One
example of a business that has been successful at engaging their customers with
social media by encouraging dialogue between consumers through the sharing of
their experiences is the company JetBlue. JetBlue currently encourages customers to share their experiences via SoFly, an
online forum where travelers can view and share pictures and travel tips
(JetBlue SoFly, 2015).
JetBlue
has effectively gained the attention of their customers, creating responses and
developing conversations. JetBlue currently has over 1 million likes on
Facebook, over 1.8 million followers on Twitter with hash tags such as
#JetBlueGetaways, over 40k followers on Instagram, over 5.8 million visits on
YouTube and they offer an opportunity for customers to engage via a blog
(JetBlue BlueTales, 2015). JetBlue operates with the comfort of knowing that they are in fact providing some of the best experiences in the industry.
Top notch service typically would be
enough for a company to generate buzz on social media, however JetBlue takes it
up a level by offering the royal treatment to those that choose to travel through
their home terminal of T5 at JFK airport. Travelers through T5 will
experience various non-traditional airport conveniences such as 38 food and
beverage outlets, 35 retail shops, comfortable lounges, free Wi-Fi, and free
concerts.
On December 18, 2014 Rixton
performed from T5 with special performances from New York’s VH1 Save The Music
Foundation (JetBlue T5, 2015):
And four years ago, Taylor Swift
performed at T5 (JetBlue YouTube, 2015):
References:
JetBlue BlueTales Blog. 2015.
Retrieved February 7, 2015, from http://blog.jetblue.com/
JetBlue
SoFly. 2015. Retrieved February 7, 2015, from http://www.jetblue.com/Sofly/
JetBlue
T5. 2015. Retrieved February 7, 2015, from http://www.jetblue.com/travel/jfk/
JetBlue
YouTube page. 2015. February 7, 2015, from https://www.youtube.com/user/jetblue
Hi Joe!
ReplyDeleteI personally love this company because the customer service has always been great and I have had wonderful flight experiences. I actually use an American Express JetBlue card to earn free flights. I also know someone who went to interview one of the leaders at their offices in Queens, and she couldn’t believe how many employees expressed how much they enjoyed their jobs with the company. I recently heard about SoFly and this is an awesome way to engage customers. Instead of just talking at their customers, JetBlue has effectively created and encouraged conversations with their customers and between customers. (Kerpen, 2011, pg. 65) It's interesting to look at the set up online and read the different posts about various topics related to travel. Are there any changes you would make to the site to make even more effective?
Another way this company has effectively utilized social media has been through Twitter. I recently read an article where it is described how responsive JetBlue is to any comments or complaints made by customers. JetBlue has made the company known for speedy replies whether they send a public @reply or a private DM to answer a question, they quickly engage. (Sprung, 2013) Events like the free concerts create buzz and awareness about the brand. Overall, the conveniences provided, excellent customer service, positive flight experiences and genuine engagement with customers through social media has lead this company to success.
Great example!
References
Sprung, R. (2013, August 1) 4 Examples of Excellent Twitter Customer Service. Retrieved at: http://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/exceptional-customer-service-on-twitter/
Kerpen, D. (2011). Likeable social media: How to delight your customers, create an
irresistible brand, and be generally amazing on Facebook (& other social networks). New York: McGraw-Hill.
Thank you for your response, Alina. JetBlue has been outstanding at engaging in dialogue with their customers through social networking sites. One of the features JetBlue offers that initially caught my eye was their travel tips and sharing travel stories with their customers through the site SoFly. Honestly, I cannot think of anything that I would change if I were part of JetBlue’s team. They seem to be doing everything right so far. Thanks again for the response.
DeleteHi Joe!
ReplyDeleteI was looking through information about JetBlue's social media and was really impressed with how open and honest the company was when it encountered trouble during a wedding promotion a little while ago. They had criticisms about the perceived reasons they dropped a couple from the promotion, and took the criticisms and questions head on instead of ignoring it.
From David Gianatasio's article in Adweek (2013), "It’s also noteworthy in this dialog that JetBlue clearly had built up enough equity for another fan to rise to its defense—even the vexed consumer goes on to admit she still loves the brand."
What's really interesting is the next event the article highlights, when JetBlue came under criticism for appearing to shorten coach leg room while increasing amenities in the VIP section. They decided that defending themselves would just draw more negative attention and ignored the fracas, letting everything just blow over without any major last effects (Gianatasio, 2013).
JetBlue's dedication to making the human connection when possible is also pretty impressive. Laurie Meacham, JetBlue's Manager of Customer Commitment, told Lindsay Kolowich in a 2014 interview about a particular time they tried to reach out to a customer that had asked a question on Twitter. The customer asked why they wanted to charge him for reserving an earlier flight than his original ticket. JetBlue responded within 3 minutes, and answered his question to his satisfaction. They then sent his picture to employees at the airport, who then found him and gave him a goodie bag (Kolowich, 2014).
A small turn like that shows just how seriously a national company with over 16,000 employees (Kolowich, 2014) can take the small personal touches. Not everything needs to be a multi-million dollar compaign, sometimes you just need to help out one person who will spread the word.
References
Gianatasio, D. (2013, September 9). JetBlue Knows How to Communicate With Customers in Social, and When to Shut Up. Retrieved February 10, 2015, from http://www.adweek.com/news/advertising-branding/jetblue-knows-how-communicate-customers-social-and-when-shut-152246?page=2
Kolowich, L. (2014, July 28). Delighting People in 140 Characters: An Inside Look at JetBlue's Customer Service Success. Retrieved February 10, 2015, from http://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/jetblue-customer-service-twitter
Thank you for the response, Harley. I agree with your assessment that JetBlue did an exceptional job of confronting criticism head on instead of letting it fester and grow. Not too many companies have a handle on social media like JetBlue does, in terms of engaging and responding to customer criticisms as well as compliments. I love your final sentence, “Not everything needs to be a multi-million dollar campaign, sometimes you just need to help out one person who will spread the word.” Thank you.
DeleteIt’s interesting, if you Google “Jetblue social media”, countless articles appear discussing the success of Jetblue on various social media platforms.
ReplyDeleteThe company has a very progressive mindset when it comes to customer engagement. In one article a social media staffer for the company was quoted “sometimes people are really understanding, and sometimes they aren’t. Sometimes they just need to vent their frustrations, and we are the target. You can’t take any of it personally. We have to turn the other cheek while they are yelling at us” (Piazza, 2014). Companies are often scared of the negative comments customers may post, which can handicap social media efforts. But not Jetblue. They embrace both the good and bad as opportunities. Jetblue has even been known to use social media to help customers troubleshoot issues in real time. The article went on to give an example of how they helped a customer while in line at the airport find a solution to get through security faster to make their flight. In this instance, the company turned a potentially bad situation into a great example of customer service.
Piazza, Jo. (2014, July 29). The Secret of JetBlue's Social Media Success? Stay at Home Moms, Cat Memes — and a Sense of Humor. Yahoo Travel. Retrieved from: https://www.yahoo.com/travel/the-secrets-of-jetblues-social-media-success-93024204957.html
Thank you for the response, Sabrina. Your statement that companies are often scared of criticism is spot on. This is an unfortunate reality for many businesses and they in turn struggle to respond appropriately, if at all. Opportunities surround us every day, you are exactly right. By embracing the forum for customers to vent their frustrations (the bad) as well as leave compliments (the good), JetBlue separates themselves from their competition in this capacity. Thank you again for the post.
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