Livingston County Historical Society

Introduction

This project was completed for IMS 228 during Spring 2025 as part of a team-based collaboration with the Livingston County Historical Society Museum. Our goal was to deliver a real-world, client-focused solution that demonstrates the strategic, creative, and collaborative skills we developed over the course of the semester.

Client Overview

The Livingston County Historical Society Museum is a nonprofit dedicated to preserving the history of Livingston County, New York. The area is largely rural, made up of small towns and farming communities. The museum operates with limited staff and relies heavily on volunteers. It manages exhibits, hosts events, and offers educational programs that help connect the community to its local heritage. The organization asked our team to develop a social media strategy and content package to help them improve engagement, create a more consistent online presence, and build a foundation for future growth, focusing especially on Instagram and Facebook.

Team Overview

Our team consisted of five members, each contributing a unique skillset to the project. Together, we collaborated closely to deliver a polished and actionable social media strategy for the Livingston County Historical Society Museum.

We used agile methodologies and organized our work through Trello boards, helping us manage tasks and collaborate efficiently across two sprints. All team members contributed to the research, creation, and refinement of content, including branded social media posts, templates, and deliverable documents.

I served as the Product Owner and primary point of contact for the client, ensuring smooth and consistent communication between the museum and our team throughout the duration of the project.

User Problems

Our team identified that the Livingston County Historical Society Museum lacked a consistent and cohesive digital presence. Their existing social media posts were infrequent, stylistically inconsistent, and did not fully reflect the museum’s mission, exhibits, or community engagement opportunities.
To better understand and define the problem, we created user stories that reflected the needs of three key audiences:

User Stories

As a dedicated museum patron and long-time supporter of local history and culture,
I want to see consistent and engaging Facebook updates that highlight the museum’s preservation efforts, community impact, and how donor support is making a difference,
so that I feel deeply connected to the museum’s mission and inspired to continue contributing to its success.
As a visitor looking for a unique and memorable experience,
I want to see vibrant, engaging social media content that highlights must-see exhibits, special events, and hands-on activities,
so that I feel excited to visit, explore, and share the experience with friends or my children.
As a museum staff member,
I want a detailed but easily understandable social media strategy,
so that everyone on our team, regardless of their marketing experience, can effectively contribute to promoting the museum online.

Design/Work Process

We followed an agile methodology across two sprints.

Sprint 1:

• Researched LCHSM’s social channels
• Identified brand pain points
• Began post design and tone exploration

Sprint 2:

• Finalized posts, branding, and strategy docs
• Created editable templates and a social calendar
• Delivered and tested a variety of post types

Pain Points

Pain Point	Solution
Incosistent Branding	Developed a strong branding guide (colors, tone, fonts)
Post Effectiveness	Multiple versions of posts and used A/B testing
Post Types	Defined content pillars and post strategies
Reusability	Easy to use templates that can easily be updated

Testing and Data

We wanted to ensure the content we produced resonated with our audience, so we:

• Created multiple post versions for events and storytelling
• Ran feedback tests with peers using Google Forms
• Gathered qualitative responses on clarity, tone, and visual appeal

This helped us refine and select the strongest posts for the final package.

Research and Complete Strategy Guide

We began by analyzing LCHSM’s current Instagram and Facebook usage:

Findings:

• Strengths: consistent event promotion and community ties

• Weaknesses: low engagement, few stories/reels, and little behind-the-scenes content

Research covered:

• Posting frequency and metrics

• Hashtag use and discoverability

• Visual identity and messaging style

• Opportunities for improved content types (e.g. Reels, Polls, Templates)

Here is our complete social media strategy guide.

Post Deliverables

Content and Media

Supporting Documents

List of Final Deliverables

Social Media Strategy PDF — Full plan with tone, visuals, content calendar, and platform breakdown

Branding Guidelines — Color palette, fonts, tone samples

Editable Social Media Templates — For events, stories, and donor features

Finished Posts and Stories — Including Firefighter post and Donor spotlight

Donor Outreach Email Template — Ready-to-use communication for supporter recognitione

How We Helped the Museum

We gave the museum a clear and easy-to-use social media plan that they can build on going forward. Our content templates, branding guide, and strategy document make it easier for staff and volunteers to post consistently and connect with their audience. The posts we created are ready to use and reflect the museum’s values and voice. Overall, we gave them a starting point for growing their presence online in a sustainable way.

What I Learned Along The Way

Working with an actual client pushed me to apply classroom knowledge in a meaningful way, manage real expectations, and adapt to feedback quickly throughout the process.

Skills I strengthened:

• Agile sprint planning

• Social media platform strategy

• Visual communication and layout

• Professional client communication

• Testing, feedback analysis, and iteration

I also became more confident as a communicator and more flexible when problem-solving as part of a team.

My Role

I served as the Product Owner and main client contact for the museum.

What I contributed:

• Tone development in the branding guide
• Firefighter and Donor posts
• Creation of the Donor Email Template
• Coordination with Abbey (LCHSM staff)
• Sent deliverables, received feedback, and clarified client needs
• Helped guide post testing and revisions
• Supported layout/design of the final PDF

I helped shape both the strategy and the execution. As a team, we divided up the work in a way that played to everyone’s strengths. We communicated regularly, shared honest feedback, and stayed open to each other’s ideas. That collaboration helped keep everything on track and made the final result stronger.

Conclusion

This project gave me hands-on experience managing real client expectations, delivering usable content, and collaborating as a team. I’m proud of the work we did for Livingston County Historical Society and feel more prepared to take on creative and professional roles that involve strategy, content development, and client communication.