YouTube

The way people are watching media has been shifting. More and more people are choosing to cancel their cable TV subscriptions and are switching to other internet based platforms like YouTube. YouTube started primarily with user based content; however over the years companies have found that producing videos strengthens their brand. Videos produced should be focused on entertaining the viewer while informing them with valuable information about the brand. If done correctly, it is a great way to showcase the personality and feel of the brand. Vail and Aspen/Snowmass both make quality videos but there are a few things they should do to improve their reach.

Vail

When you first open up Vail's YouTube Channel a trailer video automatically starts playing. This is a great way to entice the viewer to stay and watch the videos. Unfortunately the video that is currently posted is over 10 months old. Vail needs to showcase a more recent video in order to keep viewers interested. Vail has plenty of content they produce regularly so changing the video to something more recent would be an easy and wise move. 

Vail currently has 1,727 subscribers 131 videos and 1,058,148 views. I personally believe this number is low and has huge potential to improve. Vail's videos are entertaining and informative and I found myself watching them for hours. The videos do an excellent job of showcasing the excitement and adventure that people will experience when they go to Vail. Throughout the videos there is a consistent brand image of the Vail logo in the top corner. There is also a consistent brand tagline at the end of the videos that reads "Vail, like nothing on earth". This is excellent brand marketing and consistently reminds the viewer of what they are watching. 

Vail also has many links to other social media outlets. As seen below there are links to Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Google Plus and Vail's Blog. This allows viewers to interact with the company on a closer or different level. In addition to providing social media outlets, Vail contributes to the YouTube community by subscribing to other relevant channels. By connecting itself with other channels and social platforms, Vail is extending it's reach to more viewers.

Aspen/Snowmass

When Aspen/Snowmass' YouTube channel is opened up the viewer first sees the cover photo and Aspen logo. They look fairly similar to that of Vail's home page. The next thing you will notice is the trailer video that begins to play automatically. Unlike Vail, this video is current and was updated only 6 days ago. The video has very cool graphics and immediately grabs the attention of the viewer. The title of the trailer video is "Aspen/Snowmass Presents 'Our Story'". The video informs the viewer that this is the first film in a series of 6 episodes that will be released throughout the year. It is a video campaign that is geared at telling 6 different stories of Aspen locals. The videos are looking to gain sentiment around the Aspen brand and portray Aspen in a positive light. 

The video series is an excellent way to improve Aspen's views and reach. Aspen currently only has 1,051 subscribers and 751,637 views. These numbers, like Vail's, surprise me because to videos are so well made and entertaining. Aspen needs to focus on expanding it's reach to more viewers. One way Aspen could improve its reach is by including more social media links on their channel. As you can see below, they only have links to their Twitter, Facebook, blog and website. Aspen has an Instagram and google plus profile and they need to add those links to this page the way Vail has. In addition to adding social media links, Aspen/Snowmass should subscribe to other channels relevant to their content. They are currently not subscribed to anyone which is hurting their chances of gaining more inbound links from other channels.

Vail vs Aspen/Snowmass

When comparing Vail and Aspen/Snowmass side by side on their YouTube channel, it is hard to see a big difference between them. They both have similar looking cover art and logos. They both make excellent quality videos that both entertain and inform. And they both produce videos regularly throughout the year. The differences between these two channels lays in the details. 

The first detail that differentiates these two is the ability to link and share to other social media outlets. Vail does and excellent job providing all of their platforms on their homepage. Viewers can easily navigate from the video to Vail's Facebook or Instagram to find out more information. Aspen however, leaves these links out. Aspen needs to include all platforms they are on in order to improve the reach of their videos like Vail. 

The second detail is also related to inbound links and the reach of the videos. Subscriptions are a crucial part of expanding the channels reach. Vail proves it's self superior at this detail as well. Vail subscribes to 7 other channels which allows for Vail's Channel to be seen and linked to from those other channels. Aspen fails at this by not subscribing to any other channels and thus makes their page more difficult to link to.

Finally, as mentioned before, both channels produce great quality videos. However, Aspen has taken a step in the right direction, in hopes of gaining more subscribers, by producing a video series. This video series entitled "Our Story" is a 6 part video series aimed at gaining sentiment. It is an extremely smart move to make it a series because by doing this Aspen is able to draw viewers back throughout the year. Current subscribers will gain more sentiment toward Aspen while hopefully sharing the videos and thus gaining more reach.

After comparing all aspects of Vail and Aspen/Snowmass' YouTube channel It is safe to say that Vail has a superior channel. Vail showcases all parts of their social media presence by providing links to other platforms. They produce quality and entertaining videos that inform viewers of events and activities throughout the year. Unlike Aspen/Snowmass Vail remains engaged in viewer comments by responding in a timely manner. Although Aspen has made forward progress by producing a video series, it has yet to pay off in the raw numbers of views and subscribers. Vail currently has the furthest reach but if Aspen/Snowmass continues to produce quality content and improves their presence on YouTube then I would not be surprised to see Aspens Channel to take the lead one day.