I’ve just returned from taking in two days of great content at the Business Marketing Association’s Annual Conference

in Chicago. As you might imagine, the event focused heavily on “Web 2.0″ — with presentations from companies who are ahead of the curve on using these tools to engage their audiences.

Following the second day of the event, one of my dinner companions captured the mood I sensed from many participants when she informed us she had just sent a text to her colleagues saying “We are falling behind!” She (and probably many others) planned to rush back from the conference and immediately get to work on implementing many of the great new tools at our disposal.

To her and everyone else who feels the panic of being left behind on digital/social media, I say: Stop! Take a deep breath and relax… now step back from your computer!

To be successful you must first take the time to formulate a solid plan. Yes, you should certainly be considering these tools as part of your marketing mix. But quickly implementing tactically without first thinking through objectives, audience, message and strategy is only going to cause you to fall further behind in the long run. Besides, prioritizing speed over quality will stifle the creativity our audiences expect from Web 2.0 communications.

So take the time to do it right, do it better, and do it in a way that will actually move the needle.