I recently read an article discussing airlines jumping into the world of social media. There are a few airlines, such as Southwest and JetBlue, who have been engaged in the social media world for a couple of years but there are many who have been slowly entering the use of this medium. Christi Day, a communications specialist for Southwest, manages their twitter page and states that, "It is the most efficient way to share news, whether it's to our customers or to our employees." She reports that Southwest continues to grow by 7,000 followers a day. Many airlines use Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube to promote their services and specials. These airlines have reported the social media as a booster of their image.
Many people may remember the bad image United Airlines received because of a posted YouTube video. After a bad experience with the airline, country singer Dave Carroll posted a song and video he produced about his horrible experience. The United Airlines broke his guitar and were not very helpful with the situation. His song was titled, “United Breaks Guitars,” and he sang about how he should have chosen another airline or just used a car. This video has received over five million views. Talk about bad publicity!
Social media sites are a positive tool and can be a great image booster. But it is important for organizations to maintain a positive relationship with customers because they too can use social media to share their feelings and ideas with the world.
Daily Dog. (2009, October 30). Airlines Finding a Silver Bullet with Social Media: Carriers that Engage in Facebook et al Successfully Boosting Brands, Reaching Customers. Retrieved from http://www.bulldogreporter.com/
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