Running Retail SMM Case Study

Organic growth had plateaued across all three Outdoor Ventures brands (Running Lab, RL2 and Liv Activ) in both Singapore and Malaysia. Algorithm changes and rising competition were limiting visibility, and content engagement was weak, with audiences rarely interacting with or sharing posts.

The objective was to reposition Running Lab as the go-to destination for gait analysis and premium head-to-toe running gear. That meant re-engaging existing customers while expanding brand awareness to a new segment of runners aged 30 to 40.

As part of our social media ads services, we shifted the content strategy away from product-focused posts toward people, community, and content formats that consistently perform well across Meta’s platforms.

• Prioritised people-first storytelling. Ambassador features, community highlights, and runner stories consistently outperformed product-focused content. Five of the top seven posts featured people rather than products, so we increased the proportion of lifestyle-driven and community-based content.
• Focused on Reels and carousels. Performance data showed Reels significantly outperformed other formats, averaging 11,283 views compared with 5,557 for carousels and 5,181 for single-image posts on Instagram. We therefore shifted more Facebook content from static images to engaging video and carousel formats.
• Optimised posting frequency. Since Facebook contributed just 5.5% of total reach and 2.7% of overall interactions, we reduced publishing frequency from four posts per week to two or three higher-quality posts, repurposing the best-performing Instagram content for greater efficiency.
• Leveraged humour and trending content. The two highest-reaching posts both incorporated humour, while humorous content generated around three times more shares than traditional product posts. We continued producing relatable, trend-driven content that encouraged sharing and expanded organic reach.

Over the three-month period, the new approach pushed combined Facebook and Instagram reach past 845,000 people.

On Facebook, total reach reached 499,800 (465,066 organic), views reached 1,142,500, engagement reached 2,034, and followers grew by 238. On Instagram, total reach reached 345,200 (226,570 organic), views reached over 2 million, engagement reached 13,000, and followers grew by 2,313.

The strongest single post was a shoe comparison carousel that earned 9.2K engagements, 76.3K views and 46.5K reach on a spend of under $200. It worked because a question-based opener forced a pause, a curated lineup simplified choice and increased slide progression, clean visuals highlighted differences between shoes quickly, and a direct call to action told users exactly what to do next.

A second standout was a post-run hangout Reel set to an evergreen, nostalgic audio track. It felt real and unbranded, and because the algorithm read the audio as rewatchable, it pushed the Reel further. The sound carried the mood, viewers stayed longer, and the caption looped people in for the next session.