The Transformation by the Numbers
What We Cut
• $15,000/month paid social spend → $0
• Instagram posts: -66% year-over-yearWhat We Grew
• Instagram engagement rate: +419%
• Instagram comments: +350%
• Instagram shares: +428%
• Website conversion rate: +38%
• Email revenue: +36.6% YoY
About Kate’s Real Food
Kate’s Real Food makes organic energy bars crafted with whole-food ingredients that deliver real energy for real adventures. Born in a Jackson Hole kitchen (because where else would you create the perfect trail snack?), Kate’s has grown from local cult favorite to national distribution—all while staying committed to ingredients you can pronounce and adventures you won’t forget.
Their bars fuel hikers, climbers, skiers, and weekend warriors who read ingredient lists. These are people who care about what fuels their bodies and which brands earn their loyalty.
But the organic snack bar market? Crowded doesn’t begin to cover it. Between established players plus dozens of new launches every year, everyone’s claiming “clean ingredients” and “adventure ready.” Kate’s needed to break through without breaking the bank.
The Challenge
Ready to scale strategically without scaling spend
Kate’s came to us with solid fundamentals. They were posting consistently, creating beautiful content, and showing up for their audience. Their products were gaining distribution. Their community was engaged.
But they faced a common growing brand dilemma: their paid social spend ($15K/month on Facebook and Instagram) was delivering diminishing returns, and they suspected their content strategy—while consistent—wasn’t working as hard as it could be.
What they wanted:
Stronger brand differentiation – Stand out in a saturated market by fully capturing Kate’s unique voice and outdoor lifestyle positioning
Better ROI on marketing efforts – Reduce paid spend dependency while maintaining or growing engagement
Deeper community connection – Move beyond surface-level engagement to build a community around shared values
Integrated strategy – Connect social, email, and website efforts so everything worked toward business goals
Proof of concept – Show that organic strategy could deliver measurable business impact
They weren’t looking for someone to just “manage their social.” They wanted a strategic partner who could help them scale smarter, not just bigger.
The Plot Twist: We Did Less to Achieve More
Most agencies would have told Kate’s to post more, boost more, and increase ad spend to fight the algorithm. We went the opposite direction.
Our recommendation:
Eliminate paid social spend entirely
Drastically reduce posting frequency
Make every remaining post strategically valuable
Why? Because we’d seen the data: Kate’s wasn’t suffering from too little content. They were drowning in it. Their audience didn’t need more posts—they needed better posts. Posts worth stopping for. Posts worth sharing.
The result? By posting 66% less and cutting all paid spend, we grew engagement by over 400%.
Our Approach
Quality over quantity: building a social strategy that earned attention
We started by asking what Kate’s needed to accomplish—not what the latest social media guru said they should do.
The insight: Kate’s doesn’t just sell energy bars. They sell a lifestyle and values their customers already embody. Our job was to reinforce that connection with content that mattered, not just content that filled a calendar.
What we did:
Strategic Content Framework (Not Random Posting)
Built five strategic content pillars, each aligned to audience personas and brand goals:
Real outdoor adventures showcasing Kate’s connection to the community they serve
Product benefits in authentic use contexts (actual trail snacks for actual trails)
Behind-the-scenes storytelling reinforcing brand values and ingredient commitments
Community spotlights featuring real customers and their adventures
Value-driven content—tips, inspiration, and ideas that served the audience beyond selling
Every post had a purpose. If it didn’t serve a strategic goal, it didn’t get posted.
Audience-First Strategy
Defined and prioritized key personas to guide all content decisions:
Outdoor enthusiasts seeking authentic adventure fuel
Health-conscious snackers who read labels
Busy professionals needing grab-and-go nutrition they can trust
This wasn’t demographic targeting. This was psychographic understanding.
Multi-Channel Integration
Social content driving traffic to strategic website pages
Email campaigns reinforcing brand messaging with engaged subscribers
Cross-channel alignment supporting product launches and sustainability messaging
Everything working together instead of existing in silos
Community Engagement Over Broadcasting
Shifted from one-way content pushing to two-way conversations:
Responding authentically to comments and messages
Sparking genuine discussions about shared values
Highlighting real fans and brand ambassadors
Building belonging, not just awareness
Performance-Driven Optimization
Monthly data analysis informing every content decision
Tracking what drove real engagement vs. what just filled space
Doubling down on what worked, cutting what didn’t
Every post aligned with measurable business goals
The bottom line:
We maintained Kate’s authentic brand voice while applying strategic discipline to content planning. We weren’t just creating posts for the algorithm—we were building a digital ecosystem that strengthened community and drove business results.
Real engagement isn’t just likes and comments. It’s building relationships that translate into website visits, email signups, and purchases.
The Results: When Strategy Beats Volume
By eliminating paid spend and posting 66% less frequently, Kate’s achieved results most brands can’t hit even with daily posting and hefty ad budgets.
The Efficiency Story
Investment changes:
Cut paid social spend from $15,000/month to $0
Reduced Instagram posting frequency by 66% year-over-year
Generated significantly higher engagement with a fraction of the content
Return on strategic investment:
Engagement rate grew 419% without paid amplification
Organic reach expanded substantially with fewer, better posts
Content resonated deeply enough to drive shares up 428%
Social Media Performance (September Year-Over-Year)
Instagram:
Instagram became a powerhouse for community building. The engagement rate climbed 419% as content resonated with outdoor enthusiasts seeking authentic brand connections. Not bot engagement. Not engagement pods. Real people genuinely connecting with content.
Comments increased 350% and shares jumped 428%—proof that people weren’t just passively consuming, they were actively participating and amplifying Kate’s message to their own networks.
Even organic engagement metrics showed strong growth, with organic engagement rate up 27.5% and total organic engagements up 37%—demonstrating that strategic content earns reach even without paid amplification.
Facebook:
Facebook saw parallel momentum: overall engagement rate up 132%, comments up 35%, and organic engagement rate growing 57%. Total organic engagements increased 49% year-over-year.
Turns out when you create content that resonates with your community’s values, both platforms reward you.
Website & Revenue Impact
Strategic social content drove measurable business results:
Website performance:
Conversion rate increased 38%—more visitors taking action, signing up for emails, exploring products, not just browsing
Total online orders grew 1.7% with average order value up nearly 1%
Returning customer rate climbed 8%, proving we weren’t just attracting one-time buyers
Email marketing:
Email became a significant revenue driver. Attributed email revenue jumped 36.6% year-over-year and 66.1% month-over-month.
Total website sales increased 2.2% year-over-year during a period when many direct-to-consumer brands struggled.
The Bigger Picture
Beyond the metrics, Kate’s is now positioned as a trusted voice in the outdoor and natural foods communities. That brand equity will continue driving growth long after individual posts disappear from feeds.
They proved you don’t need constant posting or massive ad budgets to build a meaningful brand presence. You need strategy, authenticity, and content that serves your community.
What They’re Saying
“Working with V9 has been incredibly positive. Not only are they kind, responsive, and collaborative—but their work yields results. They’ve helped us increase engagement and develop an airtight social strategy that is helping us build our brand.”
— Brittany, Kate’s Real Food
Ready to Rethink Your Social Strategy?
Kate’s Real Food proves what’s possible when you stop chasing algorithms and start serving your community. No growth hacks. No viral tricks. Just strategic thinking, authentic content, and a partner who cares about business results.
If you’re tired of the “post more, spend more” hamster wheel and ready for social media that drives real growth, let’s talk.
Services:
Organic Social Media Strategy | Social Media Community Management | Email Marketing Strategy | Integrated Digital Marketing
