So if you’re making all that effort to direct people there, you’d better make sure it looks good, right?  After all, you never get a second chance to make a first impression…

1. Set up a bespoke landing page
If you don’t have a landing page set up already, then new visitors will arrive to your Wall and you will have missed out on a great opportunity to make a dramatic first impression on them.  With the use of a simple app and a small change to your permissions, you can deliver a much more compelling reason for potential new fans to ‘like’ you there and then.

Landing pages can be all styles.  Here’s a couple we have created, plus another one of our favourites:

2. Think about your Profile Image
This is the main image on the left hand side of your Page and a key opportunity to establish your branding and positioning.  The full space available is 540 x 180 pixels, although it isn’t necessarily better to use it all.   The design should also take account your thumbnail (see below). The examples here show how both full size and reduced can still work well:

3.  Choose your own Thumbnail
The Profile Picture thumbnail is the image that appears next to all of your posts on Facebook.  It’s a chance to put your brand’s logo in front of thousands of people.  So don’t waste it and accept the Facebook default, which will select a thumbnail based on your Profile Image that will rarely be the best option.

4. Select your own user name
It amazes me how many businesses choose to accept the default option they are given rather than choosing their own. Embedded as a link it doesn’t make any difference, but try fitting http://www.facebook.com/pages/VERBIER-St-Bernard/118134771485 on a business card…!

5. Curate your Photostrip
Facebook pages can select the five images that appear at the top of their page, although the order they appear will always be random.

This offers another interesting opportunity for additional branding.  When done well, the Photostrip can create a stunning page design.  Certainly at the very least, the photos appearing should be curated, rather than relying on the most five recent photos (the default option).

For a full audit of your Facebook presence…
The above is a simple introduction to Facebook. Skipedia can advise and develop a social media strategy specific to your requirements. Simply contact us and we’ll get back to you promptly.

skipedia.co.uk

But while there are many more users of Facebook, there are still over 200 million active users on Twitter.

So if you’re not already using Twitter for business, here’s five simple tips to help get you going:

1. Use Hashtags
This ugly term simply means including the # symbol with a word you think might be relevant to your Tweet. For example #ski or #meribel or #italy. The reason for this is that some Twitter users will be following all Tweets using certain hashtags, meaning you can increase the reach of your Tweets.

2. Keep it short
Although you can include up to 140 characters in a Tweet, it is better to use less. The primary reason for this is to make it easy for your Tweet to be Retweeted (forwarded on by another Twitter user) without any editing. Depending on your username, around 120 characters is optimal.

3. Target influencers
Not all Twitter followers are equal. Identify key journalists and influencers and follow them. While they may not follow you back, there is a reasonable chance they will. They will then start receiving your Tweets.

4. Monitor
Do your own following. Follow relevent hashtags for your industry and your brand to see what’s being said in the Twittersphere. There will be opportunities to join in with conversations.

5. Experiment
There is no magic right number of Tweets per day. Nor is there a perfect time of day to Tweet. You will have to experiment. Try out different styles and timings and see what works for your audience.

The above is a simple introduction to Twitter. Skipedia can advise and develop a social media strategy specific to your requirements. Simply contact us and we’ll get back to you promptly.

skipedia.co.uk

With the first snow on the floor in Scotland, and the Scottish Ski and Snowboard Show coming up this weekend, we thought it was time to follow up and see how the situation had changed.

The Top 5 Scottish Ski Resorts on Facebook

1. Glenshee Ski Centre – 4782 fans (was 4875)

2. Nevis Range – 3031 (2838)

3. Glencoe Mountain Resort – 2777 (2525)

4. The Lecht – 1407 (1351)

5. Cairngorm Mountain – 997 (379)

Changes…

Although the order of the resorts has not changed, Glenshee’s friend count has surprisingly decreased, while every other resort has increased their numbers. Possibly a result of being stuck with an ‘individual’ profile rather than a ‘Page’ profile?

Cairngorm were on an individual profile, but have shifted to a new Page. The Lecht seem to have an identity crisis. The link from their website to Facebook goes to a page with 88 fans, even though there is another apparently official page here.

Glenshee still has more Facebook fans than Val d’Isere…but only just!

Glenshee still has more Facebook fans than Val d’Isere, but only by six (4782 v. 4776).

BTW Aviemore and the Cairngorms has a Facebook page with almost 5689 friends, but it’s broader than just snowsports, so it was excluded.

skipedia.co.uk

This end of season event sees competitors take a rare chance to hoon from the top of 1650 to the bottom as fast as they dare go in a ‘Chinese’ downhill.

Starting at 2500m and dropping to 1600m, it’s not always the fastest descent in the world, but for the amateurs it’s one of the few times you can reach top speed without worrying about taking out a ski school group!  It’s a truly thrilling experience that Skipedia highly recommends.

Health and safety fears led to it being mothballed for a few years (the lip at the Bel Air restaurant has claimed a few victims), but recently it’s been back, and hopefully to stay for many more years.

Le Derby du Roc Merlet 1995

Thanks to the Courchevel Enquirer for their help in putting this article together.

skipedia.co.uk