As Americans we have always held our independence very dear, fighting for our personal freedoms. Next week we will celebrate our largest victory, marking the day that we secede from England.

One of the most famous stories from the American Revolution is the heroic midnight ride of Paul Revere. As the British moved to capture patriot arms, Revere rode through the New England countryside yelling “The Regulars are Coming, The Regulars are Coming.”

While you have undoubly heard this story, there is a piece you might not have heard, Revere made the ride with two other riders and they were all captured by the British at a roadblock. The other two riders escaped and Revere was punished by having his horse taken away and forced to walk home – talk about a blow to his legacy!

In the printing industry today, we are always hearing about the end of print, the business card, the Internet and now even Facebook. Usually assumptions are based on bad data, but always seem to gain attention.

So, before you go driving down the street yelling “Facebook is Leaving, Facebook is Leaving,” think about the lesson Paul Revere taught us.  If Revere had been the only rider, the message would have never been carried to Concord and the revolution might have been ended.

In the marketing world, we use an integrated approach for your campaign, including social media, direct mail and other forms of marketing, so that if one “rider” is stopped other channels of communication can be delivered. Only that way will you truly be able to reach your audience effectively, with elevated response.

This year, don’t let your company’s message get stopped by a roadblock. Integrate your message, so that it can reach its destination. Research has shown that campaigns combining direct mail and Internet yield up to 25 percent higher response rates than Internet alone. We bet Paul Revere wishes he could have coordinated an integrated campaign instead of riding for hours! If you have any questions, give us a call at Kopytek. Have a fun and safe Independence Day!