I wanted to analyze which ski resorts had the most social media engagements in Colorado. I decided to find the top 5 ski resorts that were the most successful among their winter sports community. My plan of attack was to search for which ski resorts had the most followers on three different social media accounts: Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube. Through these media vehicles ski resorts are able to reach their communities easily.
Top 5 Ski Resorts Utilizing Social Media:
- BreckenridgeTwitter: 51.8k & 9,480 tweetsFacebook: 168,877 page likes & 95,129 people talkingYouTube: 455 videos, 3,592 subscribers
- VailTwitter: 50.2k & 8,196 tweetsFacebook: 193,738, 6,750 reviews 298,642 people have visited & 86,507 people talkingYouTube: 274 videos, 4,774 subscribers
- Aspen SnowmassTwitter: 41.2k & 12.7k tweetsFacebook: 94,687 page likes & 90,7011 people talkingYouTube: 320 videos & 1,722 subscribers
- KeystoneTwitter: 40.6k followers & 8,360 tweetsFacebook: 127,034 page likes, 6,806 reviews, 331,820 people have visited & 95,413 people talkingYouTube: 509 videos & 2,235 subscribers
- Beaver CreekTwitter: 31k followers & 3,059 tweetsFacebook: 80,464 page likes & 90,691 people talkingYouTube: 244 videos & 1,121 subscribers
I dug a little deeper to figure this out, and I looked at three forms of digital advertising of various ski resorts in Colorado. First, I based the top 5 ski resorts with the most engagements based on three Twitter characteristics: number of followers, number of tweets, and what they tweet about. From these results I put the ski resorts in the order of first to fifth. Next, I looked at Facebook page likes and how many people were talking about the resort. I also analyzed that some sites had how many people have visited their resort. Not all resorts had this content, and I would recommend that they post this because friends on Facebook can communicate to each other and see which of their friends have been there. They could go another step by asking that friend how their experience was via social media. Reviews and how many people have visited the ski resort shows credibility, and people can leave reviews if they had a great experience. Lastly, I looked at the number of YouTube videos and how many subscribers each resort had. Most of the videos promoted the resort and showed the unique physical features of their resort. This way avid winter sports lovers are able to see the slopes.
Breckenridge is the #1 ski resort in Colorado utilizing social media and digital advertising. With over 50,000 Twitter followers, 168,977 Facebook page likes, and 3,592 YouTube subscribers they are competing at the top and giving their followers a place to communicate with each other while keeping them updated. They only come second in number of tweets behind Aspen Snowmass but still maintain to have more followers. This is because they tweet every several hours on weather conditions. Having the highest numbers on social media accounts there is no doubt they should be at the top because they keep their followers involved and wanting to be social.
From my research I found that social media accounts correlate to each other, if people on Facebook like your page they would most likely be willing to follow another form of social media such as Twitter. On Facebook and Twitter videos can be posted by fans and followers to advertise their thrilling experiences out on the slopes. Also followers are able to stay updated on special events and activities happening at the resorts, and latest ski industry conversations. Relating to the winter sports lovers, ski resorts make them feel they are involved in the conversation.
A special shot-out to Breckenridge Ski Resort for utilizing social media and sharing this video of POWDER from their YouTube channel because anyone that has gone skiing knows this fluffy stuff is awesome!! Hope you enjoy!
