Cleveland County

Social Media Benchmarking Report - January 2026

By Public Square Analytics

Bottom Line Up Front

Cleveland County continues its exceptional performance in January 2026, posting 145 times across 5 accounts for a combined 33.0 posts/week—maintaining the #1 position statewide (100th percentile). This represents 209% above the state average and more than triple the posting volume of most NC counties. Your multi-account strategy remains highly effective, with Animal Services (10.5/week) and your main account (16.4/week) driving consistent content output.

New in January: Engagement data shows Cleveland is performing strongly with an average of 11.0 interactions per post. Your Animal Services account excels with 26.6 shares per post on average—among the highest engagement rates statewide. Total January engagement reached 1,594 interactions (710 likes, 89 comments, 795 shares).

Primary opportunity: While posting volume remains elite, there's room to boost engagement across your main county account (12.8 likes per post vs. 17.8 for Animal Services). Focus on more visual, story-driven content to match Animal Services' engagement success.

January 2026 Snapshot
Metric January 2026 December 2025 Change
Total Posts (All Accounts) 145 122 +18.9%
Posts per Week (Combined) 33.0 28.4 +16.2%
Statewide Rank #1 of 89 #1 of 87 Maintained
Percentile 100th Top 5% Maintained elite status
Total Engagement 1,594 interactions N/A New metric
Avg Engagement/Post 11.0 N/A New metric
Account-by-Account Performance

Cleveland County operates 5 Facebook pages. Here's how each performed in January 2026:

Engagement Analysis: How Your Content Performs

New for January: We now track engagement metrics (likes, comments, shares) to measure not just how much you post, but how well your content resonates with audiences.

Cleveland County Overall Engagement - January 2026

Top Performing Posts (By Total Engagement)
Post Title Account Theme Likes Comments Shares Total
Photos from Cleveland County Animal Services's post Animal Services Animal Services 23 15 106 144
🐾 Happy Tails, Rocky! Animal Services Animal Services 103 17 10 130
Measles can cause serious health complications... Main Account Health & Wellness 34 0 73 107
🎩🐾 A is for Arthur… and AWESOME! Animal Services Animal Services 38 3 41 82
A post from Visit Cleveland County Visit Cleveland Tourism 53 0 22 75

Key Insights:

  • Animal adoption success stories dominate: 4 of your top 5 posts are from Animal Services, with "Happy Tails" posts generating massive engagement.
  • Health information drives shares: The measles awareness post achieved 73 shares, showing community concern for public health.
  • Visual, emotional content wins: Posts featuring animals with photos/videos significantly outperform text-only government updates.
  • Comments are rare across all accounts: Only Animal Services and Shooting Complex generate regular comment discussions—other accounts could pose more questions to spark dialogue.
Engagement by Content Type

Based on your most successful posts, here's what drives engagement:

✅ High Engagement: Pet adoption stories, animal photos, health alerts, tourism highlights
⚠️ Moderate Engagement: Event announcements, shooting range updates, board meeting notifications
📈 Opportunity to Improve: General government operations, infrastructure updates—consider adding more visuals and human interest angles
Content Themes: What You're Posting About

Cleveland County's January content focused heavily on animal services and public safety, with growth opportunities in infrastructure and economic development.

Content Theme Cleveland Posts % of Total
Animal Services 45 31.0%
Public Safety & Emergency Management 39 26.9%
Government Information & Boards 16 11.0%
Recreation, Parks & Tourism 14 9.7%
Community Engagement & Volunteer 7 4.8%
Events & Community Activities 6 4.1%
Infrastructure & Planning 3 2.1%
Business & Economic Development 2 1.4%
Library & Education 1 0.7%
Health & Wellness 1 0.7%
Sustainability & Environment 1 0.7%
Other/Miscellaneous 10 6.9%

Content Strategy Observations:

  • Animal Services leads content volume: 31.0% of posts (45 total) focus on adoptable pets, shelter updates, and success stories—your highest-engagement category.
  • Strong public safety and emergency focus: 26.9% of content covers law enforcement, emergency alerts, and weather/road safety—essential for community awareness, especially during January winter weather.
  • Government transparency is solid: 11.0% of posts cover board meetings, administrative updates, and official announcements—keeping residents informed.
  • Tourism content growing: 9.7% recreation/tourism posts (14 total) from Visit Cleveland County and shooting complex—up from minimal levels, but room to expand.
  • Infrastructure remains underrepresented: Only 2.1% (3 posts) cover roads, construction, or development—consider increasing to 5-7% to keep residents informed about capital projects.
Content Recommendations for February
Maintain: Keep your strong animal services and public safety content—these categories perform well and serve important functions.
Increase: Double your infrastructure/planning posts to 6-8 monthly. Residents want updates on road projects, facility improvements, and development plans.
Expand: Grow tourism content to 10-12 posts monthly (from 14 in January) highlighting restaurants, attractions, events, and small business spotlights.
Add: Create more economic development content—business openings, job opportunities, workforce training programs (currently underrepresented).
How Cleveland County Compares Statewide
Posting Volume & Multi-Account Strategy
Cleveland County (All 5 Accounts)
145 posts (33.0/week)
Statewide Average (All Accounts Combined)
49.0 posts (11.1/week)
Statewide Median (All Accounts Combined)
40.0 posts (9.1/week)
Cleveland's Advantage
+197% vs. statewide average
Cleveland Statewide Rank
#2 out of 85 counties
Top 10% Threshold (Combined Accounts)
22.6 posts/week
Cleveland vs. Top 10%
+46% above threshold

Multi-Account Strategy Analysis: Cleveland County is one of only 1-2 NC counties operating multiple coordinated social media accounts. While 98.8% of counties use a single account, your 5-account strategy delivers a 203% posting advantage. Counties with single accounts average just 10.9 posts/week, while Cleveland's multi-account approach enables 33.0 posts/week. This strategic diversification allows you to reach different audiences (animal lovers, veterans, tourists, shooting sports enthusiasts) while maintaining exceptional overall volume.

