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Most social media and aviation geeks would have heard of or even used MySkyStatus and Cloudstream, two applications brought to travelers by Lufthansa. MySkyStatus instantly sends updates to your Twitter and Facebook accounts to indicate your departure, location, and arrival information. Cloudstream allows a traveler to “pack” articles, videos, and other entertainment into a digital carry-on that can be perused later on the flight, even without an internet connection. The best part about both these applications is that they are completely free of charge.
As coordinator of social media marketing at Lufthansa’s USA office, Alison Russo has been a key player in the launch of both these products, along with Lufthansa’s success on Facebook, Twitter, and other social media platforms. It was not surprising, therefore, when she won comprehensively in our SimpliFlying Hero Poll for July 2011 with almost 60% of the votes.
Well-planned beginnings
Much of Alison’s (and Lufthansa’s) success can probably be attributed to the great amount of time and planning that is put in by the team at every turn. Right off the bat, when Lufthansa first started its social media journey, it realized that it was important to define a set of clear goals for each platform and each country. After that it was important to find the right people to ensure that those goals were met. Every step of the way, the idea was to leave as little as possible to chance.
Indeed, Alison believes that although social media might appear to be a godsend, in that it moves at supersonic speeds, engages customers like never before, and requires little financial investment. However, it does require a significant time investment. This time is needed to find a niche, develop a solid strategy, and come up with useful products. It is also needed to build the right support team, to learn your customers’ needs, to build relationships with your advocates, and to build a voice. As you can see, the list is not short.
Take Off
Lufthansa’s first foray into social media in the US was with an official Lurker in a FlyerTalk forum, which was then succeeded by a concurrent launch of its official Twitter stream and MySkyStatus. Lufthansa’s social media objectives then (and now) were an extension of their existing marketing objectives, namely, to establish a brand presence in the US market, build customer loyalty, convert customers to brand advocates, and to help customers become better connected travelers.
But, you may ask, how did Lufthansa come up with MySkyStatus, and later Cloudstream, when other competitors were focusing on achieving their objectives through the regular Twitter and Facebook paths? For Lufthansa, customer engagement, above all, has been the main priority from the beginning. In fact, Lufthansa aims to be the Most Linked Airline Brand. This is because, according to a research driven initiative by Miles & More International, customer engagement is a primary objective for customer retention.
As such, Lufthansa found MySkyStatus and Cloudstream to be excellent opportunities to engage (and retain) their customers. In fact, both products are measured not according to the revenue they earn (they are free), but rather on customer engagement metrics such as the time spent on the product, the number of returning vs. new customers, profile creation, sharing activity, and how and why customers use these products.
Lessons learnt
Today, one can undoubtedly say that Lufthansa’s customer-centric social media strategy has been a roaring success. In the course of their journey so far, there have been pitfalls and many lessons along with them. Above all, Alison has learned that there is no one size fits all strategy for an international organization like Lufthansa. Every organization communicates and engages with its customer base differently, which is why it is important for any social media team to stick to its strategy once it is defined, regardless of what its competitors are doing.
Alison also acknowledges that SimpliFlying has been a great resource and learning ground for the “best practices, guidance and insights into the ever changing social media landscape”.
A Look Ahead
In the future, Lufthansa plans on looking deeper into how social media activities can be translated into sales, while keeping its core objectives unchanged. As Alison puts it:
“While it [social media marketing] differs from traditional marketing in how we present our product to customers, can we, within the framework of social networks and via social currency, influence purchasing decisions and generate revenue?”
That is the central question that Lufthansa will continue to contend with into the future, while keeping an open-minded approach to the rapidly evolving social media sphere.
SimpliFlying hopes that Lufthansa will continue to enjoy success in its ventures into the future, and congratulates Alison once again for winning the SimpliFlying Hero award.
Know someone who’s worthy of being a SimpliFlying Hero?
Simpliflying Heroesare individuals recognized for outstanding social media use in the world of aviation. Do you know of somebody who uses social media effectively in their airline or airport to achieve specific business results? Or do you think you fit the bill?
Then go ahead and fill up the SimpliFlying Heroes nomination form. By filling out the nomination form, you bring them a step closer to being recognized by SimpliFlying for their efforts.