Aug. 12—NEW LONDON — City councilors have delayed renewing the contract of its social media provider to explore whether it was time, as President Reona Dyess said, to "go big or go home."

The prospect of expanding the program seemed to take Felix Reyes, director of economic development and planning, momentarily aback during the council's Aug. 7 meeting.

"I'm just not used to someone saying they want to increase something," he said.

The discussion revolved around a spending request for $25,000 to continue the city's contract with Socialike, the New London-based social media service that has worked with the Office of Development and Planning since 2021.

The company is tasked with populating the city's Instagram and Facebook pages with posts that last year included items on new restaurant openings, a downtown mural restoration and outdoor sales.

Reyes said New London is one of only a "limited number" of Connecticut municipalities engaging a third-party contractor to oversee social media pages.

"We were really out in front of that trend and wanted to be the model," he said. "Smaller towns usually have someone in-house handling that work, people who aren't necessarily familiar with the latest trends."

Councilors said their decision to postpone any vote on the contract extension was prompted by a desire to see more comprehensive analytics and to allow Reyes time to prepare a more expansive program outline with new funding sources.

Councilor Akil Peck said he and his colleagues were by no means averse to working with Socialike.

"I think maybe the conversation is, do we need to increase the budget so we can do more with the services," Peck said, referencing other Connecticut cities' use of filmed commercials extolling entertainment offerings. "I think it's time New London starts thinking bigger seeing as we're soon going to have a Coast Guard museum."

Reyes said the city's social media pages currently boast several thousand followers — mostly locals — but those numbers can grow exponentially and draw beyond the city's borders with the right strategy.

He said piggybacking on the popularity of influencers, those high-profile social media personalities with large followings, is a smart way to kick-start a less robust site.

"For instance, you have an influencer in New England that specializes in hospitality, restaurants or tourism with 50,000 followers come here from out of state and try the different foods here," Reyes said. "You've suddenly got 10 times more people following us."

Though the council's enthusiasm for augmenting the program was heartening, Reyes said he must work within the confines of a budget. He said he plans to present the council with a revamped social media plan at its Aug. 21 meeting.

"We have $75,000 a year for marketing and public relations," he said. "In order to boost our advertising and reach a broader audience, without additional money, could require using pockets from different existing funds and may mean sacrifices in other areas. But it's one of those good problems."

j.penney@theday.com