General Cigar Co.
Digital Content Creation & Management

Cigars are an indulgence enjoyed by a niche, yet large and passionate, fanbase. For five years I worked across 8 brands (CAO, Macanudo, Punch, Cohiba, Partagas, La Gloria Cubana, Hoyo de Monterrey, Diesel, and Cigar World) on everything from strategy development, to content production and copywriting, to community management, and data analytics all to capitalize on that fanbase and convert them into a highly engaged following.

Although we faced challenges like adapting to the constantly shifting social media landscape and responding to the increasing FDA regulations facing the industry—we’ve overcome them in stride and have one of the largest collective audiences in the category.

Creating Content

Juggling 8 brands with 8-20 posts per month (each) is no easy feat. I’ve developed own-able voices and aesthetics so that each brand remains premium yet distinct from one another. No two content calendars or brand playbooks look the same. Besides visual and written tonality, it’s an effort that means figuring out which brands and channels to pair with which content types like video, gamification, type-driven, swipe-overs, and grids in able to garner the highest engagement.

And to add to it all—because of FDA regulations concerning tobacco advertisements, this was done completely organically.

Fostering Communities

Creating and posting content is only part of the battle. Once involved, it is a process of interacting with tens of thousands of fans worldwide whether by encouraging passionate debates, engaging in meaningful dialogue, reposting user-generated content, or hosting giveaways to reward loyalty.

Enjoying Results

Over a near 5-year period (December 2016 - September 2021) for eight brands across Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter:

Fan Growth: