Ski resort guests are a diverse bunch, but they all have one thing in common: they love snow and winter sports. Despite their shared enthusiasm, a one-size-fits-all approach to marketing won’t appeal to every demographic. This is especially true for families. 

Taking the time to develop and execute a family-friendly marketing strategy is key to boosting attendance at your resort, but it’s equally important to use effective strategies that cater to families without alienating other customer segments. 

Family-Friendly Marketing 101

Families are different from other demographics because they include a mix of various individuals (men, women, teens, and kids) as a single unit. To make it even more challenging, family-friendly marketing campaigns should also avoid alienating or turning off other demographics (like athletes, college students, and couples). 

Here’s what to keep in mind when developing a family-friendly marketing plan:

1. Understand Family Needs

Parents deciding where to ski with their children and extended family members have unique considerations that differ from other demographics. Their top questions as they evaluate their options could include:

• Is the resort kid-friendly? 
• How safe are the slopes? 
• What types of kid- and family-focused amenities are available (like family-sized suites, childcare, and ski instruction)?
• What is the atmosphere of the resort? Is it a party destination, or a peaceful and relaxing environment that caters to people of all ages? 
• Are there activities aside from skiing that will interest children and seniors?
• Does the resort offer any family packages or pricing options to make the trip budget-friendly?

Understanding these needs can help you better evaluate your own offerings. For example, Keystone Resort bills itself as a playground for serious outdoor enthusiasts while also making it clear that there are activities for all ages.

2. Know What’s Family-Friendly About Your Resort

Look at your resort amenities and offerings, and determine what’s already family-friendly by considering:

• How well-maintained the slopes are
• Whether or not there is a separate area for beginners to practice skiing basics
• If there are equipment rentals tailored to different age groups 
• What types of childcare options are available
• What types of family-sized accommodations you offer
• If your event calendar features a variety of activities that can engage the entire family, regardless of skill level on the slope. Offerings could include ice skating, snow tubing, snowman building workshops, snowball fights, and other winter-themed events 
• Whether or not the resort offers affordable family packages

Knowing what types of family-friendly resort offerings you already have can help you highlight them in your marketing campaigns, and even hone your facilities and programming to better suit family needs. For example, Bretton Woods spotlights their annual Easter egg hunt on social media to appeal to families.

3. Create family-friendly content

Once you’ve taken inventory of the family-friendly offerings, amenities, and events you already have at your resort, you can begin creating content to highlight them. 

• Pepper photos of families and kids throughout your website and social media to subtly showcase a family-friendly environment. The previously mentioned Keystone Resorts landing page features a healthy balance of family photos while only mentioning “family” and “kids” in their copy a few times.  
• Create flyers and graphics specific to family-friendly events, like the previously mentioned Bretton Woods resort Easter egg hunt event shared on social media.  
• Feature family-friendly activities in your blog. For example, Ski Utah published a listicle to present the destination as a kid-, parent-, and senior-friendly vacation. 
• Leverage family and parenting influencers, and solicit reviews. Accounts like @thefamilyfreestylers share outdoor family activities to inspire their already established and engaged audiences.

Elevate Family-Friendly Campaigns With Power Marketing

Striking the right balance of family-friendly content can be difficult on its own, but even more so when it comes to leveraging it effectively. It’s important to have a marketing partner that’s skilled at executing both traditional and digital campaigns for a variety of audiences, including families. Power Marketing has decades of experience promoting some of the most renowned ski resorts and destinations in the U.S. If you want help creating your own family-friendly marketing campaign, get in touch with the team.