Nowadays, social media marketing is an essential aspect of a broader marketing strategy. Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Linkedin have entirely changed the way marketers reach their audiences.
But to design your strategy it is essential to understand which social media platform is suitable for your marketing strategy.
The first objective of social media marketing is about increasing brand awareness, therefore creative valuable content is an effective way to appeal to new audiences.
Instagram makes it exceptionally easy to reach new audiences.
"Instagram marketing is no longer something to consider — it’s just something to do. It comes with the job now. Those who understand this are no longer asking themselves WHY they should do it, but rather HOW they should do it correctly in order to get the results they want", Iconosquore. Instagram Marketing Trends and Benchmarks Report 2019.
Instagram was founded by Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger in 2010 as a social networking app, a visual platform, primarily for sharing images and videos. Users can create a free profile with a unique Instagram handle where they can share photos and videos with their followers. They can also follow users who post content that is relevant to them and interact with other users’ profiles by liking or commenting on their content.
Social media is about building an online community. The Instagram community is a mix of people and businesses from around the world who come together to share their passions and to be inspired.
Since its foundation in 2010, the platform has steadily grown into one of the biggest social networks. 1 billion monthly and 500 million daily active users access the Instagram app globally. At 1.386 billion (in terms of potential ad reach) Instagram is ranked as the 4th most popular social network by the number of users. In front are Facebook 2.85b, YouTube 2.29b, and WhatsApp 1.6b (source: backlinko).
1 billion Monthly Active Users (MAUs) access the Instagram app globally. These are registered and logged-in users who visit Instagram’s App or web application within 30 days from the date of measurement.
28.88% of the world’s 4.8 billion active internet users regularly access Instagram.
26.3% of the world’s 5.27 billion active mobile phone users access Instagram.
30.94% of the world’s 4.48 billion active social media users access Instagram regularly.
17.54% of the world’s 7.9 billion population uses Instagram monthly.
Instagram’s monthly user base is the same as the total population of Europe and North America combined.
500 million Daily Active Users (DAUs) access the Instagram app globally. These are registered and logged-in users who visit Instagram’s App or web application every day. This means that globally 1 in 8 people with mobile internet access it at least once every 24 hours (source: backlinko).
As the platform has become more accessible to the world with new features like instant translation, Instagram has seen some impressive growth.
Instagram users are heavily engaged with the content posted on IG. Users interact with content by liking, commenting, and sharing at a much higher rate than any other platform. When compared to the engagement rates of other social networks Instagram blows the competition away. Instagram boasts a 2.3% engagement rate per follower, while Facebook is a distant second at 0.2% per follower with Twitter coming in third at 0.03% (Source: PIXLEE).
Instagram provides travelers with a memorable experience through visual storytelling. It also provides tourists a place to share and find out about their passions. In fact, 48% of Instagram users use the app to find new travel destinations and places to explore.
Instagram’s geotagging feature allows users to explore a destination by taking a view of the Top and all the Recent posts shared. By simply clicking the geotag, Instagram users get useful information and an unfiltered perspective of what it’s like to visit a destination.
Insta tourism, also known as Instagram tourism, is a new form of tourism that has emerged as a result of the broad use of Instagram by travelers. IG tourism enables Destination Marketing Organizations (DMOs), Destination Management Companies (DMCs), and individuals to promote or research travel opportunities.
All these facts explain why Instagram is becoming an increasingly influential marketing tool in the tourism industry. Its potential for tourism destinations is definitely overwhelming making clear that if you are in the travel and tourism industry, you must set up an Instagram account and include it in your next tourism marketing strategy.
Ski Resorts are harnessing Instagram’s power in two different ways:
Directly publishing and promoting their ski resort and
Encouraging sharing of pictures and videos by visitors.
There are 11 ways you can connect with your audience on Instagram, and marketers who use all, or most, of these features generally do better on the app (Social Media Examiner):
Instagram Feed Posts
Instagram Stories
Instagram Highlights
Instagram Guides
Instagram Reels
IGTV Video
Instagram Live
Instagram Shops
Instagram Ads
Instagram Direct Messages
Instagram Comments
As Instagram continues to add features, Ski Resorts must evolve their content strategies or risk getting left behind. In-feed booking, carousel multi-image posts, Instagram Stories, swipe-up web links, and robust advertising options have all been powerful assets to tourism destinations, offering more ways to reach and engage travelers.
The Top 30 Most Popular Ski Resorts (updated 31.10.2023)
Ski Resorts that are Killing it on Instagram by number of Followers
Mammoth Mountain (USA) @mammothmountain 586,207
Whistler Blackcomb (Canada) @whistlerblackcomb 360,971
Vail (USA) @vailmtn 340,979
Zermatt - Matterhorn (Switzerland) @zermatt.matterhorn 329,011
Banff Lake Louise (Canada) @banff_lakelouise 328,170
Breckenridge (USA) @breckenridgemtn 312,148
Aspen Snowmass (USA) @aspensnowmass 305,111
Val Thorens (France) @val_thorens 215,088
Valle Nevado Ski Resort (Chile) @valle_nevado 199,565
Chamonix-Mont-Blanc (France) @chamonixmontblanc 199,227
Cerro Catedral (Argentina) @cerrocatedralok 195,913
Cerro Chapelco (Argentina) @cerro_chapelco 195,320
Keystone Resort (USA) @keystone_resort 185,896
Telluride Ski Resort (USA) @tellurideski 185,823
Copper Mountain (USA) @coppermtn 180,392
Courchevel (France) @courchevel_officiel 169,630
Park City (USA) @pcski 168,492
Grandvalira (Andorra) @grandvalira 154,141
Saalbach Hinterglemm (Austria) @saalbach_com 138,781
Sölden (Austria) @soelden.official 137,235
Nevados de Chillán (Chile) @nevadosdechillan 135,987
Val d'Isère (France) @valdisere 125,587
La Plagne (France) @la_plagne 122,916
Alta Badia (Italy) @alta_badia_official 122,426
Tignes (France) @tignesofficiel 117,699
Ischgl (Austria) @ischgl_com 115,723
Perisher (Australia) @perisher_resort 113,050
Thredbo Resort (Australia) @thredboresort 112,260
Cerro Castor (Argentina) @cerrocastor 110,883
Las Leñas (Argentina) @laslenasresort 104,972
Create unique and memorable brand content and start inspiring your followers!
Get inspired by learning from the competition. This article aspires to be a first step in the right direction.
