Air Deals – Relevant Email Content that Attracts and Engages Readers of Airport Communications

If you don’t present relevant email content, you are wasting your time producing your Airport email campaigns.

This is like a tree falling in an empty woods. If no one is reading your emails your messages will not get through. You don’t want to put  the effort to communicate information that won’t engage your audience.

Airfare Deals – Relevant Email Content

So…what are some examples of Relevant Email Content?

First, relevant email content engages the reader. It’s content that helps them solve a problem but also leads them to having a better airport experience. Furthermore, relevant content  benefits your users on a very personal basis.

Therefore, I consider the following are relevant email content examples:

1. Information about Parking or other Airport facilities or services. This includes discount promotions.  Consequently, If the content will help save the traveler time or money, you should definitely share this information.
2. Information that conveys and educates on the value of your airport when compared with alternative transportation options. This includes comparisons with alternate airport options.
3. Education on the economic and quality of life contributions of the airport to the local community. Hence, sharing the facts that support the airport as a strong asset to the community will help garner public support of the airport in the future.

Make Your Email Content Relevant

Not All Email Content has Equal Relevance to your Airport Users and Readers

While the above content examples will interest some of your readers some of the time, they are not as effective in attracting reader engagement when compared with Airfare Deal Notices.

When you can help flyers save on their flights, this excites passengers. Saving them money is very personal. Therefore, the above content, I’ve found, will attract your users/readers attention less often than Air Deal Notices.

Note: The other examples listed above, may also help save the traveler money. They do, however, save the travelers less money or save them money less frequently.  Parking rates are not likely to change often. Neither will ground transportation rates change frequently etc… Airfares, however can sometimes change multiple times within an hour!

The Power of The Air Deal

The Power of Airfare Deal Notifications in Your Airport Communications

1. Airfare Deals are highly dynamic content therefore they offer many communication opportunities. Flyers want to catch air fares at the low price end so will want relatively frequent notices.

2.  Air Deals Engage Flyers Long Term. Flyers will be engaged with searching for air deals over
long periods of time. People want to save on flights on every possible trip!

3.  Your readers will also often share this information with others. As a result of this, you
can gain new readers of your airport communications. Readers can also see the topics you
cover not related to air deals.

4.  The increased readership by more connected and engaged flyers will help the airport
combat misconceptions about your airport and its contributions to the community.
Due to this, Air deal content can help create users  who become strong advocates for your
airport.

Summary:

Delivering relevant email content, Is highly critical to successful airport public communications. While various airport and air service topics can be relevant, Air Deal Notifications are the most relevant content for Airport users. Airports that leverage air deal notifications in their e-newsletters and social media can create a strong engagement with airport users. This effort can help build a strong relationship with these flyers. This relationship can often create active flyer support of the airport. Hence, this helps create an environment where the airport is more successful in its mission. Finally, your public can understand how much your airport is an asset to local economic initiatives and in providing convenient air access in the US and Globally.

Community Flights

About Community Flights

Community Flights is an air service support, development and management company. We offer an Airport Email with Social Media Marketing Program that has helped communities increase their passenger capture. We’ll track the airports air fares, identify the markets served that offer the best air deals and help build airport communications around the draw of these air deal notifications.

Scott Stewart-scott@communityflights.com-970-759-3559-www.communityflights.com

How to Develop an Airport Communication Program:
Integrate Social Media and Email Marketing

Airports should prioritize Social Media and Email Marketing Integration in their airport communication program.

In an earlier post, we discussed creating and executing an Airport email marketing program. We shared how a regular conversation with your airport users and potential users could be mutually beneficial. In this post we’ll share how to effectively integrate social media and email marketing to build a more effective and comprehensive airport communication program.

What about the Airport Facebook account that we haven’t posted on in six months. Or the twitter account that you last tweeted on a year ago? Should I be using these communication vehicles? If so How? Why? How Often?

