This document provides a social media marketing plan for Naperville Running Co. It finds that the company needs to expand its social media presence, especially on LinkedIn and YouTube. The target audience is younger people aged 15-40. The plan is to increase brand awareness and draw more customers by better utilizing platforms like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Snapchat, YouTube and WordPress. The budget is $57,000-$60,000 annually. Key performance indicators include changes in sales, website visits, in-store traffic and social media followers/engagement before and after planned events.

1. NAPERVILLE RUNNING CO.
Social Media Marketing Plan
Alfred Chan, Connor Ritzi, Kyle Irvin, Jack Dee, Adrian Mungcal | Naperville Running Co.

2. Table of Contents
Executive Summary ………………………………………………………………………… 2
Market Description …………………………………………………………………………. 3
Company Review .…………………………………………………………………………… 4
Situational Analysis …………………………………………………………………………..5
Target Audience ……………………………………………………………………………....7
Social Media Marketing Objectives ………………………………………………………… 8
Social Media Marketing Strategy …………………………………………………………… 9
Social Media Marketing Tools ……………………………………………………………. 10
Implementation Plan ………………………………………………………………………...11
Measurement ……………………………………………………………………………….. 11
References …………………………………………………………………………………. 12
Alfred Chan, Connor Ritzi, Kyle Irvin, Jack Dee, Adrian Mungcal | Naperville Running Co. 1

3. Executive Summary
● Social Media Presence needs to be expanded, especially on already established sites
like LinkedIn and YouTube
● Our target audience consists of a large grouping of younger people (15-40), meaning
utilizing social media is very important to reach them
● NRC will expand their market from just the Naperville area to the Chicagoland area
as well to attract more customers in our target audience (decision based on lifestyle in
area)
● Social media sites like SnapChat and WordPress will also be incorporated to better
personalize the experience of those following NRC
● By increasing social media presence as well as better using sales promotions on social
media, we plan to ​increase brand awareness, draw more customers to the online site,
attract more people to our local events, spark an interest in running and fitness in
general, and build a personal connection with our customers
● NRC will hire a social media coordinator, as well as allow various employees access
to various social media accounts to ensure that NRC profiles are updated consistently
enough that consumers can engage easily with our company
● The budget would be $57,000 - $60,000 annually
● Most of the budget for the social media plan will go to hiring the coordinator and
throwing running events to allow for brand awareness
● Our focus will be primarily on zones social community and social publishing;
Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Snapchat; used to share content. Youtube, Vimeo,
Vine, and WordPress; used for informational purposes/content
● The company will measure a change in sales before and after the events, where there
will be heavy social media usage.
● The company will keep track of its social media presence; followers, likes, and shares
on each of the social media platforms.
● The company will measure the change in website visits after the events. Naperville
Running (company’s website will be heavily advertised)
● The company will measure the amount of in-store traffic after the events.
● Depending on the results, the company will adjust the amount of time spent on each
social media as needed
Alfred Chan, Connor Ritzi, Kyle Irvin, Jack Dee, Adrian Mungcal | Naperville Running Co. 2

4. Market Description
Naperville Running Company falls into the Athletic Shoe Stores industry in the U.S..
This industry includes retailers that primarily sell athletic shoes, such as running shoes,
basketball shoes and sneakers; these stores may also sell apparel. Stores that primarily sell
specialty sports footwear, such as golf shoes, bowling shoes and spiked shoes, are included as
part of the Sporting Goods Stores industry (IBISWorld). The major trend in the market now
is lifestyle shoes such as Nike Roshe Flyknit, Adidas Ultra Boost, and Puma Blaze Of Glory
Woven.
The Athletic Shoe Stores industry have a total of 1,723 businesses with $11 billion
revenue and a profit of $1.4 billion. There are three major players in the industry, Foot
Locker Inc have the largest market share with 40%, followed by Nike Inc. with 22.9% and
Adidas Group with 7.6%. The chart below shows the products and services segmentation:
Alfred Chan, Connor Ritzi, Kyle Irvin, Jack Dee, Adrian Mungcal | Naperville Running Co. 3

