Although this information does not take all airlines into account, the data collected is very impressive in favour of Social Media. Some points that stood out for me in this infographic video are as follows:
- 89% of all businesses in 2011 expect to engage in Social Media
- Delta tweets 63.9 times a day
- Delta was the first airline to allow ticket reservations and check-ins via Facebook
- 40% of airlines are actively looking to expand their Social Media teams
- Virgin America receive 96% positive opinion
Given the stress involved around flying and the need for instant gratification, social media serves as the perfect tool for real time communication with passengers. Airlines are dedicating resources to social media in two ways, an Integrated (internal) or Dedicated (hired) model and both are effective, but it is interesting to note that more social media staff does not mean more reach. Airlines who engage and collaborate with their audience through social media are more empowered to efficiently and conveniently monitor and improve their brand reputation. In a world of terrible call centers and long queues, social media is fantastic in allowing brands to respond to mentions immediately and we all know that people like to feel they have been heard.
Meet your customers where they are!
See an example of how
KLM responded via social media.
