Operator | Airport | FBO | MRO | OEM | Charter | Interiors | Avionics | Training | Inflight

Shae Blevins, digital strategist, at Greteman Group, a marketing communications agency based in Wichita, KS, the Air Capital.

Best Social Channels for Business Aviation

Companies of all sizes and industries struggle to determine which social channels are best for their business. Company goals, overall content marketing strategies and available tactics play their respective roles in how you use social media, but your target audience determines which channels should be in your wheelhouse.

We’ve served business aviation clients across the spectrum - B2B, B2C and not-for-profit - for 30 years. Here are our select channels with a few strategies for how you can activate each to make it work for you.

The Standard Three

Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn are recognized as the standard three social channels companies use to reach their audience and generate social engagement.

Facebook

For business aviation, Facebook serves as the brand awareness and engagement arm of your content marketing strategy. Who are you? What do you do? Who do you serve? What are your values? Not only should Facebook complement your website’s About Us section, but it should also share content aimed at showcasing the face of your company.

Consider these strategies to talk to each audience:

Employees: Facebook might be the channel your employees use to engage your company online, if your social media policy allows for it. Highlight your employees in posts about company culture, department milestones and individual employee accomplishments.
Customers: Business aviation clients are often high-net-worth individuals, but that doesn’t mean they don’t use Facebook. HNWIs are more difficult to reach organically, so boost select Facebook posts and extend your reach to get in front of the audience interested in your products or services.

Twitter

Twitter is an endless stream of breaking news, hashtags and timely trending topics. Industry publications and tenured aviation journalists frequent Twitter to communicate with each other, research their stories and share your earned media with their followers.

Consider these strategies to talk to the journalists and trade pubs your customers are most likely to read:

Tweet your news often. Every quote in a press release can - and should - be its own tweet.
Live tweet events and tradeshows you attend, especially if you’re planning a press conference or participating in a media event.
Use appropriate hashtags. At NBAA, journalists follow, favorite and retweet #NBAA[YEAR] to stay up-to-date on what’s going on at the show. (Tag @NBAA for engagement directly from the show.)
Promote your posts to get in front of specific journalists or publications. Twitter can target users by the handle.

LinkedIn is your business. Who works for you? Who wants to work for you? The channel was made to act as an online resume and professional networking site.

Beyond employment, LinkedIn also serves as our No. 1 channel to speak directly with your current and potential customers. Why? Entry-level job seekers aren’t the only users on LinkedIn. CEOs, SVPs and other decision-makers also frequent the channel in search of news, thought-leadership and other content on one of the internet’s most respected professional platforms.

Consider these strategies to talk to your customers and leads:

Post your thought-leadership content to LinkedIn, focusing on articles and case studies from the research phase of your purchase funnel.
Sponsor your content, targeting your customer list or a demographic of your ready-to-buy leads.
Activate your team. Sales should be encouraged to use LinkedIn to generate and nurture leads.

Growing Your Social Landscape

Social media have evolved over the past decade. The standard three social channels are no longer the only players in town. Consider growing your social landscape by adding these.

Instagram

One of the most popular ways for the business aviation industry to use Instagram is to feature the product. Behind-the-scenes at your training facility, on the line at your manufacturing facility or in the cockpit of your newest aircraft – all offer exciting photography and opportunities for video snippets to engage your audience.

People don’t just use Pinterest to find recipes or decorate their homes. Pinterest is a content powerhouse and a great channel on which to share your products and services with secondary audiences. Charter companies might use this channel to share vacation plans based on some of their customers’ most popular destinations.

SnapChat

SnapChat has shown engagement for our recruitment campaigns. If you feel the workforce shortage and need to fill your pipeline with engineers, pilots or technicians, SnapChat is the channel to reach a younger demographic looking to launch their career.

YouTube

Your business doesn’t need a YouTube star to use YouTube; you just have to have engaging video content worth sharing. No matter what type of video content you create, YouTube is the perfect place to house it. Optimized video descriptions not only serve to up your search on the channel but also on Google. Win-win.

Do you know which social channels work best for your business? We’ve talked to clients where the standard three are too much to manage and others whose latest posts are three years old. Our recommendations are always based on their company goals. If you want to test our audience-channel suggestions, do so with your own social strategy in mind.

BlueSky Business Aviation News | 14th February 2019 | Issue #498