5. Company Review
Kris Hartner envisioned opening his own running store at the age of thirteen. He did
just that with the concept of community at its core and founded Naperville Running Company
in 2000. That foundation drives his mission to give back to the sport of running, while
fostering the close-knit running community that exists in Naperville.
Naperville Running Company is one of the most famous running retail companies in
the Naperville area, and one of the top 50 running specialty stores in the nation. They have a
total of two stores in the Naperville area, which are located on Route 59 in the southern
section of the city, and West Jefferson Avenue in downtown Naperville. Naperville Running
Company also offers an online shop for their customers to view/”hold” products.
Naperville Running Company offers a number of products: footwear, clothing,
outdoor gear, cycling, eyewear, running, electronics, climbing gear, health & personal care,
and gear from over 20 brands (Brooks, Nike, Mizuno, Saucony, Asics, etc.). They apply the
fixed pricing strategy for their products. Their product price range is shown below:
Naperville Running Company focuses on selling higher quality running equipment
with an emphasis on excellent customer service and advice from experienced runners. Their
goal is to find the perfect shoe that fits your needs to improve your running performance and
reduce the chance of injury, personalizing each experience and incorporating you in their
community.
Alfred Chan, Connor Ritzi, Kyle Irvin, Jack Dee, Adrian Mungcal | Naperville Running Co. 4

6. Situational Analysis
The following social media sites are those that are linked directly to their website, so each
profile should have something worthwhile on it, with a good amount of activity that allows
for a two-way communication between NRC and their current and potential customers.
Facebook​:​ ​https://www.facebook.com/Naperville-Running-Company-303621377008/
7,301 people like it: active since 2000. Their Facebook is their most used social media site.
They post about once a day, whether it be about an upcoming event or a picture of some of
the employees. It is well filled out and updated accordingly: their profile picture, comments,
top picture, and promotional deals are put on their profile consistently enough to show that
they are active on the site.
Twitter​:​ ​https://twitter.com/NapervilleRunCo
2,600 Tweets and 800 likes (shows a good amount of consumer engagement), 2,730
followers (good amount of consumers): active since March 2009. Their Twitter seems to be
about as active as their Facebook, just with less followers. Since we started our analysis, their
following has gone up by about 200 people, and their tweets have also increased by about
200, showing their activeness on the site has caused a larger viewership of their brand. Their
posts show that most content is created by the company, but they allow for engagement
through various photos showing their customers and others running at events.
Instagram​:​ ​https://www.instagram.com/napervillerunningco/
360 posts, 1,450 followers, following 97. They are still active on this site because they post
about once a day, but because it is a photo-sharing social media site, they could post maybe
twice a day, or just a couple more for each event to show how the customers feel. Compared
to Facebook and Twitter, Instagram seems to fall short, especially as far as sentiment goes,
because it doesn’t remind me of the familial/community feel that NRC stands by. They are
not following many people compared to the amount that is following them, which can mean
that there is not a large attempt to better engage their customers.
LinkedIn​:​ ​https://www.linkedin.com/company/naperville-running-co
82 follower, but their profile is not filled out at all (not even the website is filled in). Their
LinkedIn profile is as barebones as possible... not even the company information is filled out.
This social media site can be utilized best as a connector to professionals who want to
become engaged in the brand. Many of their customers make a higher income and tend to be
younger professional in some way, so they would most definitely have a LinkedIn account. If
they put more work into this site, they could better connect with all of their customers.
YouTube​:​ ​https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCw9NfLoEPQHI3wZv3w-ODpw
They have 7 subscribers, and only one video (Naperville Running Company-Our Story with
938 views). Their YouTube is just as informative and well put together as their LinkedIn
account. They should be posting videos more often to show how the store looks, what events
are like, and what their customers are doing; even just some motivational videos would be
helpful to this site because there is nothing on it. If you are going to put the link to any form
of social media, the site you go to should remind you of the company. In this regard, NRC
fell short for both YouTube and LinkedIn. Using these sites is an opportunity to better engage
Alfred Chan, Connor Ritzi, Kyle Irvin, Jack Dee, Adrian Mungcal | Naperville Running Co. 5

7. the customer and give them a better snapshot of what the company stands for and how they
feel about their customers.
Competition:
Competitive Foot store (closing soon), RoadRunner, DNA Athletics, Finish Line, Shoe
Carnival, Dick’s Sporting Goods, Sports Authority, Foot Locker
Although a majority of people go to places like Dick’s Sporting Goods and Sports Authority,
places like RoadRunner, DNA Athletics, and Naperville Running Company still have active
customers due to their various marketing strategies and personalization of their brand unlike
larger brands. Market share is hard to determine for a business like Naperville Running
Company on a large scale, so comparing the social media followings and reviews will help
greatly. Dick’s Sporting Goods, Sports Authority, Finish Line, and Foot Locker are retail
companies that have more than just a few stores, automatically showing their dominance in
most sports apparel and equipment markets. Naperville Running Company has better ratings
and more of a presence on social media than RoadRunner, DNA Athletics, and Competitive
Foot store. Market Share= CFs (2%) RR(6%) DNA(6%) FiLi(20%) SC(8%) DSG(19%)
SA(17%) FoLo(14%) NRC (8%)
There are other shoe-specific companies that also can potentially take some market share that
do not appear near Naperville; examples: Nike and Adidas
Strengths
Personalized customer service
Specifically running
Detailed and easy to navigate website
Two Naperville locations
Sell products directly to customers
Weaknesses
Higher prices than competitors
Heavily dependent on running
Little activity on some SM sites
Limited to the Naperville area
Opportunities
Customers increasing desire to stay
healthy/fit
Moving the advertising range further
outside of Naperville
Customers in the footwear industry are
loyal
Threats
Any competitors who have a location in or
around Naperville (especially strong brand
names)
Price competitiveness of retailers
Alfred Chan, Connor Ritzi, Kyle Irvin, Jack Dee, Adrian Mungcal | Naperville Running Co. 6

