Compared to other domestic airlines Virgin America has one of the largest growth rates on Facebook and Twitter, so if you’re wondering what you should be doing to foster your brand’s social media growth it might be wise to start taking notes.
Ryan Holmes, HootSuite CEO, recently posted a video on LinkedIn featuring Virgin’s social media tactics. Here’s the highlights of that video:
Holistic management. Everyone in the company is encouraged to be active on social media networks. Building a direct line of communication with customers in this way really promotes transparency, something that’s vitally important on the web today. Zappos used this approach and was sold for $928 million while selling $1 billion worth of shoes per year.
Listen. It’s all about having your ear against the pavement and tapping into conversations that revolve around your brand. If you know what your customers think you can constantly improve your brands image and cater to customers on a more personal level. Virgin America realizes how important this is and has a full staff plugged in and listening all the time.
HootSuite. Organization is vital, especially if you’re a larger organization. Virgin uses the HootSuite dashboard to connect each team to the rest of the company. It uses the dashboard to organize all communication in one place, eliminating the need for multiple screens and programs.
Knowledge. Whether it’s the latest trends in social media, or what your customers think of you at any given time it’s important to stay informed and ahead of the competition. Virgin America makes a great effort to always be at the forefront of current technology trends.
Here’s Virgin America’s video on social media:
Are you currently taking full advantage of social media? Does your organization follow a holistic approach like Virgin America? According to Altimeter Group, most companies within the United States follow a Hub and Spoke model when it comes to social media engagement. What approach do you think works best for both small and large businesses?
Nicely written Chase! I really love how you've laid out some of the most important components to any social strategy in such an easily digestible way.
Virgin is truly paving the way in terms of creatively using social to listen and respond in real time. You can see it reflected in their brand, and they're providing a great blueprint for other brands to follow.
Thanks for sharing the HootSuite story, we appreciate the kind words, and as always… Hoot on!
-Connor from HootSuite.