Grow Your Branding

A paper straw manufacturer in Woodstock connects with the IMEC to create and build their social media.

Company

Boss Straw

Location

Woodstock, Illinois

Number of Employees

4

Website

bossstraw.com/

Solutions

  • Growth
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“It’s been a pleasure working with everyone at IMEC. They’ve been there to answer all my questions and went above and beyond to ensure the success of the project. They did a magnificent job of helping me and I can’t tell you how lucky I am to have them on my side.”
Guy Spinelli
CEO & Owner - Boss Straw

Situation

Boss Straw, a paper straw manufacturer in Woodstock, Illinois, prides themselves on the fact that their paper straws will last 24 hours in any drink – guaranteed. This claim has gained them some national attention, including a segment on FOX News and PBS. With this great national publicity, Boss Straw wanted to grow their branding to create an easier flow of traffic to their website. One major way they saw to do this was in the social media space. With customers often looking for solutions online more frequently, it’s imperative to make your presence known to be a major name in the industry.

IMEC Solution

Realizing their goals for social media and online presence, Boss Straw connected with IMEC using the Advance McHenry County grant to begin their Managing Social Media project. Jaclyn Kolodziej, an IMEC Technical Specialist, connected Boss Straw with Next Play Marketing to begin planning their strategy for the social media rollout.

Over the course of several meetings, Boss Straw, Next Play Marketing and IMEC optimized the Boss Straw pages on LinkedIn and Facebook to best reach their audience, as well as provide administrative training for the pages. They followed that by putting together a 12-week social media calendar with topics and ideas for 1-2 posts per week, designed to create a routine that can be carried on past the project’s finish. A main part of the social media calendar is the writing of content and creation of Boss Straw’s brand language. Creating consistency in brand language helps develop more of an identity online and creates a connection with an audience. Graphics are also a major part of the social media calendar, as they help to grab the attention of their audience and entice them to learn more.

The creation of the social media strategy and calendar was a success, and it created a base for Boss Straw to continue as they grow and expand their social media.

Results
  • Growth of 135 followers on LinkedIn in their first month
  • 400% increase in LinkedIn post engagements
  • Acquisition of several major clients (Hard Rock Hotel)