8. Target Audience
Determining our target audience was fairly straightforward for us. As a fitness
company we are generally targeting the younger crowd. This is fairly obvious just because
most young people tend to work out and care for their bodies much more than older
generations. We are looking for people who are active and put their fitness first. However,
this does not mean that we will only concentrate on this group, as we are primarily in the
athletic shoe business. Because of this we are able to sell to almost every age group (besides
very young children). Even though people ages 60 and up usually don’t go out for “an easy
10” they are still active and on their feet all day. Many of these people have medical histories
and are in need of good quality shoes to relieve their aches and pains, and they are willing to
pay top dollar for these. That brings me to my next demographic which is, income level.
Since we carry top of the line athletic shoes that need to be custom fitted we generally charge
around 100-120 dollars for a pair of shoes. Because of this we can generally only sell to the
middle income and up group. It would be unlikely that someone making minimum wage
would come into our store and drop $120 on some new shoes. While we wouldn’t turn them
away, we aren’t going to market towards that demographic.
Next, we plan on marketing to those in the Chicagoland area, mostly in the suburbs.
This is so because generally speaking those who live in the suburbs are more likely to have a
running lifestyle because they have more places to run as well as a better running culture. Not
to mention that many of the suburbs are relatively wealthy areas where people will be able to
afford our shoes. That’s not saying that there aren’t wealthy people in Chicago, there is just a
higher median income in many of the suburbs. I would say that Naperville itself is probably
our biggest focus though. As a small business we need to establish deep roots in our
community so that residents will continue to support us for years to come.
Since we are aiming towards a younger crowd (ages 15-40) coming up with a social
media strategy is a cake walk. We plan to hit up the major sites such as Instagram, Facebook,
Youtube, and Snapchat. While we intend to have a presence on all these sites, we will utilize
each of them in a different manner. For example, on Facebook we will make announcements
for upcoming events, using it almost like a billboard or informational site. Next, we will use
Instagram for motivational running posts as well as media from our events or possibly
advertising our new gear. Youtube is where we will post videos of our events so that people
can check out what we’re all about. Lastly, Snapchat will most likely be used at events as
well as in the store for customer interaction and daily updates. By using many social media
outlets in a variety of ways we plan to be able to interact with our customers on many
different levels, satisfying the needs of our 14 year old customers on Snapchat and Instagram
as well as our 40 year olds on Facebook.
Alfred Chan, Connor Ritzi, Kyle Irvin, Jack Dee, Adrian Mungcal | Naperville Running Co. 7

9. Social Media Marketing Objectives
We intend to increase the use of social media in virtually every way possible at
Naperville Running. We feel as though the store is currently vastly underutilizing its social
media marketing outlets. With a little help and direction they could get much more out of
their social media marketing campaigns. By beefing up their online presence we hope to:
● Increase brand awareness
● Draw more customers to the online site
● Attract more people to our local events
● Spark an interest in running and fitness in general
● Build a personal connection with our customers
I would say one of the main goals of our social media marketing campaign is to create
brand awareness. As a small company outreach is crucial for us, the more people we can
connect with the better. If we continue to build brand awareness it will attract more people to
our website which will hopefully motivate more people to come out to our events, whether
they be races or fun runs. Another goal that sometimes we forget to mention is our desire to
inspire people to run and to meet their fitness goals, that’s what it is all about. By building
people up and helping them to reach their goals we will create a personal connection with our
customers that will be hard to match by other companies in the area. To carve out a
permanent place with the citizens of Naperville we need to connect and grow with the people
of Naperville.
Alfred Chan, Connor Ritzi, Kyle Irvin, Jack Dee, Adrian Mungcal | Naperville Running Co. 8

