Is my current staff or team? Should I hire an outside expert?

4. Am I really thinking about the value I am bringing my customers in each choice?
After all if the customer isn’t happy they won’t come back, and in business today you win by increasing the lifetime value of each customer. You have to “Give The Lady What She Wants.”

5. Am I really thinking of all the places I should “announce” my action?
Internally - am I telling the right people in my team? Externally - do I really know where my audience is? How can I find them? How should I communicate with them?

6. Is this really the best possible action?
Now you’ve asked yourself all these questions, is this the best choice? Is there better? Who can help me figure this out?

7. How can I measure this so I can refine it as much as possible?
Do I know the answer to this question? If not who can I ask?

By asking yourself the right questions in every situation you quickly bridge the gap between any silos. Most issues that lack a holistic approach are quickly resolved with the right communication, with your team, with yourself and your customers.

Never forget you have to be great. You have to make the best possibly choices.

It takes analysis and passion. It takes a drive to know as much as possible. It takes creativity, and you always have to ask yourself if your action will engage the participants, your team, and most importantly, your customers.