Integrate Social Media with Email Marketing

Yes…you absolutely should use Facebook and Twitter. Social media integration with email marketing will help you to develop a comprehensive campaign to educate and notify your airport users. This will also help you reach potential users on issues and information important to both you and them. People in today’s world, use different vehicles for their communication and information gathering. Participating effectively on a diverse set of these communication vehicles (Social Media and email marketing) will help you maximize your communication reach. You need to be visible on the communication vehicles that your customers visit.

The Power of the Air Deal
In earlier posts, I’ve discussed how airfare deal messaging is valuable to your readers. (Airports Should Commit to an Email Marketing Program – was one earlier post). Readers love bargains and helping them to save on air travel is of big value to them. They will consider your airport fondly if you help SAVE them MONEY!

What Happens If You’ve Just sent out a Scheduled Newsletter and a Fantastic NEW Air Sale comes up?

You don’t want to overload your subscribers with too much information too often by email. This could drive a lot of your subscribers, to unsubscribe.

Chasing off loyal readers is something you want to avoid. Our research has shown you should send your Email Newsletters no more frequent than Bi-Monthly in most situations in a successful airport communication program.

Social Media Integration helps with short notice messaging

Integrating Social Media Can Help You Short Notice Messaging.  

Social media operates differently than email. When you apply Social Media Integration effectively with email, you will enhance your total communication effort.

In the situation above, if a fantastic air deal shows up just after you’ve sent a regularly scheduled email newsletter, you still want to advise your followers. You want to get this out but you also don’t want to lose subscribers. This deal could have a short shelf life. You’ll want to notice this information before the airlines pull it down so your customers can benefit before it disappears. If you don’t, you’ll lose an opportunity to inspire bookings. The question becomes, How do I share the information without losing subscribers by overusing email. What can I do?

Integrate with Facebook

We would recommend posting air deal information on Facebook. Most of the people who have liked your Facebook page will see this posting appear on their personal Facebook page. This message can be most effective If you also include a link in your Facebook post to a web page or landing page. You’ll want the link message to elaborate and provide more information than your short Facebook air deal description so that your flyers can act and make a purchase. This will benefit your readers and your airport.

Add a Post to your Website

Additionally, we’d also recommend having a deals page on your website. Here you can post the same air deals information. (How to book the air deal details also included). Your Facebook page post can hit on the highlights of the deal. It can also then link to your web-page or other landing page for more specific and complete information. The key is providing information that can lead your readers to easily book the air deal without turning them off. The less intrusive social media vehicle can provide that platform.

The Importance of “Likes” and “Follows” on Facebook and Twitter

What If I Don’t have Many “Likes” on my Facebook Page!

This is why integration of social media and your e-newsletter and website is critical. You want to encourage “Likes” of your airports Facebook page in your e-newsletters. On Twitter accounts you want to encourage follows. Try to ask for “Like” and “Follow” behaviors in every e-newsletter you send. You also want to encourage this engagement on your website. This will build a terrific audience for these in between newsletter updates. As a first priority, provide meaningful content to your readers. A second main goal would be Cross-linking between your communication vehicles. This will help set-up a good integration of these communication tools.

What is the difference between a Facebook and a Twitter Post?

Facebook allows for more text in a posting than Twitter. A Twitter Tweet only allows for 280 characters. Due to the short nature of these messages, integration with other communication sources is critical with Twitter to completely deliver information. Both Facebook and Twitter allow for photographs and links. When promoting Air Deals or similar information on Facebook or Twitter we recommend you integrate photos of destinations (To Inspire). These actions can lead to a successful airport communication program.

Social Media Email Integration Less Reader Interruption

Why Bother with Twitter and Facebook If You Are Going to Link Readers to Your Website?

Twitter and Facebook posts are less interrupting than email. Email is often like someone walking into your home uninvited, while Twitter and Facebook is like you’ve walked to a public place. You understand people will engage frequently you when you’re in public. Most people see too many email messages as an uninvited intrusion into their privacy…even when you’ve been invited.

Additionally, airport users are sometimes on Facebook or Twitter for other purposes when they will see the message. They have, in essence, opted in to receive the message by this very presence in their accounts. When you receive a message post on your Facebook or Twitter page you have opted in for this contact. You did so when you liked or followed a page or topic. You understand messaging may come more often than email and you can move past the message quickly if the topic is of no interest.

