Social Media Training for Local Government: Highlights from a Successful Statewide Webinar

Last week, Public Square Analytics partnered with the North Carolina League of Municipalities (NCLM) to deliver a comprehensive 2-hour webinar on local government social media best practices. The response from attendees was exceptional, validating our mission to enhance the quality and integrity of the digital public square through data-driven insights and practical guidance.

What We Covered

The session, entitled Local Government Social Media: Trends, Best Practices, and Data-Driven Insights, brought together municipal communications staff from across North Carolina for an in-depth exploration of effective social media strategies. Led by Dr. Bruce Desmarais, Professor at Penn State and CEO of Public Square Analytics, the training combined current research, real-world examples, and North Carolina-specific case studies to help public sector communicators strengthen their digital presence.

The session covered critical topics including:

• Current trends in local government social media

• Assessment of communication styles that drive engagement

• Research-backed practices for building trust and informativeness

• Data-driven insights from local municipalities

• Introduction to tools like GovFeeds and VoxiFly

The Feedback Speaks for Itself

We were thrilled with the enthusiastic response from participants. Here's what attendees had to say:

On the Content and Approach:

One participant shared: "Great information on tips with social media. I like that Bruce kept it positive - so many of these classes can hone in on the negative, but we like our social media accounts and how they help, so this session was extremely useful!"

Another attendee noted: "This course enhanced my understanding of effective government social media practices and the value of using sites such as GovFeeds as a centralized communication tool. It reinforced the importance of clear, timely, and professional messaging that supports transparency, public trust, and accountability."

On Practical Application:

The data-driven insights proved particularly valuable for internal advocacy. As one communications professional explained: "The data insights support much of the information we had already prepared but have often received pushback on, e.g. we place value on quality posts while some in leadership value quantity. We also heard good insight from our peers (I particularly liked the comment shared that 'Social media platforms are a communication tool, not a governing tool'). This webinar was time well spent."

On the Local Examples:

Participants appreciated the North Carolina focus: "Bruce was extremely thorough and engaging. I really appreciated all of the different examples with local municipalities as well."

And: "The course was fantastic. It was very informative and held great insight into other municipalities in the county."

On Future Impact:

The training is already influencing practice: "Very informative! Looking forward to implementing some of these tactics on our social media. It was very digestible for our team."

One attendee was so impressed they're planning to expand participation: "This was VERY informative!!! Looking forward to the slides and if this offered again, I would certainly have other staff / Elected Officials participate."

Why This Matters

Social media has become an essential communication channel for local governments. As one clerk who attended noted: "Social media is crucial now when it comes to sharing information, advertising public hearings, posting RFP's, etc. The availability of social media has caused organizations to revamp their public information policies completely."

Yet many communications professionals face challenges in getting organizational buy-in for best practices. This webinar provided both the evidence and the peer support needed to advocate for quality-focused, strategic social media approaches.

Collaborative Learning

Beyond the formal content, participants valued the interactive nature of the session. One attendee shared: "Great course, super informative and it was great to have lots of engagement from the group allowing us to collaborate and get all our questions answered."

This collaborative atmosphere allowed communications professionals to learn not just from the research and examples presented, but from each other's experiences and challenges.

Our Commitment to Public Sector Communications

At Public Square Analytics, we're dedicated to helping public sector communicators strengthen their digital presence through data-driven tools and insights. This webinar exemplified our approach: combining rigorous research, practical applications, and real-world examples to deliver actionable guidance.

Our tools, including VoxiFly (AI-assisted social media drafting) and GovFeeds (a searchable index of local government social media), are designed with the same principle in mind—making it easier for government communicators to do excellent work that serves their communities.

Looking Ahead

The overwhelming positive response and requests for future sessions suggest strong ongoing demand for this type of training. We're grateful to NCLM for the partnership and to all the dedicated communications professionals who participated.

As one attendee perfectly summarized: "This training was very informative and I enjoyed it. It is always good to have good data and statistics to relay on."

We couldn't agree more. Data-driven insights, combined with practical expertise and peer learning, create powerful opportunities for improving how local governments connect with their communities.

Interested in bringing similar training to your organization or learning more about Public Square Analytics' tools and consulting services? Contact us to start a conversation.