There is one thing you and I probably have in common. We are always explaining this ‘social media’ stuff and how it can be applied to business. The possibilities are endless really. I’m going to share my K.O. when in heated discussions with luddites and fear mongers. Words can’t explain my point as eloquently as the interactions I’m posting below:

I @’ed some questions to Travelocity and received prompt responses. The following day I received a #followfriday from the Travelocity team.

For most of us Twitter is a hybrid; but one application is to put questions to a broader community and request feedback. It may be ‘has anybody had experience with company xyz’ or ‘I need a new mobile carrier – any ideas?’. Why shouldn’t a company be actively searching its industry and own name for potential leads (for 20 dollars a year many services will automate this for you).

So what happened? I was impressed that Travelocity spoke to me in such a public forum. I felt like they cared. I was dealing with a real person. I was impressed that they found me (without me referencing their Twitter directly). Even when it was slightly more expensive I booked nearly everything through Travelocity. They won me over. Twitter is a free service and a tweet takes half a minute. No phone queues or expensive hold systems. 30 seconds alone won Travelocity $4-5,000ish of upfront business and many more long-term bookings from many similar competitors. On top of that I’m suggesting them to most of my friends.

For something so cheap and easy, can your business afford to not be doing that?

Some more good examples (I’ll keep in the field of travel).This is by no means an exclusive list but are the two most prominent that come to mind.

1. I am following WestJet on Twitter due to having flights booked with them. One tweeter mentioned that he had booked tickets for the family to Los Angeles. Westjet responded over Twitter with a simple ‘good luck and have fun in Disneyland’.
2. Virgin America are very interesting and really get ‘it’. I’ve all too often seen excited tweets of ‘just booked VA tickets to xxx’. Virgin will usually respond asking for photos which are promptly posted to the Virgin Twitter.

How special and valued do you think these customers feel after these interactions? Using a free service, minimal manpower and no marketing effort customers & potential customers have been pleasantly surprised and engaged by a brand; usually becoming more than just consumers but supporters and mouth-pieces.

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  • Tags [sales, social media, travel, travelocity]
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