Increase your Audience

Twitter and Facebook give you the opportunity to increase your reach of people seeing your message by engaging your followers through your messaging. On twitter if someone likes your tweet they can retweet this out and people they are connected with will see your message. Same on Facebook if someone likes your post this will display this post to people who have liked their page.

In between newsletters you can deliver important time sensitive information like air price deals. With Facebook and Twitter you can deliver more information and potentially alienate fewer of your airport users. Social media integration with email marketing is an important part of an effective airport communication program.

Join Now to Receive Your Free Airport Email Guide

Community Flights is an air service support, marketing and development company. We offer a cost-effective Email Marketing Program called the “Community Airport Airfare Club.” This program can help understaffed airports or those strapped for time, to regularly connect with their users and potential flyers. The Community Airport Airfare Club program offers value to your email list flyers through tracking and notification of airfare deals. We also help provide tools and training for these flyers to better discern flight value and effectively comparison shop air flights. Thru the Community Airport Airfare Club we can also, update subscribers on airport operations and construction and other flyer tips. We help design these communications based on airport comments and direction. These features help grow your email lists and expand your audience. If you’d like more information email us atscott@communityflights.com or visit us at www.communityflights.com

Join Now to Receive Your Free Airport Email Guide

Email Marketing Program – Part 2

Email Marketing Programs can help fill your concourse.

So you’re still considering how an Email Marketing program can help your airport…

Imagine this scenario for a moment: A person who is considering a flight trip is exploring your website. She looks around a few pages, but leaves with no further action planned. Maybe she’ll at some point buy a plane ticket from your airport website (If you offer this). She might buy a ticket from a competing airport or on another website. Maybe she’ll move on to other personal tasks and forget about taking a flight altogether.  

Grow Your Airport Enplanements with Email Marketing

Now imagine she subscribes to your e-newsletter and she hears from you again. She has signed-up because you’ve provided valuable information like airfare deals that can help her save money.

This time, a few e-newsletter’s in, she sees a specific air deal from your airport. Or, she see’s that the price has gone down on a trip she had looked at earlier. She click’s on the newsletter booking link or goes to another source. She searches, confirms the good rate and books. Prior to this email she had considered using an alternate airport that offered better pricing for her trip. Your email newsletter that presents content that is meaningful to your readers, has just helped you reverse some of your airport leakage.

Effective email provides info airport users want & need.

Provide Information Your Airport Users Want

Use Email Marketing to Provide Information Your Reader’s Want and Value. This includes providing content that shows your airport has a better “total” air travel price to a destination. This Info can help SAVE your readers money or help them make decisions to fly more comfortably. When you help your readers to receive more flight ticket value, you often also increase your email subscriber audience. You also improve your email audience engagement and loyalty.

The Benefits of a bigger email audience

With a wider audience influenced by your messages this can increase passenger trips and expand the positive impacts of your email newsletter. You might just convert passengers to more regularly fly from your airport. Most importantly, by providing content highly meaningful to your readers you can build a happy and loyal following that is open to other airport messages and more likely to support airport initiatives.

Email becomes so much more than just another way to throw your Airport name before travelers. Email builds connections with people. You can develop trust with your users and you can also present the value of your Airport services.

And that’s what sets effective email marketing apart from traditional advertising. Instead of just telling potential passengers about your airport and hoping they use it, you’re providing value that can help your airport make real connections with your customers.

Let’s imagine one more scenario. Think about Jim, a 55-year-old business person has been a road warrior as of late. He’s been feeling strains in his marital relationship due to his being away from home a lot. While scanning your email he sees an incredible flight deal to Las Vegas for $149 round-trip. He wasn’t planning another travel trip. He figures at this price, however, why not take a  weekend trip to Las Vegas with his wife. Make flights a fun thing for he and his wife. He thinks he may turn a negative view of his travel by his wife, into a positive by including her. Your Airport e-newsletter has now inspired an extra “Unplanned” trip. This trip also gained a couple more enplanements for your airport!