10. Social Media Marketing Strategy
To maximize the publicity of Naperville Running Company, we came up with a
strategy for different type of social media platform that will able to meet our goal and balance
the numbers of posts at the same time so our customers won’t feel overwhelming and
consider us as a spam.
For social media platform like Snapchat, Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter, since
digital picture ads/posts are more likely to generate customers compare to traditional text
ads/posts, our strategy is to post a motivational quote with picture regularly with different
themes such as healthy lifestyle, latest sports news, etc every single morning by 8:00 a.m.,
also an update of our store at noon such as sales that going on, our new arrivals at the store,
and upcoming event. The advantage of posting regularly is once we posted consistently, we
created a rhythm and schedule for our customers, customers know when to expect a new
photo/update. Then we will set up a​ content calendar​ for our social media accounts. It will
do wonders for keeping things organized, and this can really make a huge difference for our
follower and like count because we are not keep posting similar picture/video everyday. With
our content calendar, we can have different themes every month or even every week so our
content will always stay creative and fresh!
For social media platform like Youtube, Vimeo, and Vine, our focus will be on
educational purpose. Since Naperville Running Company is a company that well known for
selling professional running gear and have employees that are well educated in the area of
running, the main content on video-based social media will be free online lessons about
running, such as how to prevent injury; how to identify running shoes that best fits you; cross
training; importance of being hydrated, etc.
Alfred Chan, Connor Ritzi, Kyle Irvin, Jack Dee, Adrian Mungcal | Naperville Running Co. 9

11. Social Media Marketing Tools
Our focus will be primarily on zones social community and social publishing. In
terms of the social community zone, we will use Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Snapchat.
This zone will be used to share content. Customers can see information about our company
and our products. Moreover, information about events can also be posted through this zone.
Also, information about sales and other promotions can be posted as well. This zone can also
be used to communicate with customers and stakeholders. Their opinions and thoughts can be
given to us and any concerns they bring up can be answered. Furthermore, pictures can be
seen through the social media to show customers enjoying their products.
In terms of the social publishing zone, it will be used to generate material to interest
customers. This zone will primarily use YouTube and Wordpress. Videos can display events
that are hosted by the company. Moreover, videos and pictures from stakeholders can be
made into a film to show other potential stakeholders. This can also be used to spread the
word of the story of the company. Moreover, our mission can be heard or seen through these
publishings.
Alfred Chan, Connor Ritzi, Kyle Irvin, Jack Dee, Adrian Mungcal | Naperville Running Co. 10

12. Implementation Plan
Naperville Running Company will hire a full time coordinator who will be paid
$31,000 annually. The coordinator will be in charge of the company’s social media accounts
at all times. The company will host events where social media will be highly encouraged.
Most of the events will be 5K races. Some of these events will be for charity. This will bring
good PR for the company which could also help social media presence, as that will be at the
forefront of these events.
At certain times, employees will be able to take control of some of the social media
accounts temporarily. This will give the company a fresh voice for the social media accounts
and give some variety to the accounts. This will occur frequently at the 5K events. There will
be heavy usage of Twitter, Instagram, and Snapchat due to the live update nature of those
social networks.
To run one event, it would cost about $3,000. This includes t-shirts, food/water, and
permits. The company would put on 8-9 of these events per year (about once per month
excluding the winter months). This will total about $24,500.
Most of the budget for the social media plan will go to hiring the coordinator and
throwing the events. In all, the budget would be $57,000 - $60,000 annually.
Measurement
There are several ways of measuring the effectiveness of social media marketing
plans. First, the company will measure a change in sales, whether it be an increase, decrease,
or no change. These will be measured before and after the events, where there will be heavy
social media usage.
Next, the company will keep track of its social media presence. This will include its
number of followers, likes, and shares on each of the social media platforms. These metrics
will again be measured after the company’s events.
Next, the company will measure the change in website visits after the events.
Naperville Running Company’s website will be heavily advertised during the events and on
each of the social media channels.
Finally, the company will measure the amount of in-store traffic after the events.
There are obviously no online tools to measure this kind of thing, so physical counts would
have to be made over a certain period of time in order to calculate an average number of
visitors.
Alfred Chan, Connor Ritzi, Kyle Irvin, Jack Dee, Adrian Mungcal | Naperville Running Co. 11

13. References
www.chicagotribune.com
IBISWorld
Naperville Running Company - ​http://runningcompany.com
http://www.runningusa.org/2014-state-of-the-sport-part-ii-running-industry-report?returnTo=
main&utm_source=Running+USA+wire+47-06-14&utm_campaign=wire+47++2014&utm_
medium=email
Alfred Chan, Connor Ritzi, Kyle Irvin, Jack Dee, Adrian Mungcal | Naperville Running Co. 12