I have long been a fan of Southwest Airlines. Besides the fact that their boarding process is genius, prices are on point and the staff always seems pretty damn nice – the marketing is also humorous, strategic and well implemented.
Here are the top reasons I am crushing on Southwest Airlines:
- They listen. Every time I have tweeted them they have tweeted back, not automated responses but an actual person responding to my question or rant.
- The content is timely. They actually answer customer questions and use video, photos and more to tell the story. For example, we have all stared out the window when a plane was being de-iced and wonder what the hell is being sprayed or who is in the bucket. By utilizing video they informed passengers on the process. They also made another one on the temperature in the cabin, because we are all wondering why the hell it gets so hot right before take-off.
- They have crisis plan and they are creative about it. Just last year they experienced a massive technology outage, which resulted in cancelled flights, scheduling issues and the website being down. The organization employed Facebook Live for the first time ever to address the situation, and watched as its audience interacted with the content in a much more favorable way than if it had merely issued a statement. Read more about it here.
- They deploy multiple tools. Whether it is multiple social channels, video, online advertising, storytelling and catchy campaigns (Wanna get away) – and they know how to tie everything together. For such a big company, that is impressive.
What truly makes them unique, is the fact that they genuinely care about their customers. From their processes to the communication tools they use, they are innovative and their culture reflects that. Culture is the most important strategy a company can invest in.
