This was published 8 years ago
Snow-cial wars: Ski resorts turn to social media to attract skiers and snowboarders
By Rachael Oakes-Ash
It is hard to have a ski season without snow and even harder to generate hype on social media without it. Australia's ski resort social media types started the season struggling for images to post that didn't include gravel, rocks and mud. There's only so many angles you can capture a snowmaking gun from.
Lucky for the social media world the snow finally came, and then kept on coming, turning a dire season into a bumper one and taking the Spencer Creek natural snow level from zero three weeks into June to 135 centimetres come mid-August.
Contrary to popular social belief it's not the images of skiers and boarders bursting through a white room of powder or launching themselves off a snow covered cliff or getting air in the terrain park that tickles the average social community member.
Social media can be intrinsic to a ski resort's success.Credit: Alamy
The most shared, liked and commented images on Facebook and Instagram this season are simple shots of groomed snow, snow falling from the sky, kids in the snow and even a kangaroo.
As anyone who works with social media knows, it is not how many people you have in your community it is how active that community is that counts. You could have a gazillion friends and if none of them are liking, commenting or sharing your work then you may as well go home.
On Facebook Perisher has more than 89,000, Thredbo 80,000, Hotham 38,000, Falls Creek 60,000 and Mount Buller 72,000 in their communities. But Falls Creek leads the engagement factor this past week with more than 14,000 engaged, Perisher more than 10,000 engaged, Thredbo 5500, Hotham 3400 and Mount Buller 1700.
In terms of ratio that puts Falls Creek at No. 1 with 23 per cent engagement, Perisher 11 per cent, Hotham 8.9 per cent, Thredbo 6.8 per cent and Mount Buller 2.3 per cent.
Confused? Don't be. It's all about "reach" and how much reach your social media posts can give you once your community shares, likes or comments so that their community can then see your community.
Still confused? Let these images do the talking.
This image of a skier jumping a road gap was posted by Hotham on July 19 and has been the most liked and shared within the Australian ski resort community so far this season. Not bad for the resort with the smallest community.
One of Perisher's most successful Facebook posts was early on during preseason when its snowmaking was at its premium and an early snowstorm delivered some photographic fodder.
The native wildlife at Mount Buller provided the fodder for their most successful Facebook post this season thus far when this kangaroo stared down motorists on the way up to the resort.
Falls Creek resident photographer Chris Hocking handles the resort's social media account that traditionally leads the Australian ski social media world. He is known for his falling night snow imagery but it is the traditional snow-covered cars that won Falls Creek its best engagement yet for 2015 in the first week of August.
Thredbo scored more than 100,000 views of this video it posted on Facebook on July 14 after the first major storm of the season. Just some kids, some fresh snow, some snowboarders riding the pow and some blue sky. Pretty much what everyone wants on their ski holiday.
Which resort do you think is winning the social media wars this season?
Instagram2Win a ski trip to Whistler
We've partnered with SkiMax this season for the annual #misssnowitall Instagram competition. You could win seven nights for two at the swanky Fairmont Chateau in Whistler, plus lift passes for two people at Whistler Blackcomb for six days and return flights for two from Sydney to Vancouver, thanks to SkiMax.
Just tag your winter-inspired Instagram pics #misssnowitall #skimaxholidays to enter. We'll publish five finalists each week, with one winner at the end of the season. See this week's top entries in the gallery at the top of the page.
The Fairmont Chateau in Whistler.
Pro photographers can win a Sony 4k action cam with helmet side mount and board mount valued at $697 (they are not eligible for the Whistler prize) by tagging their pics #misssnowitall #skimaxholidays #pro. We'll choose one pro shot a week as a finalist with one overall winner at end of season.
The Sony 4k action cam.
Click here for competition terms and conditions. See the latest entries below.
Follow on Instagram and Twitter @misssnowitall
See also: Ten ways to tell you're a snow addict
See also: Who has the best snow – Australia or New Zealand?
Follow on Instagram and Twitter @misssnowitall
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