NB: This is a guest article by Shashank Nigam, CEO and founder of SimpliFlying.
Let’s face it - social media is dead. There are over 200 airlines on Twitter today, for example, and the space is cluttered.
Mere contests and free tickets are no longer enough to drive engagement. Too many airlines are trying to woo travelers in the same old ways. In 2013, social media will be dead, as we know it.
Airline marketers will need to stay ahead of the competition by identifying key business goals, like loyalty. They need to engage the traveler in a specific manner, often via mobile phones, rather than only on social media.
The bridge between social and real-world relationships will need to be built, as the travelers will be more connected than ever.
So, welcome to 2013, the year of a world in airline marketing beyond likes, tweets, RTs and fans.
1. The Connected Traveler
According to in-flight wifi provider Gogo, over 200 million travelers boarded a wi-fi equipped flight in the US alone in 2011.
This number is set to grow massively in 2013, as heavyweights like Emirates, Lufthansa and Singapore Airlines breath life into their in-flight wifi offerings.
In fact, Turkish Airlines is already experiencing over 30% take up rate for its free wifi service on the Boeing 777-300ER.
This means that travelers will be connected throughout their journey – from leaving home in wifi equipped taxis and buses, to the airport that likely provide free wifi and finally in-flight too.
This would dramatically change the way airlines market to travelers – from customizing their in-flight entertainment experience based on their browsing history on Youtube, to allowing them to order duty-free in-flight and even to purchase destination tours and SIM cards in-flight via the internet.
The opportunities to drive ancillary revenues are immense, if airline managers think creatively.
There is another side of the coin too. If a passenger doesn’t like how his meal tastes, he’s likely to rant about it on Facebook, along with a photo, just minutes after the meal is served.
Customer service would have to be delivered in a manner close to real-time, in order to maintain brand affinity. Airlines like Virgin America, Delta, KLM and Turkish Airlines are already leading the way in this regard.
According to our recent Airline Social Media Outlook 2012 report, the current top three business goals that social media efforts are used to drive are brand engagement, customer service and revenue.
These efforts would have to be increased further in 2013, as the connected traveler will become a reality. It cannot be emphasized enough that airline marketing will have to evolve from mere social media contests to supporting key business functions.
2. Building real-world relationships, not just social engagement
On December 1, 2012, Carrie Bickmore was hanging out in the cockpit of a Qantas A380, despite previously making sarcastic comments about the airline. No, she wasn’t in-flight when she entered the cockpit, but at a Qantas hangar in Sydney.
Carrie was among the 30 social media influencers invited by Qantas for a "tweet and greet".
They had opportunities to mingle with one another including Qantas marketing staff, and build real-world relationships, rather than just social. Qantas is now looking to repeat this next year throughout Australia.
This is part of a bigger trend, where airlines will need to transcend social relationships, and build bonds in the real world.
Not too long ago, Jet Airways had hosted a similar event in Mumbai too, where they flew in social advocates from all over India to a hangar.
Such efforts allow airlines to build face-to-face relationships with online users that they have been interacting with. Real-world relationships can go a long way in building online advocates.
This will also give senior airline executives a chance to witness first-hand, the power of social media, thus creating a better buy-in for future initiatives by the marketing team.
3. Gadgets galore and the age of instant gratification
Did you know that tablet-toting Emirates flight attendants have the ability to upgrade you from an Economy class seat to Business class or First class, if you have enough Skywards miles?
Across the Atlantic, American Airlines allows travelers to view movies from an in-flight content server, on their own devices, which they can carry on watching over the next 24 hours, even when they’re at their hotel!
As it is, 74% of business travelers and frequent fliers own smart phones, and many of the leisure travelers today carry their laptops or tablets on their holiday.
This means in-flight entertainment needs to evolve to take into account these realities, especially on short-haul or low cost airlines. Passengers would rather be glued to their own devices, rather than fiddle with the screen in front of them.
In a study SimpliFlying conducted with Cranfield university in 2011, 72% of participants said they’d join a social loyalty program – where they’d get real-world rewards for online actions.
Today, you can earn miles on United Airlines, Virgin America and JetBlue just by "checking-in" to their Foursquare or Facebook locations.
Last year, we helped Estonian Air and BalticMiles pioneer the world's first social loyalty program and the world's first crowd sourced membership level respectively (it also did this interesting Facebook integration, too).
This trend is set to grow, when combined with the fact that most travelers are carrying lots of gadgets and can perform online advocacy actions in return for incentives.
In fact, our study shows that 75% of airlines plan to increase social media budgets in 2013.
To stand out from the crowd, a lot of that will have to be focused on servicing the connected traveler, building real-world relationships, and tapping on the gadgets travelers are carrying.
In short, social media, as we know, is dead. The age of the connected traveler and instant gratification is here. And airline marketers need to adapt to this new world to remain relevant.
NB: This is a guest article by Shashank Nigam, CEO and founder of SimpliFlying.