Social media is no longer the “new” thing, especially for airlines. JetBlue has over one an a half million followers on Twitter. Lufthansa allows passengers to update their Twitter or Facebook status about where they are in the sky. AirAsia drives buzz about its new destinations through custom micro-sites. However, most airlines (and airports and hotels) are still struggling to earn direct revenue from their social media efforts.
Yet if Dell can make $6.5 million from Twitter, why can’t airlines? Here are five ways that social media can directly drive dollars for airlines (and other travel companies, like hotels).
1. Clear Distressed Inventory on Twitter
United Airlines recently launched Twares, where it clears off seats for the upcoming weekend every Wednesday and Thursday. JetBlue’s Cheeps program works along similar lines. All it takes is to create a separate fare category in the revenue management system for such deals and have one person put them out on Twitter, once or twice each week, after looking at how full the flights are.
Of course, you have to set clear expectations with your followers that the account will only be sending out deals, and is not a customer service vehicle.
Ultimately, using real-time platforms like Twitter helps the airline circulate cheap fares and get people to fly more often, or even for the first time. Hotels could similarly post unfilled room inventory on Twitter. Ultimately this fills up the planes and hotels and drives more revenue.
2. Infuse Social Media Reviews Into the Booking Engine
For airlines, leveraging reviews correctly requires integrating them into the booking path when a person is searching for flights, especially at the point when the potential customer is most likely to convert into a sale -- similar to how many airlines integrate selling travel insurance.
The critical factor here is to be transparent about where the reviews are coming from. They shouldn’t look made-up at all. Stating that reviews come from a source like TripAdvisor or Skytrax only further establishes trust.
3. Integrate with Social Media Travel Applications
It’s important to remember that social media is always about relationships first.
A good example of relationship building is Lufthansa’s MySkyStatus, which allows you to share your location with your Facebook and Twitter friends during the flight. Right now, it’s not generating any revenue for Lufthansa, but if they integrate a field to input a passenger’s frequent flyer number, they might be able to mine the data for some unique insights. However, right now, they're concentrating on building a relationship with passengers through social media, not hammering them with ads.
It is important to always set the right expectations with your fans or followers on what you’re going to be doing. If you’re only selling seats or rooms, let them know. If you’re providing customer service, let them know that, too.
More business resources from Mashable:
- Social Media Marketing: How Pepsi Got It Right
- How Social Media Helps One Small Business Connect with Fans
- 5 Ways Small Businesses Can Avoid Social Media Panic
- HOW TO: Implement a Social Media Business Strategy
- The 10 Stages of Social Media Business Integration
- HOW TO: Use Social Media to Connect with Other Entrepreneurs