FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Jimmy Beans Wool Owner Laura Zander Speaks at Facebook Event
Reno, Nev. - May 27, 2016 - CEO and owner of Jimmy Beans Wool, Laura Zander, spoke to a group of 250 business leaders in Menlo Park for an event called Facebook IQ Live earlier this month. The event was created and hosted by Facebook to help businesses learn how to use visual and video content to connect with their customers on their social media platforms in a unique and meaningful way. Zander was invited to speak at the event because of the success Jimmy Beans Wool has had with Facebook advertising. "Needless to say I was humbled, honored, and thrilled to be included in this event," said Zander.
Jimmy Beans Wool has already been profiled by Facebook as an advertising success story, but Zander was asked to speak at this Facebook event after posting a star-studded video that reached almost 3 million people and increased sales by 20 percent. This spring, Jimmy Beans Wool partnered with Fox Searchlight Pictures to promote Eddie the Eagle, a film about the first British ski jumper to compete in the Winter Olympics, with their #iknitforeddie campaign.
A producer of the film contacted Zander after seeing Facebook's profile on the company. In the film, Eddie's mom is perennially supportive of Eddie's dream and knits a sweater that says "I'm Eddie's Mum" to show her love and pride for her son. Jimmy Beans Wool spearheaded an industry-wide campaign to promote knitting and crocheting along with the movie. The campaign included a hat design contest, yarn-bombing the Sundance film festival, and a video posted on Facebook with Taron Egerton (who plays Eddie) and Hugh Jackman (who plays Eddie's coach) as they both coach two knitters in the world's shortest knitting contest they called The Knitting Olympics. "We couldn't be happier," Zander explained to the audience at Facebook. "For one cent per view, millions of targeted, potential customers viewed our video...And the best part? The conversions covered the majority of the cost of the campaign. Plus, we're getting closer to becoming a household name."
In her signature style, Zander captivated the audience by speaking from the heart and off-the-cuff. Attendees of the invitation-only event left the audience inspired and in high spirits. Caitlyn Meyer of Facebook agreed; of the well-received speech, she said, "Everyone felt like [Zander's] energy brought the other sessions that followed to life."
About Jimmy Beans Wool: Laura Zander aka "Jimmy" launched Jimmy Beans Wool with her husband Doug in Truckee, Calif. in 2002. The former software engineers from the San Francisco Bay Area sold coffee alongside yarn and knitting supplies in a tiny brick and mortar store (hence the Beans in the company name). The coffee side of the business faded, but the name stuck. In 2004, the company moved to Reno and currently has a 20,000 sq. ft. warehouse, 45 employees and an impressive online presence. Jimmy Beans Wool has been named one of the 500 fastest growing companies in the US by Inc. Magazine for more than 5 years running and currently does more than 8 million dollars in sales annually. Zander has been featured in Forbes and Octane Magazine and written several books. She has been invited to the White House, given a TED talk, taught celebrities how to knit at the Emmys and been invited to speak at Facebook. Jimmy Beans Wool strives to inspire their customers, vendors and employees to care, connect and create so that the industry, the craft and the business can continue to flourish and grow. For more information, visit JimmyBeansWool.com.
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