夜色视频

When Alaska Airlines rolled out its free inflight access to popular messaging apps like iMessage, WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger, it did it with flair.

The airline created the  (now running through Manchester, U.K. instead of Moscow) on its A350s. It crafted a curious  checking in to and boarding a flight; the airline shared it on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

Social Listening is Key

Content like Alaska and Singapore Airlines鈥� speaks to brands鈥� massive efforts to connect to consumers in a meaningful way. There鈥檚 more to it than making a cheeky ad or social post and hoping it gets shared, though. This is where social listening comes in.

According to , 鈥淪ocial listening is the process of tracking conversations around specific phrases, words or brands, and then leveraging them to discover opportunities or create content for those audiences.鈥�

鈥淥ne of the most important things an airline can do is have quality social listening mechanisms and software in the marketing/social media department鈥�, says Regina Luttrell, associate professor of public relations and social media at Eastern Michigan University and author of Social Media: How to Engage, Share, and Connect.

鈥淚t is vital in this day and age to know who is re-tweeting something, who is sharing an image, who is commenting and who is direct messaging,鈥� says Luttrell, who has worked with several Fortune 500 companies.

To do this effectively requires some effort on airlines鈥� part, of course. As Luttrell details, 鈥淐ompanies that have the resources should have a digital command center in which approximately 7 to 10 big-screen monitors are connected to a server and broadcast what is happening on the different platforms.鈥�

鈥淚n addition, if an airline runs a television ad, the team is able to see what is happening across the social media channels and the company鈥檚 website. This live social dashboard allows the team to see how many people access the website while engaging through social media channels,鈥� she continues.

Cathay Pacific does a tremendous job in utilizing social listening to better understand its customers. The managers of the airline鈥檚  frequently retweet relevant and interesting information, which lets existing and potential customers know that they are aware of the world around them. The airline also makes use of the #LifeWellTravelled hashtag, inviting Twitter users to tweet about their travel experiences. The airline makes a point of replying to people who tweet at them in a timely fashion, whether it鈥檚 to respond to a complaint or enjoy a moment with the tweeter.

Turning Engagement Into Money

It鈥檚 all well and good to have social marketing campaigns that tap into the broader conversations customers are having, as well as current events 鈥� but how do airlines get a return on their social media investment?

鈥淚n a tightening economy, businesses need to make sure that they鈥檙e getting a return on their marketing investment,鈥�  in the Journal of Database Marketing & Customer Strategy Management.

As Fisher notes, it is difficult to measure the value of social media and its return. Yet it鈥檚 also true that social media is a hugely powerful force when it comes to cultivating a positive brand sentiment 鈥� and how people feel about a company often informs whether they are likely to be a customer in the future.

鈥淎 customer is worth far more than their initial spend with your company: you need to factor in future purchases and the influence they may have through social media,鈥� Fisher continues in the ROI in social media: A look at the arguments journal article.

The travel business in particular benefits from developing customer loyalty 鈥� and ultimately long-term relationships 鈥� with its clientele, and a smart social media strategy here can go a long way on this front. To this end, Luttrell says companies should stick to the 80/20 rule. As she , 鈥淭he premise behind the 80/20 rule is to post content that is relevant to your audience at least 80 percent of the time. That means content explicitly about your company or products should be posted no more than 20 percent of the time.鈥�

In short, Luttrell tells 夜色视频 Avionics, 鈥淒on鈥檛 inundate the social media channels with promoted sales opportunities or coupons that come across as artificial in nature.鈥�

That means picking your sales opportunities wisely. Singapore Airlines recently : 鈥淚s your power adapter ready for your vacation? Travel adapters are available for sale on the KrisShop onboard!鈥� with photos related to the correct adapter. This is a good opportunity to generate ancillary revenue, but as Luttrell mentioned, it鈥檚 important to choose your sales pitches wisely. The majority of Singapore Airlines鈥� tweets are links to blog posts about travel destinations and other value-added content relevant to its customer base. It publishes these articles on the website of its proprietary travel magazine, .

Ultimately, the dynamism of establishing a two-way relationship, in which the consumer finds enjoyment in following the brand鈥檚 social media channels, allows for a good value proposition to take shape.

鈥淗aving a blog like this develops the conversation in an organic way,鈥� Luttrell says. 鈥淚n addition, the effective use of hashtags unifies a conversation and illustrates how social media effectively operates.鈥�

Delivering Content to Travelers

In addition to its inflight magazine, Singapore Airlines also has a standalone SilverKris app. For passengers who don鈥檛 want to get a special app just for the magazine, the airline also allows passengers to download editions of the inflight magazine as well as a suite of other publications with the main , which was developed by 夜色视频 Avionics.

鈥淎irlines have a huge following because of the nature of frequent flyers and repeat customers,鈥� Luttrell says. 鈥淪howing passengers inflight what鈥檚 trending before they arrive to a particular destination enables airlines to be the guiding light that consumers trust, especially when it comes to hub centers of airlines.鈥�

The Singaporean airline also delivers advertising and branded content via its seatback and mobile entertainment system, along with its premium entertainment offering that includes movies, games and its SilverKris travel content. Because of the physical placement of seatback IFE screens and the omnipotence of mobile devices, a multi-pronged delivery strategy aimed at engaging an already captive audience can help airlines to generate greater ad revenues and to develop fruitful partnerships with complementary brands.

Use Your Network

A company that not only nails its social media strategy, but also offers top-notch service to back up its hype, will often attract brand evangelists. These travelers can become 鈥渋nfluencers鈥� 鈥� people who use their own social media presence to boost brands. This is a whole other genre of marketing called , which embraces the notion that people like to receive word-of-mouth recommendations before they spend their money.

As social media management platform maker Hootsuite wrote late last year: 鈥淵ou probably know that word-of-mouth is one of the most valuable forms of marketing out there: It鈥檚 been shown to influence . After all, potential customers are much more likely to be receptive to recommendations from a person they respect and trust than to ads or other corporate messaging.鈥�

Luttrell suggests using frequent passengers as influencers to help brand and market the airline. 鈥淲hile an effective social media strategy in house is extremely important, using people who fly on the airline for their own specific purpose goes a long way in driving the conversation,鈥� Luttrell says.

This drives home the point that engagement has to be a two-way street in today鈥檚 online world 鈥� meaning that brands have to care just as much about the individual consumer as the consumer cares about the brand.

鈥淩etweeting or liking posts by passengers resonates loudly because it shows the airline cares about its customer base,鈥� says Luttrell. 鈥淲hen that happens, then the branding takes care of itself and it ultimately 鈥� and positively 鈥� affects the bottom line.鈥