Social Media Design and Strategy

What this covers

Social media design and strategy is the work that puts a campaign on the agency's own accounts: the plan for what is posted where and when, and the post, carousel, story, header, and event cover graphics that carry it, with the copy, hashtags, and links that go with each. Social is often where residents meet a campaign first and where they answer back, so it is the part of a campaign most exposed to public reaction and most dependent on in-house staff after launch.

The strategy has to fit the accounts the agency already runs and the people who run them. A posting plan that needs more staff time than the communications team has, or depends on a platform the agency does not use, is not a plan.

Typical activities

• Social strategy. Defining objectives, audiences, platforms, cadence, and the campaign messages each post supports, tied to the campaign framework and to the agency's existing account voice.
• Posting plan. A calendar with dates, platforms, graphics, copy, hashtags, links, and the approval each post needs, built so staff can adjust when news or events shift.
• Post and carousel graphics. Single images and multi-slide carousels, designed so each slide reads on its own and the sequence reads in order.
• Story graphics. Vertical formats with text kept clear of the areas each platform covers with its own buttons and captions.
• Header and event cover graphics. Profile headers and event covers that hold up when a platform crops them differently on phones and desktops.
• Copy, hashtags, and links. Post copy in plain language, a campaign hashtag checked for existing uses, short links with tracking parameters, and versions in the languages the agency serves.
• Memes and trend content. Used occasionally and carefully, after checking the source image's rights, what the format means to the audience, and whether humor suits the topic.
• Accessible posts. Alternative text for every image, captions for video, capitalized words within hashtags so screen readers pronounce them, and restrained use of emoji.
• Reusable templates. Editable templates for recurring post types, so staff can produce event reminders, service updates, and new campaign posts.

What you receive

• Strategy and posting plan. A document covering objectives, platforms, cadence, and the approval workflow, with the calendar.
• Final graphics. Each post, story, carousel, header, and event cover, sized for its platform and named for easy scheduling.
• Post sheet. Copy, hashtags, alt text, and tracked links for each post, in a format that loads into the agency's scheduling tool.
• Templates. Editable templates for recurring posts, with written instructions.
• Size sheet. Platform dimensions and safe areas, with the date they were last checked.

Considerations for public agencies

Platform sizes change. Platforms adjust dimensions, crop areas, and overlays without much notice. Check current sizes against each platform's own guidance at the start of every campaign rather than relying on an old sheet.

Posts and comments can be public records. Content on an agency account, including comments and direct messages, may be a record under state public records law and subject to a retention schedule. Many agencies use an archiving tool for this. Confirm the approach with the records officer.

Comment moderation has legal limits. Courts have treated interactive spaces on government accounts as forums where viewpoint-based deletion or blocking can raise First Amendment problems, and elected officials' personal accounts used for agency business have their own case law. A written, posted moderation policy applied consistently, with removed comments retained, is common practice. Confirm the policy with counsel.

Memes carry particular risk for a public agency. Popular images are often copyrighted, meanings shift quickly, and a joke on a serious subject can cost trust that the agency needs during an emergency. Use them where the topic suits it, with the same approval as any post.

Accessibility applies to posts. The Department of Justice rule implementing Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act treats an agency's social media posts as part of its web content, adopting WCAG 2.1 Level AA, with an exception for posts made before the compliance date. Confirm current obligations with counsel.

Crisis and safety messaging comes first. Scheduled campaign posts should pause during an emergency, and the posting plan should say who makes that call.

Department accounts should look related. Many agencies run several department accounts. Shared templates and a short style sheet keep a campaign recognizable across all of them.

Working with HQT on this

HQT treats social as part of the same system as the rest of the campaign. Graphics are built from shared templates, sized from a current platform sheet, and checked automatically for contrast and minimum type size. Copy, alt text, hashtags, and links travel together in one sheet, so nothing is scheduled without its accessible text.

An engagement usually starts with the campaign framework, a review of the agency's current accounts and social media policy, and agreement on who approves posts.

Frequently asked questions