Marketing is the lifeblood of keeping a business afloat, especially airlines. It’s the perfect opportunity to deal with customers directly, offer them the products and services they actually want and create an authentic tone of voice and brand guideline. Over 89% of airlines sell their tickets using an app, and most customers can even check in using their mobile. Airlines themselves, 91% to be precise, have also recognised the importance of social media and apps in this ever-growing digital age. It’s also worth noting that 74% of passengers book their plane tickets via an airline’s websites or a third party host. Here are a few tried and tested ways airlines can market themselves better online.
Social media
Not only is social media a great way for airlines to post the latest news, interesting facts and flight discounts, but it’s also a very effective technique to provide outstanding customer service. It’s now possible to utilise social media 24/7, so customer queries can be resolved at a moment’s notice. People are increasingly turning to social media as a customer service tool with one in three people preferring it to email or telephone and 67% relying on Facebook and Twitter. Latest figures show customers are more loyal to companies who readily engage with customers on social media. In fact, they’re willing to spend up to 40% more on flights and extras. One of the biggest advantages of using social media for customer service is that it’s public. Other customers can see how well you treat fellow passengers, which means it can be a great source of positive PR. Using social media as a customer service tool is essential for airlines, as you can provide up-to-date service on flights and reassure customers you’re here every step of the way.
Digital visuals
Aesthetics are still an important part of marketing an airline. By this, it means high quality, eye-catching graphic design to engage users and represent the brand across the board. It’s a good idea to use a reliable banner design which incorporates the full design package and includes all social media profile and header images, as well as website headers and advertisements. Ensure you’re always using high spec imagery that fits in with your brand’s style. This way, customers and potential customers are far more likely to interact with your website and social posts.
Paid Ads
Paid ads have exploded in popularity in the last five years. It covers a range of mediums such as Google Display ads; Facebook boosted posts, Twitter Ads, LinkedIn Ads and on-site pay-per-click affiliate advertising. Using a combination of paid ads and digital visuals can also help sell more plane seats, especially if you use behavioral targeting. This is an incredible way to expose your airline to the customer long after they’ve left your website. For example, if a user is browsing flights to Spain, doesn’t end up purchasing a seat, leaves and visits another website then an ad for the flight from your airline (or just a general ad) will appear to them whichever website they next visit.