OCALA, FL (352today.com) – For many, social media is a daily routine. For the City of Ocala it’s an important tool for branding, fostering dialogue, sharing news, and keeping the community informed.

“When it comes to the social media piece, as I mentioned at the city council meeting (on March 4, 2025), it’s been a transitional mindset,” said Gregory Davis, City of Ocala public information officer. “I think what a lot of organizations struggle with is pushing out content to just push it out. Instead of doing that, we’ve been trying to change the tempo of social media and try not to go with that check-the-box mentality and have a strategy with everything that we put out, and utilizing the correct platform with what that strategy may be.”

Choosing the right platform is key to keeping people connected, building relationships, and enhancing communication. It also allows the city to highlight opportunities, improve customer experiences, and advocate for the community.

|EVERY LIFE LEAVES A LEGACY: Learn more about family, friends. and neighbors who have left their mark on our community

“Instagram, that obviously is a very visual platform, it’s more photos and video. We might not want to push out news on that platform as much as we would on Facebook,” said Davis. “Facebook is more of our target audience, and we have a larger audience on Facebook. We’re more specific on announcing road closures and such, and before I got here, we would push that out onto a press release, which wouldn’t necessarily get as much attention. Now, we’re doing it on social media, and we’re also trying to tell our story a little bit better by highlighting all the great things the city does. By increasing the quality of our photos, increasing the quality of our content, and showing our participation throughout the city at all types of different events, including the Lineman Rodeo, we’ve done just that, and so far it looks like the people of Ocala and the people who follow our social pages have appreciated that.”

It takes a team to create engagement, generate impressions, and reach the community across various platforms. Personnel play a critical role in ensuring smooth execution.

“It really is a team effort,” said Davis. “There’s no way any of this would be possible without the support of the amazing team that we have, and the leadership that we have here at the city. This is the best job I’ve ever had because of the people that are here. There really is a big camaraderie. I really appreciate their support.”

More news that matters to you…