Enhancing Public Trust and Engagement: A Social Media Audit and Strategy for the City of Silverton

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Date

2024

Authors

Bastian, Bella
Biron, Castle
King, Sara
Ross, Tomi

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Publisher

University of Oregon

Abstract

Working to increase public trust and engagement within the City of Silverton, students in the Strategic Social Media class conducted a social media audit and curated recommendations for the city to enhance engagement through social media. Platforms like Facebook, Instagram, X (formerly Twitter), and YouTube provide an accessible platform for cities and residents to communicate with each other and among themselves. They promote widespread information sharing and have potential to significantly increase public trust and engagement, particularly in smaller municipalities. At present, the city’s primary social media platform is Facebook with 4,600 followers. However, Silverton also hosts a growing Instagram page and is interested in increasing engagement through collaboration between the two pages. Across Silverton’s platforms, posts about community events, city updates, and maintenance experience the highest levels of engagement. Initial research identified the following challenges and recommendations, which students addressed more thoroughly through external research and an extensive social media audit. Challenges • Variable posting schedule. • Connection and trust gaps within the City of Silverton. • Lack of engagement with younger audiences (18-25). Recommendations • Use a social media calendar to promote increased frequency and consistency of posts. • Build trust through intentional content. • Target younger audiences. • Track engagement data and use it to optimize future posts.

Description

37 pages

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