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Port Royal looks to rev up online presence [The Island Packet (Hilton Head Island, S.C.) :: ](Island Packet (Hilton Head, SC) Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) Sept. 01--With a new brand and logo in place, the town of Port Royal will now seek ways to get its message out to the public through the Internet. The town is seeking proposals from companies to manage its social media presence, which has largely been handled by staff on Facebook and Twitter. In July, Town Council adopted a "Cool. Coastal. Far from Ordinary" tagline and a logo. "We just want to raise the awareness of Port Royal because, as I have mentioned before, we tend to get rolled in with other places," town manager Van Willis said. Willis has been particularly vocal about correcting online articles and social media posts that misidentify Port Royal events and places as being in Beaufort or other communities. He'd like the town to use social media not only for promotion of events, distribution of photos and interacting with people, but also for publicizing meetings and "positive community news." Redevelopment Commission chairman Matthew Brady is the communications manager for Beaufort-Jasper Water & Sewer Authority and handles the utility's Facebook and Twitter accounts. He knows from his job how far online posts can reach and how social media can be used to interact with the public and quickly spread information. "Folks that we want to expose Port Royal to are on social media, and we just want to ramp up our presence on social media and maximize its potential," he said. The proposals are due Sept. 19, after which the Redevelopment Commission will make a recommendation to Town Council. Willis said he hopes the effort will begin in October. The town has between $40,000 and $50,000 to spend on marketing and advertising this fiscal year, he said. That includes TV and radio advertising, as well as social media. Willis said he's talking with various media agencies in the area about advertising opportunities. Follow reporter Erin Moody at twitter.com/IPBG_Erin. ___ (c)2014 The Island Packet (Hilton Head, S.C.) Visit The Island Packet (Hilton Head, S.C.) at www.islandpacket.com Distributed by MCT Information Services |