Los Muertos 5K is a fun run/walk event that celebrates Día de los Muertos with a vibrant, family-friendly course filled with altars, live performances, and meaningful community traditions. The race, held in Los Angeles, offers a unique opportunity for participants to honor loved ones, enjoy a beautiful route, and celebrate culture, music, and wellness.

September 1, 2024 – November 8, 2024

L.A. Social Karma was brought on to manage the social media presence for Los Muertos 5K during the three-month lead-up to the event. Our role included strategic content creation and publishing on Instagram and Facebook to raise awareness, boost race sign-ups, and foster community engagement. We actively managed both platforms by responding to DMs and comments to ensure participants and potential runners felt connected and informed.

In addition to the pre-race promotional efforts, our team provided live social media coverage on race day, capturing the energy of the event in real-time through posts and stories. We also engaged with and reshared user-generated content and answered all incoming messages to enhance the participant experience and build post-event momentum.

The overarching goal of our work was to grow the online community, increase registrations for the current year, and build long-term brand affinity that would carry into future race promotions.

Audience Growth
The Los Muertos 5K Instagram account saw a noticeable increase in followers, with a steady climb throughout the campaign. Net follower growth reflects strong interest and momentum as the event approached.

Content & Publishing
Over 270 posts were shared, with the majority being Reels and single photo posts. This high posting volume allowed the brand to stay top-of-mind, highlight event updates, and share participant-driven content. The use of video content proved particularly effective for engagement.

Engagement Rate
The engagement rate per impression was strong, placing the account in the mid-40th percentile among similar accounts. While slightly below the industry median, the rate shows consistent audience interaction and interest in organic content.

Top Performing Content
Reels focusing on swag reveals, inclusivity messaging, and nostalgic throwbacks generated the highest views and engagement. These content themes helped connect emotionally with the audience and encouraged shares and saves.

Hashtag Strategy
The use of niche and event-specific hashtags like #5kfunrun and #diadelosmuertos helped extend the organic reach and drove the most engagement, supporting visibility across a wider, relevant audience.

Stories Performance
While over 200 stories were published, engagement with stories leaned more toward views and forward taps rather than replies—highlighting their value for awareness over interaction.

During the campaign period, the Los Muertos 5K Facebook page saw steady audience growth and meaningful organic engagement. All impressions and video views referenced here are 100% organic.

Audience Growth
The Facebook page saw a steady increase in followers over the course of the campaign. While growth was modest, it reflected consistent interest as race day approached.

Content & Publishing
A total of 31 posts were published, with a focus on photo content and some video. This mix allowed for both visual storytelling and updates that kept the community informed and engaged.

Top Performing Content
Posts with race-day excitement, countdowns, and celebratory messaging (like the sold-out announcement) saw the highest engagement, especially in the final week of the campaign.

Video Performance
Nearly all video views came from organic reach, with over 90% of viewers watching at least part of the video and 40% watching through to the end—showing strong viewer interest in dynamic, race-related content.

The combined organic efforts on Instagram and Facebook played a critical role in building awareness, driving early registrations, and fostering a loyal community around the Los Muertos 5K brand.

Through consistent posting, community engagement, and real-time interaction across both platforms, the campaign kept the race visible and top-of-mind throughout the three-month ramp-up. Instagram Reels and posts helped showcase the energy, inclusivity, and spirit of the event—encouraging shares, saves, and follower growth. Meanwhile, Facebook served as a key channel for updates and participant engagement, especially in the final days leading up to race day.

Both platforms saw steady increases in followers and engagement, with high-performing content driving word-of-mouth buzz and excitement. The strategic use of hashtags, behind-the-scenes content, and timely responses to DMs and comments helped turn social media into a hub for community connection and support.

This organic momentum translated into early race sell-out, increased brand affinity, and a stronger foundation for future events—proving that thoughtful, community-first social media marketing can have a measurable impact on business outcomes.