For cities and towns, social media content creation and curation is no longer a “nice to have.” It is an essential part of a municipality’s communications strategy, often requiring a dedicated staffer or multiple staffers to make sure content is timely, properly geared toward different social media channels and increases community awareness and engagement.
Success goes beyond likes and shares. It means keeping residents informed when it matters most, like a major weather event or other emergency. And it means building community, where people learn of events and everyone is welcome to exchange ideas and concerns.
That last piece is the X-factor for those working on municipal social media.
“It’s rewarding to see our work make a difference — whether that’s someone showing up to an event because they saw our post, or a resident thanking us for keeping them updated,” said Jessica Battista, digital communication coordinator for the City of Hardeeville.
Battista curates content over a variety of platforms — Facebook, Instagram, Threads, YouTube, Vimeo, LinkedIn, the city TV station and the official website. She works with a videographer/photographer and the city public information officer, and her office is part of the city’s information technology team.
“They’re a big help — whether it’s providing drone footage for major projects or assisting if we have streaming or technical issues during meetings or events,” Battista said of her IT colleagues.
Other city departments submit “media requests” to the communications team for determining which items will be promoted on which city accounts and to help maintain a consistent voice across channels. They use website “News Flash” updates for major city announcements, and social media to highlights events, community achievements and employee spotlights.
“Our goal is to keep residents informed, connected and engaged through a mix of timely updates and community storytelling,” Battista said.
Weekly team meetings keep everyone on the same page.
“We plan upcoming projects, discuss media requests and create a clear game plan for events — what our goals and messaging will be when we’re on-site,” Battista said.
The city also uses the Nixle alert system, managed jointly by the police and fire departments to issue emergency notifications or construction alerts.
“I think one thing people should know is how much teamwork and planning goes into everything we do,” Battista said. “It’s not just posting on social media — it’s coordinating across departments, making sure information is accurate and representing the City of Hardeeville in the best possible way.”
The team also attends meetings of the city’s Youth Council, which provides local high school students with local government experience and gives them a voice in city governance.
“It’s one of the most rewarding parts of what we do because we can see the impact — both in how they grow as leaders, and how the community responds to their efforts,” she said.
In the City of Beaufort, Public Information Officer Ashley Brandon oversees an equally robust multichannel system, though she manages much of it herself. Her rule of thumb is to think like a resident.
“How I run my social media is: If I’m a Beaufort resident, what would I need to know — and when?” said Brandon.
She maps out content a month in advance, aligning posts with what residents will soon see around town — whether that’s roadwork, an event or a new development project.
“We try to keep it consistent, brand-wise and looks-wise, across all platforms, even though they're all different and we all use them differently,” she said.
She described the way the city uses its various social media platforms:
- Nextdoor carries straightforward, no-frills information — “just the bones of what needs to be said,” Brandon explained.
- Facebook is the city’s conversational hub, mixing video and text to meet residents’ different preferences.
- Instagram focuses on strong visuals.
- YouTube is reserved for transparency: “We want residents to be able to go there, find the latest council or planning meeting, and watch if they couldn’t attend,” she said. While some cities use YouTube for storytelling, Beaufort keeps its channel strictly civic-focused — a clean archive of meetings and decisions.
“I reuse content, but I reorganize the content for each social media channel,” Brandon said.
Some of her most successful content, in terms of web traffic and audience engagement, are explanatory reels.
“Those videos get ‘thank-you’ comments,” Brandon said. “You rarely get those on government posts.”
Brandon frequently stars in the quick-hit videos telling residents where work is going on or key things for which they need to be on the lookout.
“I love Beaufort, so I think that translates in all the communications,” she said. “Maybe that's why the videos do well — because I truly love Beaufort, and I want to see Beaufort succeed.”
In the Town of Fort Mill, Communications and Marketing Manager Chris Sardelli manages five official channels: Facebook, Instagram, X — formerly Twitter — Nextdoor and YouTube.
Facebook serves as Fort Mill’s “most active digital communication channel,” Sardelli said — a hub for real-time news, event information and transparency.
Instagram focuses on “picturesque moments,” he said, celebrating the community’s character through visual storytelling.
X is primarily used for official news and emergency notifications, while Nextdoor provides neighborhood-specific updates, according to Sardelli.
“We use [Nextdoor] for timely announcements and safety information, sent directly to residents in their neighborhoods,” he said, noting that YouTube is useful for meeting videos and longer content, “offering residents an accessible way to stay informed.”
A big part of the job is dealing with public comments and requests for information or help, Sardelli said.
“Each platform is monitored regularly to ensure that questions and concerns from residents are acknowledged and directed to the proper department for follow-up if needed,” he said, adding that the town has a policy regarding social media comments. “While we encourage open discussion and value community feedback, moderation is applied as needed to maintain a constructive and safe online environment.”
Keeping communications civil and reliable also means keeping a tight rein on who has administrator access to the town’s social media accounts.
Various Fort Mill town departments have their own Facebook pages, and a specific employee designated as the primary poster for those accounts. The town is the only entity that also has Instagram, X, Nextdoor and YouTube accounts, and only a handful of town employees have access to those accounts.
Sardelli creates the bulk of the content for the town’s social media accounts, including the development of text and creation of graphics or photos, along with a videographer. He coordinates closely with town departments overseeing events, stormwater, parks and recreation and the police and fire departments. Together, they use coordinate their posts through the social media scheduling program Hootsuite.
Sardelli said a recent example of the importance of social media to the town’s communications was a boil water advisory that required quick response and many updates.
“During emergencies or critical events, these channels allow the town to quickly share accurate, real-time information with residents, businesses and visitors,” Sardelli said. “[These communications] minimize confusion, support coordinated response efforts and maintain public trust during a crisis.”