It may come as no surprise to many readers, especially younger readers, that social media are taking over the planet. What was conceived as a digital method of connecting with friends and family has exploded into a format threatening other forms of mass communication.

Increasingly, folks planning events and fundraisers are turning to Facebook and other sites to promote their activities. They think that by posting they have their publicity needs covered.

There are several fallacies here. 

First, not everyone tunes into social media.

Second, just because an organization has a Facebook page doesn’t mean everyone follows it. Sure, they might reach their members, but what about beyond that?

Third, these messages can easily get lost in the clutter and overlooked. Anyone who has ever checked a social media feed knows they can scroll for hours.

Real publicity takes work, a lot of work. One can’t just throw something online and expect an event to be successful.

Social media area great when used as intended and are a part of this picture, but not all of it. In order for an activity to be go over well, many forms of media, from social to the more traditional, must be employed.

Dale Hogg