Not too many years ago, dozens of resorts had “Photo of the Day” traditions. Most of these were pre-social media, but still were able to generate a big wave of visibility for each through prominent placement on websites and emails.

Fast forward to today you’ll find Alta and Jay Peak are part of a tiny group that are leaning on this strategy going into 2022.

Which, honestly, kinda surprises me.

Benefits

It surprises me because when you think about the benefits of this, it’s a brilliant way to check a lot of really important boxes.

#1) Quality over Quantity
The focus on a single photos means that photo has to tell a great story. This baked-in need means that instead of ending the day with a handful of average phots, you’ll more likely to end the day with at least one incredible shot.

#2) Aligns with Frequency on Most Channels
And when you consider how the posting frequency of most resorts has settled around a daily update on channels like Instagram (using stories to fill in other details along the way), one photos is often all you need (though other photos could also sit behind the top pick in a carousel).

#3) Builds the Library
But the thing I love the most about this is that by sticking with the tradition for a full season (or beyond), you’ll end up with a library of photos that will give you a head start with that next website redesign or print campaign. Because not every day is a powder day, finding one great, visual story each will generate a nice, diverse collection of snowmaking, blue sky, lifestyle, groomer, etc.

Let’s look at some highlights from both resorts to show how this quality + variety comes together.

Alta

Take any snapshot of Alta’s archive and you’ll see exactly what I mean. Virtually every type of photo has been capture in the space of just a couple weeks. Powder shots, wide views, smiling people, lifts? Yes, yes, yes, and yes.
https://www.alta.com/photo-of-the-day

Jay

The same goes for Jay’s. Indoors, outdoors, stormy, sunsets? Yes, yes, yes, and yes. And, again, because the burden of the content strategy is born by a single photo, it’s gotta be a good one. And, time and time again, it is.
https://jaypeakresort.com/resort/photo-day

Beautifully Simple

If you’re ever overwhelmed with coming up with a content strategy or if you’ve ever been underwhelmed by the asset library you had to work with for a major project, I think a photo of the day strategy is absolutely one to consider.

It’s simple, packs a meaningful marketing punch, and, like writing in your journal every day or going for a jog each morning, is a fun combination of satisfaction and storytelling that can quickly turn it into more of a fun habit than a tedious chore.

Kudos to Jay and Alta for their work on this one, and if you hear of any others out there please let me know. I’d love to see.

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.