By now, you know my feelings on Pinterest. It’s a crazy popular site that has hoards of people sharing highly visual stuff. Some of my concerns (privacy policy, income level) have started to change already. Not that I’m suddenly advocating suddenly creating a page, but my heart is starting to soften.

Recently, I stopped by the site and, hoping to see what was really working, click on the “popular” link. The themes were pretty clear:

1. Food
2. Fashion
3. Cute Animals
4. Quotes

Now, Food is certainly one many resorts could capitalize on, though it’s not clear whether all the pins you could potentially receive would do nothing more than inspire people to try to create their own version of your meals in their kitchen. Fashion, probably not the best fit for the ski industry. Cute animals can provide exposure to resorts as Ratatouille proved. Then there are quotes.

The Sap Factor
To be completely honest, most “inspirational” quotes make me gag. They are just a little too sappy for my liking. Like this one from that same Pinterest visit:

“Nothing is impossible, the word itself says ‘I’m Possible’!”

Actually, most things are impossible unless you’d like to demonstrate the proper way to eat a Volkswagen in the next five minutes. So, personally, I don’t care for quotes. The thing is, in this sense I am the polar opposite of most people.

Take for instance this blog post that is nothing more than a compilation of 50 cliches that were overused a decade ago. I fully expected the author to get lambasted in the comments section for the sap factor. Instead, the readers ate that stuff up with a spoon.

People Love Quotes
So, I don’t care for quotes, but most people do, and that, in the end, is something I like to know as a marketer. I wonder what would happen if those resorts that are actively using Pinterest gave their photos a little boost by adding quotes to the image.

On the image of someone getting some early corduroy turns, I’d use a quote like this:
“If you keep doing what you’re doing, you’ll keep getting what you’re getting.”

Next to a smiling person on a lift, something like this:
“Do what you love, not what you think you’re supposed to do.”

Beside a massive mountain vista:
“What lies before us and behind us are tiny matters when compared to what lies within us.”

A Little Something Extra
I don’t know if it would make a huge difference, but it’s clear that Pinterest users love quotes and, as it stands, more resorts simply aren’t getting many repins and likes. Maybe combining skiing with what is popular on the site might give your efforts a helping hand.

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.