The social media playbook that worked for ski resorts in 2022 is genuinely obsolete. Algorithms have shifted, attention spans have compressed, and the platforms that drive actual bookings have changed. The good news: what’s working right now is also simpler and cheaper to produce than the polished content budgets most resorts have been fighting to justify.
What’s Actually Working Right Now
Short-form vertical video is still king, but the content type that’s outperforming everything else is authentic, unpolished, behind-the-scenes footage. Powder morning grooming runs filmed from the cat. Patrol doing a control run at first light. A lift mechanic explaining how a detachable quad works. These posts consistently earn 3–5x the engagement of professionally shot marketing content because they feel real — and in a feed full of brand polish, real stands out.
Behind-the-Scenes Content Outperforms Polish
Resorts with the highest social engagement are posting content that their marketing agency would have rejected three years ago: vertical phone video, no color grading, natural audio. A 45-second clip of a groomer operator talking about the conditions at 4 AM gets more saves and shares than a produced brand video because it’s rare, specific, and human. Assign one on-mountain employee per department to capture one piece of raw content per week. That’s your social calendar.
UGC: Your Guests Are a Content Team
User-generated content from your guests is the most trusted content you can post — and it costs you nothing to collect. Create a resort hashtag, actively monitor it, and repost the best guest content with credit. Run a weekly “shot of the week” feature in your stories. After powder days, ask guests to tag you and pin the best to your profile. Resorts with active UGC programs report 40–60% lower content production costs while maintaining equal or higher engagement rates than fully produced content strategies.
TikTok vs Reels vs Shorts: Where to Put Your Energy
If your target guest skews under 35, TikTok is non-negotiable — the discovery algorithm still gives organic reach to accounts with small followings, which means a single strong video can reach thousands of non-followers. Instagram Reels is the best channel for 30–45 year old destination travelers who make purchasing decisions in-app. YouTube Shorts is lower priority for most resorts, but worth cross-posting to since it feeds into Google search and YouTube’s recommendation engine. The real answer: post the same vertical video to all three and let analytics tell you where your audience lives.
