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New communications manager outlines plans for Pacific View, social media and audience outreach
Summary
Alex Saint, the city’s new communications manager, told the Commission for the Arts he will build a citywide communications program, consider a Pacific View brand and social accounts, use targeted emails and MOUs for partnerships, and explore interns and volunteers to produce content; the commission discussed SEO, workshop timelines and a March public workshop for arts policy goals.
Alex Saint, the new communications manager for the City of Encinitas, told the Arts Commission on Jan. 5 he is building a centralized communications program and is exploring ways to raise awareness of Pacific View Arts Center programming.
Saint, who said he has been in the post about three months, described his remit as public information and strategic communications across city departments, including media relations and most social media channels (the fire department manages its own emergency account). He said the city’s main Instagram account has roughly 19,000 followers but low engagement and that the city lacks a dedicated videographer and in-house graphic designer — constraints that affect the feasibility of adding department-level social accounts.
Commissioners asked whether Pacific View could have its own website and brand; Saint said a distinct brand is possible but staff capacity to keep content current is the key constraint. Cultural arts marketing staff explained the city’s content management system (CMS) serves the whole city and class registration data sits on a separate database, complicating SEO and cross-linking. Staff and Saint said targeted email lists and strategic timing of broader blasts are in use; Saint asked for guidance on how far in advance staff prefer notices so he can incorporate them into a consistent outreach calendar.
Saint outlined operational steps: develop MOUs with third-party partners for sharing content, use interns to create and edit video/graphic content, and hold regular departmental communications meetings to build 4–6 week content calendars. He also said the city is using Instagram, Facebook, Nextdoor, LinkedIn and a small TikTok presence (from 44 to 85 followers since he started). Commissioners encouraged the use of printed brochures and in-person outreach to supplement digital promotion and emphasized the value of targeted email lists for different program audiences (families, seniors, music patrons).
On programming: Pacific View staff reported an open house Dec. 18 with about 100 attendees; spring activity registration opens March 2; the Music by the Sea season had sold 108 season passes as of the meeting. The new Ocean of Poetry series, curated by Darius Daiger and co-hosted with local partners, will begin Jan. 18 with Patricia Iyer Williams as the featured reader.
What happens next: Commissioners asked staff and Saint to coordinate calendars and to provide guidance on promotion lead times so communications can be planned effectively; Saint said he will meet with staff regularly to develop content calendars and to compile a list of MOUs and potential collaborators.
