What happens when one person has the right tools, the right support, and the confidence to tell their community’s story?
A lot.
For municipalities and local community organizations, social media has become one of the most direct ways to reach residents. It can help a town share important information, promote programs and events, highlight local people and businesses, respond to questions, and create a stronger sense of connection between residents and the places they call home.
But having a social media account isn’t the same as having an effective social media presence. The difference often comes down to the people behind the screen.
One person may be responsible for taking photos, writing posts, creating graphics, answering messages, learning new platforms, tracking engagement, and figuring out what will actually reach residents. This process is often one of trial and error, where different communities will resonate with different visual media formats.
This is especially evident here in Massachusetts, where neighboring communities have distinct characteristics, demographics, and communication habits. A town border can mark a meaningful difference in how residents engage with local information, and priorities on everything from bike lanes to curbside composting. Sometimes, one town line can be the difference between a post about heat pump rebates that takes off and one that barely gets a like.
When people have access to better tools, training, resources, and a community of peers, the results can extend far beyond a single post.
That’s something we’ve seen firsthand through our work with local climate leaders. MassEnergize provides practical tools, training, and peer support to help the people doing this work communicate more effectively and reach more residents.
The power of passionate storytelling
We’re seeing what can happen when communities invest in the people responsible for their social media.
Take Caroline Weiss, Director of Climate and Energy in the City of Newton, Massachusetts. After putting the tools and training from MassEnergize’s Social Media Magic program to work, Newton saw a 576% increase in residents reached. By applying what she learned to Newton’s own audience and community, Caroline was able to dramatically expand the reach of Newton’s social media.
That number is striking. But the number itself is only part of the story.
Behind a percentage increase are real people: residents who may have discovered a community event they otherwise would have missed, found out about a local program, learned about an important resource, or simply felt more connected to what was happening in their community.
Used well, social media can strengthen community connections – helping residents discover resources, opportunities, and actions that can make a difference in their everyday lives.
And Caroline’s experience illustrates something important: you don’t necessarily need a huge team to make a huge difference. Sometimes, you just need to equip one person to do the job well.
What local communities can achieve with better tools
For municipalities, the opportunity goes beyond increasing likes, followers, or impressions.
A stronger social media strategy can help communities communicate more consistently, reach residents where they already spend time, make public information easier to find, and create more opportunities for two-way engagement.
It can also help community leaders work smarter.
Better templates save time. A clearer content strategy makes planning easier. Analytics show what residents are actually responding to. And practical training gives staff the confidence to experiment, adapt, and improve. Those are exactly the kinds of practical skills and resources we aim to provide through MassEnergize’s social media support.
That’s why we think the conversation about social media needs to be bigger than “What should we post today?”
The better question is:
What could your community accomplish if the person managing your social media had the best tools to make it work?
Social media is ultimately about people
Social media, especially when it comes to energy efficiency and climate action, is all about storytelling: finding the narrative behind a meeting announcement, picking the photo that makes an event feel inviting, and translating complicated programs like heat pump rebates or community solar into something residents can act on. That takes time and skill, and it often falls to one busy person. That’s where MassEnergize can help. We provide templates, training, and a network of peers who are navigating many of the same challenges — so community leaders can spend less time guessing and more time reaching residents.
And we’re just getting started
We’re continuing to put these lessons into practice through targeted community campaigns. In Melrose, we’re supporting social media efforts around heat pump coaching and landlord engagement, while our Community First Partnership work is expanding to engage faith communities.
Each campaign is different, but the idea is the same: start with the people you’re trying to reach, understand what matters to them, and use thoughtful, targeted communication to help connect them with programs and resources that can make a difference.
If you’re responsible for social media at a municipality or local organization, you already know how quickly the job can grow. There is always another platform to learn, another trend to understand, another post to create, and another audience to reach.
You don’t have to figure it all out alone. MassEnergize can help with practical tools, training, peer learning, and targeted support for specific campaigns — all designed to help you reach and engage more people in your community.
If you’d like to strengthen your social media or have a particular campaign you need help with, reach out. We’d love to talk about what support might be useful.
The power of social media isn’t really about the platform.
It’s about what happens when the right person has the right tools to reach the right people.
And sometimes, creating a much bigger community impact starts by giving one person a little more magic.
