In marketing we sometimes try too hard with our content. We try to create stories or orchestrate narratives. We think this is what’s required to make great stuff. To be fair, sometimes it is.

But a resort is a living, breathing thing full of authentic, fascinating stories all around you.

Which means that sometimes creating great content is as simple as pressing “record”. Or, in Dustin Schaefer’s case at Loveland, hitting “broadcast” in the Periscope app.

Along for the Ride
Loveland, like so many resorts will be doing in the coming months, was making snow. They had guns blazing all the way down to the base. So Dustin pulled out his phone and it went something like this.

It opened with a shot of a Polecat running and Dustin talking about how their snowmaking is going. He’s trying to get a ride to the top. It’ll take a Ranger to get halfway and then a snowmobile after that.

The next thing we know he’s running into the shed to grab something…

…before running back out and jumping onto the Ranger.

They almost don’t make it up a steep section of the service road.

But within a few minutes Dustin has jumped off and is waiting for the snowmobile.

He jumps on.

And rides by snowguns pumping out the white stuff as they make their way to the top.

Where a snowmaker is checking snow quality.

And adjusting guns.

Hundreds of people are watching.

And Loveland gets thousdands of hearts (Periscope’s “like”) along the way.

For ten minutes, hundreds of people from all over the world are snowmakers, they’re employees helping turn fall into winter.

But that’s not even the best part.

Time vs Benefit
With every piece of content there is a cost vs benefit balance that must be weighed. It’s why Whistler can afford to create a 30 minute movie while I’ve recommended (more than once) that small ski areas just take an Instagram photo every morning, autoshare it to Facebook and Twitter, and call it good for social/content.

In that context, I want you to think about how much time this took to create. Dustin was already out taking pictures (in fact he stopped mid-broadcast one morning to snag a few shots). Even if he wasn’t, a few minutes to put a coat and boots on and he’s ready.

He walks outside, pushed “broadcast” and goes. And that’s it. The content is captured, formatted, and distributed in real time. Hundreds of people go along on an immersive experience into ski resort operations, and the second he hits “stop”, he’s done.

As simple as…
So, yes, plan out and create great content. Yes, orchestrate narratives that dig deep into the brand you’re trying to sell.

But don’t overthink it either.

Technology has made it so sometimes the best content is a simple as a 10 minute trip outside of your office where you can tell the stories that are happening all around you.

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.