Content Focus: Cleveland vs. Statewide Peers

Cleveland County's content mix differs significantly from other NC counties, reflecting your unique multi-account strategy and priorities:

Content Category Cleveland NC Counties Avg Difference
Animal Services 20.7% 1.4% +19.2pp
Public Safety & Police 9.7% 17.3% -7.6pp
Government Information & Boards 4.8% 10.7% -5.8pp
Health & Wellness 0.7% 5.6% -4.9pp
Recreation, Parks & Tourism 3.4% 1.2% +2.3pp
Community Engagement 4.8% 3.2% +1.6pp
Library & Education 0.7% 2.0% -1.3pp
Infrastructure & Planning 2.1% 1.9% +0.2pp

Where Cleveland Leads:

  • Animal Services (+19.2pp): Your dedicated Animal Services account drives 20.7% of content (vs. 1.4% statewide). This is Cleveland's signature content strength and highest engagement category—most counties lack dedicated animal services social media.
  • Recreation & Tourism (+2.3pp): Your Visit Cleveland County and Foothills Shooting Complex accounts create tourism content at nearly 3x the state rate, supporting economic development.
  • Community Engagement (+1.6pp): Higher volunteer and community participation content reflects active citizen involvement.

Where Cleveland Lags:

  • Public Safety (-7.6pp): While you post about public safety, other counties dedicate 17.3% of content here vs. your 9.7%. This likely reflects Cleveland's choice to emphasize animal services over traditional law enforcement/emergency content.
  • Government Transparency (-5.8pp): Peers post more about board meetings, budgets, and administrative processes. Consider increasing these posts to 8-10% to match statewide norms.
  • Health & Wellness (-4.9pp): Most counties post regularly about health clinics, vaccinations, mental health resources, and public health initiatives. Cleveland had only 1 health post in January—this is a gap to address.
  • Library & Education (-1.3pp): If Cleveland County operates library services, consider adding content about programs, new books, and educational resources.

Strategic Positioning: Cleveland's content strategy is distinctive—you've chosen to excel in animal services and tourism rather than follow the statewide pattern of heavy public safety and government operations content. This differentiation works well for engagement but creates gaps in health, education, and government transparency. The opportunity is to add health and government content without sacrificing your animal services strength.

Strategic Recommendations for February 2026

Cleveland County's social media presence is elite. Focus these recommendations on optimizing engagement and filling content gaps rather than increasing volume.

Priority 1: Boost Main Account Engagement
Goal: Increase main account engagement from 11.0 to 15.0+ interactions per post by adopting Animal Services' successful tactics.
Actions:
  • Add more photos and videos—visual posts get 3x more engagement
  • Feature county employees, residents, and community members in posts
  • Ask questions in posts to spark comments: "What do you think?" "Have you visited?" "Which option do you prefer?"
  • Share behind-the-scenes content from county operations
  • Create "success story" posts similar to Animal Services' "Happy Tails"
Priority 2: Activate Underutilized Accounts
Veterans Services: Increase from 0.9 to 2.5 posts/week. Post about benefit deadlines, success stories, upcoming events, and resources.
Visit Cleveland County: Increase from 3.4 to 5.0 posts/week. Daily highlights of restaurants, attractions, hiking trails, and local businesses.
Shooting Complex: Maintain 2-3 posts/week but focus on engaging the highly active niche audience with more photos, range updates, and safety tips.
Priority 3: Fill Content Gaps
Infrastructure Updates: Increase from 3 to 8-10 posts monthly. Cover road projects, facility improvements, water/sewer updates with photos and timelines.
Economic Development: Add 4-6 posts monthly featuring new businesses, job opportunities, workforce programs, and Cleveland County as a business destination.
Environmental/Sustainability: Currently only 1 post in January—increase to 3-4 monthly covering recycling, conservation, parks, and green initiatives.
Priority 4: Maintain What's Working
Animal Services: Continue current strategy—10-12 posts/week featuring adoptable pets, success stories, and educational content. This is your engagement engine.
Public Safety: Maintain 14-16 posts monthly on law enforcement, emergency services, and safety alerts. Strong community interest justifies continued emphasis.
Posting Frequency: Your overall 33 posts/week is exceptional. No need to increase—focus on optimizing engagement within current volume.

February 2026 Goals

  • Posting Volume: Maintain 30-35 posts/week across all accounts
  • Engagement Rate: Increase to 13-15 interactions per post (from 11.0)
  • Content Balance: Add 5 infrastructure posts, 4 economic development posts, 3 environmental posts
  • Comments: Generate 120+ comments (from 89) by asking more questions in posts
  • Veterans Services: Publish 10-12 posts (from 4 in January)