Marketing Reimagine // Deadstock Climbing
Started by two lifelong climbers & outdoor route developers, Deadstock is the supplier of some of my personal favorite products. The company is a labor of love and psych, a side quest to supply excellent pre-loved climbing holds and top of the line climbing products. The only roadblock? It’s a new company and establishing itself as a niche within a niche.
Seeing so many possibilities, I had an afternoon of free time and gave myself a hypothetical challenge. How would I reimagine Deadstock Climbing’s Marketing?
The hypothetical goal? Promote the sales of high-end climbing training products and pre-loved holds by leveraging social media (instagram). Use social media to find high-quality leads and drive traffic to the website and convert.
the before
As of April 2025:
10 posts
108 followers
Website traffic & purchases primarily from word of mouth
the after
The vision:
Maintain Deadstock voice and brand identity as a climber-centered, quality-first business focused on carefully crafted training tools for high-performing athletes
Showcase values of being rooted in sustainability, responsible sourcing, and climbing hold reuse & recycling
Create brand recognition with central theme elements to anchor social media, but maintain play & creativity of a “brand-less” small business
Social media should be a mix of curated brand elements while also showcasing the everyday use of product
the social strategy
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Utilize social media as lead generation targeting climbing home wall owners, small gyms needing climbing holds, and climbers looking for high-end climbing training products.
Goals
By October 2025: Audience of 2,000 followers on Instagram of high-quality leads
By December 2025: Audience of 2,500 followers
By April 2026: 1% conversion rate of followers to purchase, 6% audience growth per month, high engagement on posts
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Focus on highly engaging content, building out content calendar for 4-6 weeks out allowing for strategy pivots if engagement is low.
Per week: 1x short reel, 2x static posts, 2x stories with product and clear CTA
Follow similar accounts and businesses that overlap in niche
Utilize collaboration posts to broaden reach
Utilize monthly targeted ads through Meta Business Suite to target climbing gym users in local area
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Giveaways (deadstock stickers)
Share user-generated content several times per week
Guest posts with similar brands or climbing athletes
Account “takeovers” with high-profile Deadstock athletes
Post series of educational content around climbing