Case Study: Columbia Distributing

B2B · Beverage Distribution · Organic & Paid Social · Brand Content Strategy · Commercial Activation · Digital Infrastructure
January 2021 – October 2025

Some programs grow. This one had to be built, consolidated, and restructured before it could grow — and then it did.

The Challenge

Columbia Distributing is one of the Pacific Northwest’s largest beverage distributors, representing hundreds of brands across Oregon, Washington, and California. When we started working together in early 2021, the digital presence didn’t match the size or ambition of the business. Facebook functioned almost entirely as a job posting tool. Instagram had 1,089 followers and hadn’t been posted to since November 2020. The Twitter account’s last public tweet was from January 2018. Multiple fragmented Instagram accounts existed across states with no consistent voice, branding, or strategy connecting them.

The opportunity was real. So was the cleanup required before any of it could grow.

The Approach

I started with a full social media branding audit — assessing every platform, mapping the existing audience demographics, identifying what was broken, what was missing, and what the business actually needed social to do. From there, I built the program from scratch while simultaneously restructuring what already existed.

That meant making architecture decisions before making content. I consolidated multiple fragmented Instagram accounts into three state-based feeds (CA, OR, WA) — with the existing driver account preserved as an authentic BTS presence. I created four Facebook location pages linked under the primary Columbia Distributing account, allowing company-wide content to sit alongside state-specific product and job content. I revived and restructured Twitter into a single functional account. And I updated every platform’s bio, messaging, and visual standards to reflect a consistent brand voice for the first time.

Then came the content strategy. I developed three audience personas to guide messaging, built an evolving editorial calendar framework with high-level daily themes, established a hashtag strategy, and created an internal content submission system that let the marketing, business development, and HR teams flag content needs; keeping supply partners and internal stakeholders aligned without creating chaos in the publishing pipeline.

What made this engagement different from a typical social media retainer was the commercial layer running underneath all of it. Columbia’s business runs on supplier partnerships and product launches, and the content program had to serve that reality from day one. When a new partner came on - Sazerac, Brown-Forman, Bogle Family Vineyards, Trinchero Family Wine & Spirits, Straightaway Cocktails - there was a content strategy ready to support the launch. When a new product hit the portfolio - Jack Daniel’s, Sun Cruiser, Sutter Home, BuzzBallz, Montucky Cold Snacks, Archer Roose Wines, Red Bull - I worked alongside the sales and business development teams to bring it to market digitally, not just post about it. I also developed internal-facing strategy presentations for sales managers and executive leadership, translating digital performance into language that connected to commercial goals.

The creative work was hands-on throughout. I wrote the copy, directed the creative, produced video series, built the editorial calendar, made the judgment calls on what to publish, what to hold, and what to build into something bigger. Strategy and execution were the same track here - not separate ones.

The Results

The foundation worked fast. In the first full quarter after launch (March–May 2021), compared to the prior period:

  • Total impressions +308.7%

  • Total engagements +865.6%

  • Post link clicks +1,522.2%

  • Instagram went from 2 published posts to 85 in a single quarter 

Over five years, the program compounded:

  • +2,700% combined platform audience growth

  • +1,000% impressions growth

  • +23,200% video view growth

  • +15% engagement rate per impression — sustained across the full engagement

  • 1.6M+ views on a single Instagram video, driven by identifying a trending influencer moment and moving fast enough to use it 

Starting context: Facebook was functioning as an HR tool with sporadic posts. Instagram had 1,089 followers, last posted November 2020. Twitter’s last public post was January 2018. There was no consistent brand voice, no content strategy, and no framework connecting any of it.

The Content Program

  • Supplier and brewery/vineyard interview series: bringing retailers and consumers inside the brands Columbia represented

  • Employee and culture spotlights: reframing a distribution company as a people-first workplace, which became some of the program’s highest-performing content

  • Product launch content across paid and organic: navigating state beverage distributor regulations while driving awareness with both retailer and consumer audiences simultaneously

  • Trend-driven organic content: leveraging platform moments at peak adoption to maximize organic reach

  • Long-form articles supporting paid campaign strategy: bridging retailer education and consumer awareness for priority seasonal products

  • Internal strategy presentations: including the GSM deck aligning sales managers; annual digital content strategies and quarterly reviews presented to executive leadership; monthly and quarterly reviews to communications, business development, HR, and additional leadership.

Services: Brand Audit · Platform Architecture & Account Consolidation · Persona Development · Voice & Creative Standards · Content Strategy · Organic Social · Paid Social · Video Production & Direction · Editorial Planning · Commercial Launch Support · Internal Content Systems · Performance Reporting · Executive Presentations

“Asia ran our social media program for nearly six years, taking it from disjointed and unorganized to one of the best programs in our industry. Her creativity and attention to detail, paired with her knowledge of the ever-changing social platforms was made evident in the continuous growth of our engagement and impressions as well as the conversion rate.”

— Lindsi Taylor, Former Communications Director, Columbia Distributing