Run Ink offered maps for over 200 different races, from 5ks to Ultramarathons. Our products were drop shipped via POD suppliers. Over the years we partnered with different races such as The Chicago Marathon. The maps were sold both on our Shopify, Etsy, and Amazon shops.
In early 2021 I sold Run Ink and look forward to seeing where the business goes next.
outcome
marketing
Customer Research, Continuous Marketing Calendar, Partnership Outreach, Social Media
design
Website, Marketing Collateral, Product Design, and Email Blasts
business
E-Commerce store creation, Business Strategy, Pitch Decks, Business Sale
In a world of bib holders and race jackets, it was hard to find well-designed art for marathon runners. Something so monumental as training for and running 26.2 miles deserved to be beautifully commemorated. In 2015 I started personalizing my travel prints for marathon runners, the popularity exploded and Run Ink was born.
challenge
Run Ink
Branding
The running community sometimes feels infinitely hopeful and positive - a good crowd to be around. I wanted Run Ink's branding to feel poppy, bright and uplifting.
Product Design
In 2019 we began offering a wall calendar full of inspirational running quotes. I also added stickers and a poster of maps of all the World Major races.
All products were Print-On-Demand and dropshipped: I didn't have to worry about excess inventory or shipping.
Run Ink started with personalized maps for a few big races. I then added a custom option that allowed us to do personalized maps for any race, as well as grow our template library. The races came in two design templates, when COVID hit and all races were canceled, we began offering a special design for the virtual races.
I then expanded into mugs and personalized holiday ornaments.
I loved the idea of a race chart and created a large USA poster that runners could write a race stat for each state and pair it with a sticker to mark its location.
next
The Run Ink website paired my product photos with that of our customers. Customers were able to shop by location or race type. On each product page, they were able to complete fields that we used to personalize their orders.
Website
The running community is all over Instagram, and that is where I focused our efforts. I had a consistent marketing calendar that didn't just focus on us posting images - but also cheerleading our followers on as they competed.
Social Media
