MYRTLE BEACH, SC (WBTW) – After viral videos brought negative publicity to Myrtle Beach, a city councilwoman wants the city hire a communications consultant.
In the last year, millions of people saw a shooting on Ocean Boulevard and the removal of a homeless man from a restaurant.
City councilwoman Mary Jeffcoat has proposed retaining a communications consultant. With the social media reaching more people than ever, Jeffcoat told News13 the city needs someone to study and improve how it’s being perceived.
“There’s so much information being put out there on the internet that is not true. And so it’s even more of a challenge for organizations like the City of Myrtle Beach to counter the information that’s being put out that’s not true, with facts,” said Jeffcoat.
Brian Steffan, National Sales Director for Zeus Digital Marketing in North Myrtle Beach, said after the controversy the two viral videos drew to Myrtle Beach, hiring a communications consultant may be beneficial to the city.
“Unfortunately, bad catches people’s attention fast, so you got to come up with exciting ways to get the good to catch people’s attention, and have that go viral,” said Steffan.
Jeffcoat said the consultant will not be hired full-time, but on an as-needed basis. She said the consultant will work with the city’s communications department, as well as other city offices,
“I think it’s important to make sure that we’re getting our message across to our audience. [Myrtle Beach] is a great place to live, work and play,” she said.
According to Jeffcoat, the consultant will work on all forms of communication, but Steffan said in order to make a difference, the city needs to focus on one platform in particular.
“Social media is where the power is. You can use other forms of communication, but at the end of the day, what got Myrtle Beach in trouble? How did people find out about it? Through social media,” he said.
She and other city officials plan to submit a proposal to the city’s purchasing department by April 11.
