Building Community Through Social Media
City of Hamilton Social Media Strategy & Campaign Redesign
overview
For this project, I developed a content strategy plan for the City of Hamilton’s social media presence, as a case study. The goal was to strengthen community connection, improve engagement and create a more consistent visual and verbal brand identity across Instagram and Facebook. My process included a rhetorical analysis of 30 existing posts, a mini social media campaign redesign, and usability interviews with audience representatives.
The City of Hamilton maintains an active presence on social media, sharing a range of updates and community information. Through my initial analysis, I identified opportunities to strengthen how this content connects with its audience.
There was an opportunity to develop a more cohesive and strategic approach to content that strengthens community connection and engagement
Identifying the Opportunity
Process
To better understand these opportunities and design an effective solution, I approached this project in three phases:
Content Audit & Rhetorical Analysis
Audience Research (Usability Interviews)
Strategy Development & Campaign Design
This process ensured that all design decisions were grounded in research and aligned with audience needs.
Content Audit & Rhetorical Analysis
To evaluate the city’s existing content, I conducted a structured audit of 30 recent posts across Instagram and Facebook.
Each post was analyzed using both strategic and rhetorical criteria, including:
Tone (formal, casual, or inconsistent)
Visual design (imagery, typography, and brand alignment)
Call-to-action strength (clear vs. passive)
Content type (announcement, event, community, informational)
Engagement indicators (likes, comments, shares)
Platform usage (Instagram vs. Facebook optimization)
Original vs. reshared content
This process allowed me to assess not only what content was being shared, but how effectively it communicated with its intended audience.
Key Audit Insights
Strengths
01
Information Readily Available
02
Established Digital Presence
03
Existing Community Recognition
weaknesses
01
Inconsistent Visual Branding
02
Messaging did not clearly target residents.
03
Lack of Platform Usage
user Research
To better understand how the content was perceived, I conducted usability interviews with three audience types:
A lifelong Hamilton resident
A new resident
A frequent visitor
Participants were asked about their social media habits, what content they engage with, and how they perceive the city based on its online presence. Some quotes from these user interviews are shown below.
“I don’t really get a feel for what kind of place Hamilton is just from these posts”
Key Takeaways
Participants noted that content felt varied and could benefit from a clearer overall identity
Community centered and visually engaging posts were more appealing
Content that highlighted local places and experiences increased interest and connection
These insights reinforced the importance of visual storytelling and audience focused content design.
“It just doesn’t catch my eye.”
“I probably won't stop scrolling, it’s too bland.”
The strategy
Based on the audit and user research, I developed a content strategy plan centered around three core pillars:
Community
Highlighting people, neighborhoods, and local experiences
Inform
Providing clear, accessible, and valuable updates.
Identity
Showcasing what makes Hamilton unique through visuals and storytelling.
Content Calendar
A well thought out structured content calendar is key to circulating this consistent messaging. By planning posts in advance, it will be significantly easier to be sure that each post aligns with the city’s goals and tone of voice. Having a calendar can also keep the City of Hamilton from posting content that is off brand, or last minute, it also allows for strategic posting schedules.
There needs to be a level of intentionality with managing the City of Hamilton’s social media platforms and the content calendar, (as shown below) is an example of how to do just that. Consistent and reliable posting schedules build trust amongst the audience.
Campaign Redesign
Using the strategy, I designed a series of social media posts tailored to each platform.
The redesigned campaign focused on:
Stronger visual hierarchy
Clear and engaging calls to action
Local, recognizable imagery
Platform-specific formats such as reels and stories
Interactive elements to encourage participation
Given the challenge of maintaining audience attention in crowded digital spaces, the redesign emphasized clear visual hierarchy, consistent branding and approachable content design.