Stop Relying Solely on Social Media

To effectively get your marketing, messaging, or announcement out, utilize a multitude of communication mechanisms.

The other day I bumped into a neighbor as I was returning from an in-person action to add my voice to the millions of disgruntled Americans right now. He asked where I had been, and I told him. He said he had no idea that the event was happening.

This was an event that was all over social media, everywhere. Anyone who scrolled on any of the platforms, big or small, would have known about it. But he did not. That fact felt like an epiphany moment.

These days I think many of us rely at least somewhat on social media to remain aware of events, news trends, local and national issues, and so on. Along with posting photos of our dogs and cats or a snapshot of what we’re eating tonight.

But I think it’s important to realize not everyone uses social media. For those who do, they may not be using the same platforms we do. For example, a few weeks ago I was talking to a young man about a local event happening here in San Francisco. I was sure he knew about it. He did not. Why?

To the best of my knowledge, the event had been promoted entirely through a Facebook event page. Turns out he was vehement that he doesn’t use Facebook and deleted the app ages ago. He chimed in that none of his young friends used it either.

Why am I pointing this out?

If we’re going to be effective in getting messages out, whether they be for events, politics, community gathering, marketing, or other important information, we have to stop relying solely on social media to do that.

Sure, social media should be “one” of the strategies. But along with social media we should start doing a bit more of old school communication tactics.

Here in San Francisco, I still stop on the street to scan various flyers posted to locations around my neighborhood. I pick up brochures and postcard-sized cards all the time. Business cards placed in my local coffee shop get replenished often because they’re taken by so many people.

Those are just the paper-based mechanism by which to get messaging out. Email is another great way to reach an audience. I have two newsletter pages by which I easily reach a reading audience, but I’m also lax in not having developed an independent email list separate from those newsletters. I’m working on that.

Phone trees are an old concept that perhaps needs to be revived. Call five people in your close inner social circle and ask them each to call (or perhaps text these days) five other people asking them to do the same. You’d be shocked how quickly word can get out using this method. We used it back in the day for quick community mobilization and it works.

Five people calling five people becomes 25 people who now have that information. If they each call five people, it becomes 125 people. If those people all call their network, it becomes 625 people. I think you can see the power of phone trees.

These days phone trees might be referred to as call trees, but the concept is the same. I’m a big believer in low-tech strategies when possible and I contend that for most average mortals using phone calls or texting is the easiest way to utilize the phone tree concept.

Whether you’re marketing a product or service, organizing a community event, or delivering a political message, prioritize your strategies but use them all. Maybe your email list is your first line of communication, then social media, then distribution of brochures to key locations, then flyers to be posted wherever it makes sense to do so. Perhaps then a phone tree can be activated. Maybe a big poster prominently placed at an event.

When activating any communication strategy, decide who the linchpin people are within your network. Who has the widest reach? A person with 100,000 social media followers is going to be more effective at reaching lots of people than someone with 100. Identify and maintain your list of such linchpin people and make them the first people you contact, asking them to use their social media and maybe their email lists to megaphone your message.

Social media is fracturing. That’s clear. Look at how many platforms we already have with more on the horizon. There’s lots of work being done to democratize social media with technologies like ActivityPub protocol and those options are growing. Listen to the talk of people abandoning certain platforms for personal or political reasons. Talk to people and ask them what means they use to stay informed and take their feedback seriously. If someone says, “Well, I just don’t use social media,” don’t argue with them. Accept that as a fact and adjust your outreach strategy accordingly.

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