Overview About Viral In Nature

We had the honour of being nominated for Customer Service Excellence for the Calgary Chamber of Commerce Small Business Week Awards.

“In the space of a single season, we have become social media leaders in the ski industry,” says Don Beaulieu, Vice President of Sales, Marketing, Sponsorships & New Business at Sunshine Village Ski and Snowboard Resort. “That is a big deal because this industry takes its social media savvy seriously. We are proud to have an engaged community that believes in our brand and who are ambassadors for the Sunshine Village experience. We had a strategic focus to create a highly innovative campaign that sparked engagement, while at the same time produced tangible results in a sales-oriented environment.” The social media campaign included: Facebook advertising, a Ski The Day Before We Open Twitter contest, an opportunity for Sunshine Village fans to name the terrain park or become Sunshiner of the Day and have their photo placed as the Facebook page banner image, and the use of Google+ streaming video to showcase the Spring Concert Series and Slush Cup. “Our social media team implemented some forward-thinking initiatives that enhanced our community engagement and we are thrilled to be recognized for these accomplishments,” says Beaulieu. “The Travel Alberta Alto Awards have established themselves as the definitive benchmark for highlighting industry success and we are honoured to be nominated in the Marketing Excellence category.”

Two years removed from a major social media fail, Sunshine Village really gets it. With 51,000 Facebook fans, 15,000 Twitter fans, 302,143 YouTube views, and 1,500 Google+ followers, Sunshine is doing a lot right. Any social media channel they are on, they optimize and use it to the fullest. And in all instances, Sunshine shows off its snow with rulers and familiar or funny objects. Two years removed from a major social media fail, Sunshine Village really gets it. With 51,000 Facebook fans, 15,000 Twitter fans, 302,143 YouTube views, and 1,500 Google+ followers, Sunshine is doing a lot right. Any social media channel they are on, they optimize and use it to the fullest. And in all instances, Sunshine shows off its snow with rulers and familiar or funny objects. On Facebook, Sunshine posts often and uses lots of brochure-quality images, spanning across the entire newsfeed on their page. It uses eye-catching graphics and treats the page with the same care and attention that they would a glossy brochure. When not posting new images, the area posts videos—mini movies that seem carefully thought out, yet spontaneous at the same time. And the cover photo features a “Sunshiners of the Day.” Plus, the area takes advantage of every Facebook app space to promote or encourage a purchase. —S.R.

Sunshine got clobbered on Facebook in 2011, so it was heartening to see it learned its lesson well. Sunshine’s “Ski the day before we open” Twitter draw could only be won through participation, and as a result it had a very strong viral component. From moments after the launch until the drawing of the 20 winners’ names, Sunshine was trending in Alberta on Twitter. Sunshine used the promotion to tout the Sunshine-Marmot discount cards, and invited media to join the winners. The end result was a huge jump in Twitter followers, 500 entries, a seven percent increase in Twitter followers and Facebook fans, a great news story for the media pre-season, and 20 advocates who had a fabulous first day. The resort now is among the leaders for both social engagement and growth—that’s quite a turnaround.—M.R.