Endurance Sportswire Executive Interview Series – Big Run Media’s Meaghan Murray

January 10, 2019

Not only is Big Run Media an uber talented and fast growing marketing firm entrenched in the endurance sports industry, the founders also own and operate the well-known website Believe in the Run, the go to authority for unbiased running product and race reviews.

Endurance Sportswire had the opportunity to speak with managing partner Meaghan Murray about best practices, how they have helped organizations rise above the noise,  and how their site Believe in the Run plays into the future of the company.

Q. For those who aren’t already familiar with your agency, tell us a little bit about your offerings and some of the clients you work with?

A. Here at Big Run Media, we work with races, events, and active lifestyle brands to build community and drive awareness and registrations. We work with endurance events all over the country ranging in sizes from 2,500 to 25,000. Since we’re a full-service digital marketing agency, anything a race director needs, we can do. We work closely with our clients to perfect everything they need to reach more participants, including social media, Facebook and Google advertising, influencer programs, graphic design (including premium and medal design), and email campaigns. We’re all athletes at Big Run Media and we love what we do. 

Q. Rumor has it you and Thomas are known as the team that get s%^t done. How did you get that reputation? 

A. It’s true. Thomas and I worked together at a social media software company several years ago and upper management dubbed us the “GSD” Team. What it comes down to is that we’re both extremely driven and get excited about the work we do.

Q. Can you share with us one of your recent campaigns and how you helped the client?

A. Definitely! Over the Holidays, we ran several campaigns for clients utilizing organic social, paid media, email, etc. They were all successful, but one, in particular, was a campaign that tiered savings over several days. We used Facebook to target users outside of our core audience, then followed up again with a retargeting campaign. We saw conversion rates of $1.25 to $4 per $90 – $110 registration. Even with the promotional discount, the return on investment was outstanding.

Q. What are some of the biggest mistakes you see companies make when it comes to their online marketing strategy? 

A. I can’t tell you how many times we’ve searched for races to run ourselves, clicked over to the event’s Facebook page, and were horrified. Oftentimes, we’ll hear race directors hire an intern or friend that has a “popular Instagram” account to run their digital marketing or try to manage their social pages themselves. The end result is a schizophrenic brand and a race that looks lame. You have to build trust with the running community. Quality marketing and organized social will help runners feel confident in registering for a race. Who wants to run a race that looks like they don’t have their act together? If you want to be successful in today’s market, you have to provide a great experience. The experience starts the first time a runner comes in contact with your brand, and online is usually that first touch.

Q. When it comes to social media trends and offerings, what are you most excited about today?

A. Every day is exciting in this space. The capabilities and offerings change so rapidly, that we’re constantly learning and updating our tactics and strategies. In the endurance space specifically, I’m excited to see how the race day photography and media sharing capabilities continue to expand. People want to share their race day experience, and the easier we make that, the happier runners will be and the more exposure the event will have.

Q. Tell us about Believe In the Run and why it has become such a popular site for runners? 

A. Believe in the Run was started 10 years ago as a passion project. Today, it’s one of the top running websites, with a focus on running shoes and gear reviews. I think people are drawn to our unfiltered, authentic content. Every contributor on our team is passionate about running, the gear, and races. We want to provide honest reviews that are also a little edgy and fun, because sometimes people take running a little too seriously. But we do too, so maybe it’s just serious fun.

Q. How do you plan to integrate Believe in the Run into your agency offerings and what types of clients will benefit most?

A. Between website visitors, Facebook and Instagram audiences, we’ve garnered a huge, super engaged group of athletes. We’re still finalizing all of our offerings and packages, but it will include website banner ads and sponsored social posts. This will benefit any race looking to expand their reach and awareness. The athletes visiting our site and engaging with us on social are avid runners, looking for the best gear. These are motivated buyers and we’re offering access to them.

Q. Congrats on your great new hire! What will he be working on and can you share with us what we can expect from Big Run Media in 2019?

A. Thanks! We’re super excited about Robbe Reddinger coming on board. He’s a highly motivated, smart, runner that will be helping us with several initiatives in 2019, one being what we just talked about – leveraging the Believe in the Run brand and audience for our Big Run Media clients.

In 2019 we’ll be expanding our offerings which will allow us to help more races of all sizes. We love the endurance space, we want to see it continue to grow, and we expect to be a big part of that.