“As a lover of simplicity, I like to highlight resort marketing that is both effective but incredibly simple in execution. This is one of those examples.”

When you ask someone about their retirement plan, they may mention their 401k contributions or IRA. Yet, look closer, and a 401k is not just one “thing”, it’s a combination of dozens, maybe hundreds of small, unique investments designed to yield a positive return.

I think we use the word “marketing” in a similar way, as if it’s a singular object.

Instead, marketing is made up of dozens, if not hundreds, of small initiatives which, combined, will bring about a positive result. Much of marketing isn’t taking giant steps forward, but rather small steps to incrementally improve each of those small initiatives or adding new ones to the mix.

Wallpaper Wednesday
TWsnow has been doing their weekly “Wallpaper Wednesday” for a while now. Perhaps influenced by Adam Hawes (who was at TWsnow for a while), Northstar has done the same.

So, thinking back to the first principle, how do you get someone to download and use more of your wallpaper images on their computer or smartphone?

If you ask Squaw, the answer might be to simply add a little bit of extra value to these images. In their case, by adding a monthly calendar.

Instead of just being a wallpaper, it’s also a calendar. This gives some people an extra reason to download and, after a few weeks, a reason to download another one to replace it.

Expectations
Will it double their sales overnight? Of course not, but that’s not how marketing works. It’s the many, small things that add up.

Like me, those who download these wallpapers may only see these images twice a day – once when they turn on their computer and again when they turn it off – but it’s the aggregation of many tiny initiatives that keep your brand, and it’s message, at the top of their mind: a powerful ally when they’re ready to plan a ski day or vacation.

Any small thing that can increase downloads helps move you closer to that goal. The Calendar may not help, only the number wills tell. But it’s the idea, the principle, that I like.

About Gregg & SlopeFillers
I've had more first-time visitors lately, so adding a quick "about" section. I started SlopeFillers in 2010 with the simple goal of sharing great resort marketing strategies. Today I run marketing for resort ecommerce and CRM provider Inntopia, my home mountain is the lovely Nordic Valley, and my favorite marketing campaign remains the Ski Utah TV show that sold me on skiing as a kid in the 90s.