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During the past couple of years, Facebook (News - Alert) has gone from a simple college photo-sharing site to a full-fledged social networking platform for self-promotion, advertising, and multimedia interaction. A recent survey done by Constant Contact (News - Alert), further proved these results with 89 percent of the respondents saying they use Facebook to promote events.

New applications and add-ons are constantly being added to the site making it one of the most desirable for marketers to use for a new project. Facebook users can send each other virtual products, create and host events, advertise their businesses through Facebook ads, create fan sites for their companies and products, and even connect their accounts to other social networking sites to keep multiple websites updated with the latest business announcements.

Constant Contact Vice President and General Manager of Event Marketing, Chris Litster said the way people advertise has been changed forever due to social networking sites. “Marketing has evolved. It’s no longer just direct mail invitations, phone calls, and simply hoping people will come. Now, it’s social media conversations, real-time communication, and online video – true engagement across platforms to create a holistic event experience from start to finish,” said Litster.

Shown in the survey results; 77 percent of event planners use social media for marketing and promotion, more than half said they hope to continue to use social media to reach more people in the future, and 62 percent said they have maintained relationships with people from past events through social media sites furthering their customer growth.

Litster said for marketing purposes social media is the way to go. “An event – be it a networking gathering, open house, fundraiser, or class – is by nature a social affair, so it makes perfect sense that social media would be a fantastic tool to help plan, promote, and build excitement,” Litster said.

 “If the goal is to get as many people as possible interested in your event, social media is a perfect complement for spreading the word to your core base of customers, members, and beyond,” Litster finished.