Been a while

Well, it's been a while. The time spent at Attitash left little or no time for my own thoughts and written wanderings but now, as I make changes and prepare for a move and a new beginning somewhere close to my heart, perhaps it's time for a few more musings.

Social media is now the thrust of one's daily work in the ski/ride resort world for so many reasons it's hard to list or quantify them all.

For me, the most important aspect of social media is "virtual listening." Fans and friend in the social media world all have their own needs, wants and concerns and too often, resorts are unable to resist the temptation to reply quickly without really spending the time it takes to understand those needs.

Yet, without doing so, how can resorts fairly and fully address the expectations their fans and guests have of them?

Listening is the key to everything. It's the hardest part because you really have to apply yourself and think long and hard. It's easy to post video, photos and whatever other content is interesting to you or which you feel is useful to your brand.

When a guest has a concern, don't settle for the face value of what you see or hear. Delve deeper and expect that others may have the same or similar concern. The more who feel that way, the more impact your "answer" will have. Place yourself in their shoes, if only for a few minutes. Ask questions and develop a rapport. Engage and give of yourself and of your resort. In the long run, the feeling you show will be communicated to your guest or fan and believe me, it will be appreciated.

Social media is not about clicking buttons or adding content, although quality content matters. It's not just about your message or your sales pitch.

Social media is about the results of what you say and do and HOW you say or do things.

Transparency is a good thing. Social media is a critical communication tool that brings good things to the forefront and communication is about listening and the efforts that follow.

Have a great day, month and season...and stay tuned in for more musings and ramblings about subjects which are, hopefully, germane to the world of skiing.