First Class Social Media Marketing For Airlines

The airline industry is more competitive than ever and full of companies trying to find ways to stand out. Like most other industries, airlines are getting more creative with how they advertise their brand on social media in an attempt to attract new customers and generate brand loyalty. 

Like most businesses, airlines recognise how much they are competing with for people’s attention. Airlines already use social media to connect with their customers and answer questions. Now they’re also using social platforms to strengthen the trust between the consumer and their brand. As large corporations, airlines have the opportunity to use the resources at their disposal to create real fans with their customers. 

Let’s look at some of the ways airlines are getting creative to stand out on social media.  

Content that takes your audience on a journey

To connect with your customers or attract new ones, it comes down to sharing inspirational and relatable stories. Airlines have the opportunity to connect with people from all over the world across their social media platforms. They’re doing that by creating a brand voice and story that their audience resonates with. 

We work with China Airlines AU to grow to raise awareness about their destination-oriented brand and tourism routes. We helped launch and now continue to grow their Instagram account by building awareness around the amenities that they offer on their flights and the destinations Australian travellers can get to, via Taipei.

Even using just statics, their carousels come to life with vibrant imagery, natural scenery and overlapping graphics. Their tone of voice is kind and inspirational, just like the creative.

China Airlines grow their accounts by sharing updates featuring useful, relevant information to their audience demographics. We consistently split test ad elements to find the highest performing, for example using imagery of the on-board experience v destinations, CTAs such as Book Now v Learn More and the inclusion of specific journey information such as ‘Experience Taiwan’ v "Melbourne to Taipei."

A top post recently was this Kengo Kobayashi video above. This video performed well as it was engaging, informative and inspiring. The copy addressed the audience through rhetorical questions and had a strong call to action which encouraged them to click through.

Showcase employees 

Every year on National Burger Day, Virgin Australia surprises passengers of the Sydney to Ballina flight with a burger day celebration featuring delicious Ballina Burgers for the entire plane and airport arrival team. 

In 2019, we helped Virgin Australia capture the fun in action and turn it into a campaign to share across social media. The video of the National Burger Day crew surprise garnered 280k views and 9k likes and added some light-hearted whimsy to their brand on social media. 

According to a study by AdWeek, airlines can almost always count on their content being favored if it features their employees or crew members. They found clear patterns in the engagement and content themes among Delta Airlines’ social media posts. 

Image via Adweek

This is one of Delta’s most highly engaged Facebook posts, which features a Delta employee who began as a maintenance worker and later became a pilot in 1976 and retired as Delta’s longest-serving captain.

Showcasing the staff, crew, and even customers in their social media campaigns make airlines feel more human. Instead of asking people to connect with the airline as a company, they are creating stories that allow people to connect with other people through the airline. 

Offer excellent customer service on social media 

No one wants to hear that their flight is canceled or find out their luggage is missing. During times of distress, travellers often turn to social media to voice their frustrations and try and find information. With all of the competition among airlines, customer service -- especially on social media -- has become a crucial part of an airline’s social media strategy. Instead of interacting with customers on a private phone call, airlines are interacting with their customers in front of their entire audience. 

The last thing an airline wants to be known for is being rude to their customers on social media. Since social media is so public-facing, airlines need to have a clear strategy for addressing concerns of the customers on social media. 

This strategy can involve having a specific team dedicated to managing customer service requests on social media, or even an entirely new account for customers to reach out to for help. Virgin Australia has a dedicated team that responds to inquiries on Twitter through the official Virgin Australia Twitter account. The team members who respond to each question sign the tweet with their initials. This lets the customer know that there is a person behind the screen there to help them. 

In addition to responding to questions or issues, Virgin Australia also takes the time to respond to positive feedback too. Highlighting happy customers on social media is great for brand building and building social proof. 

On Twitter, AirAsia has a specific @AirAsiaSupport Twitter account, in addition to their official account, that is specifically for helping customers via Twitter. 

Social media also makes it easier to solve problems quickly. They can easily direct people to address their issues or disseminate information about flights. Airlines can also use social media to proactively prepare people for new rules, procedures, or tips for flying. Seeing updates from the airline can put nervous travelers a bit more at ease. 

Most industries use social media trends to grow their following and introduce more people to their brand. When airlines take their social media strategy up a notch by creating a unique voice and sharing their story, they create a more memorable experience for their audience.