Southwest Airlines, JetBlue and Delta are jumping onto the social media marketing bandwagon in hopes of capturing more market share and reaching a wider audience . Airlines are striking up online conversations with tools such as Twitter and Facebook to keep customers actively engaged with their latest promotions, handle venting and complaints publicly, and improve customer relations overall.
Airlines are wholeheartedly embracing the world of social media by creating interactive blogs and registering Twitter accounts so that they can improve their public relations efforts.
Some are taking things to the next level by creating highly targeted niche communities around a specific group of travelers. American Airlines, for example, will be launching a social network called BlackAtlas.com next month, which is designed specifically for African-American travelers. This site will include user-generated content and feature active bloggers who are sharing their travel tips and insights from their individual perspective.
Other airlines are cultivating relationships in a more traditional way by launching videos and webisodes on their websites, updating a corporate blog, and having celebrity spokesmen write different types of blogs for their target market. The ultimate goal is to attract new customers and retain loyal customers by keeping everyone in the loop about the latest news and updates, sending out special programs and incentives, and building long-term relationships.
Branded communities are the next step for many companies who want to be more involved with the online conversations that their customers are engaged in on a daily basis. These communities offer more value for the company than a social-network site because they are designed around a specific travel topic or activity. Airlines are among the leading travel industry professionals that are tapping into the social media realm and benefiting from improved customer relations overall.
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