Milford pushes marketing growth and new customer‑service hub; city touts large social‑media gains

City Manager Benjamin Gundersen and staff described expanded marketing and customer‑service efforts during Milford’s State of the City presentation, citing large increases in social‑media reach and new customer-facing services.

Gundersen said the city’s marketing program has substantially increased visibility, reporting that Milford’s channels reach an estimated 12 million people annually and that the last five months produced about 5.5 million impressions. He said link clicks rose from about 1,000 to over 9,500 in five months (an 807% increase) and that followers grew from a prior single‑digit monthly increase to roughly 2,300 followers in the most recent period.

Staff also outlined a website redesign intended to make the site more interactive and visually focused, and they credited John Lucas (described in the presentation as a local resident and lead partner on the effort) for his role. Gundersen said the redesigned site and new video storytelling are intended to amplify local small businesses that lack large marketing budgets.

On customer service, Gundersen described a renovated customer service station—a one‑stop location for permits, events and resident information—located in a renovated office previously used by staff. He said the city will create new resident folders, expand the visitor center, and support a small business rebate program to reimburse businesses for certain improvements.

Gundersen announced the creation of a public information specialist position and credited Libby, the new hire, with coordinating event and communications work. He said the position will support events, customer service initiatives and the city’s mobile app and website.

City officials framed these efforts as tools to support downtown businesses and to engage residents; staff requested continued public feedback on the proposed communications initiatives and digital changes.