Email Marketing – A great opportunity to connect with Airport Users.

Summary

Email Driven Airport User Communications Should be Mutually Beneficial for both the Airport and Airport users. Considering that most people prefer to communicate with brands through their inbox, email marketing is a no-brainer for airports. When your email messaging solves your customer’s problems or otherwise provides value to your flyers, your users become engaged in your messaging. You create a connection between the airport and the reader. These connections can lead to greater community support of your airport. These connections are very positive for both the airport and the airport users.

Why Airports Should Integrate Social Media with their Email Marketing Program

Community Flights is an air service support, marketing and development company. We offer a cost-effective Email Marketing Program called the “Community Airport Airfare Club.” This program can help understaffed airports or those strapped for time, to regularly connect with their users and potential flyers. The Community Airport Airfare Club program offers value to your email list flyers through tracking and notification of airfare deals. We also help provide tools and training for these flyers to better discern flight value and effectively comparison shop air flights. Thru the Community Airport Airfare Club we can also, update subscribers on airport operations and construction and other flyer tips. We help design these communications based on airport comments and direction. These features help grow your email lists and expand your audience. If you’d like more information email us atscott@communityflights.com or visit us at www.communityflights.com

Why Airports Should Integrate Social Media with their Email Marketing Program
Why Airports Should Commit to an Email Program – Part 1

Join the Community Flights Email List

Receive the FREE Email for Airports Guide

Email Marketing Program

Most successful businesses recognize the tremendous value of an effective email marketing program. Despite the many non-business functions and structure of Airports,  you often compete with other airports, trains, buses and cars for travelers. Consequently, Airports are a business when considering sales and marketing needs and should develop and execute an email marketing program.

For most airports, especially smaller airports, managing the daily operations of your airport is a full-time, borderline 24/7 job. You likely have felt like there’s never enough time or staff to do it all.

Airports Should Commit to an Email Marketing Program

As a result, it’s common for a robust and regular email marketing program to become an afterthought. This is a challenge for many Airport managers. You’re already struggling with the “essential” tasks, how can you possibly add another project to your work list?

With email marketing, however, promoting your Airport and connecting with customers becomes a lot easier. Promoting your airport and connecting with flyers is also less time consuming with email marketing – and that’s only a snapshot of the bigger email marketing picture.

“Email has a median ROI of 122% – over 4x higher than other marketing formats including
social media, direct mail, and paid search.”      (DMA and Demand Metric)

“Email marketing has an average ROI of 3,800 percent. For every dollar invested, the average
return is $38.”                                                         (Salesforce)

Email Marketing can free up alot of your time so you can run your airport. And consumers love it. Take a look, the results are very compelling:

“77% of people prefer to get permission-based promotional messages via email (versus
       direct mail, text, phone, or social media).”

Email Marketing – A Powerful Tool

At its simplest, email marketing is a powerful communication tool for building relationships with current and potential airport users. Email marketing gives you a chance to speak to a lot of people at once and even expand your reach when recipients send your email communications to colleagues, friends and family.

Email Marketing: Stay Connected with Airport Users.

Effective email marketing allows you to stay connected with loyal airport users and those who may often use alternative regional airports. These alternative airport users might consider flying from “Your” airport, their home airport, if they understood the benefits. Effective email marketing can help educate both users and potential users about the benefits of using your airport versus the competition.

More on Why Airports Should Have an Email Marketing Program will come in Part -2 soon.

About Community Flights

Community Flights is an air service support, marketing and development company. We offer a cost-effective Email Marketing Program called the “Community Airport Airfare Club.” This program can help understaffed airports or those strapped for time, to regularly connect with their users and potential flyers. The Community Airport Airfare Club program offers value to your email list flyers through tracking and notification of airfare deals. We also help provide tools and training for these flyers to better discern flight value and effectively comparison shop air flights. Thru the Community Airport Airfare Club we can also, update subscribers on airport operations and construction and other flyer tips. We help design these communications based on airport comments and direction. These features help grow your email lists and expand your audience. If you’d like more information email us at scott@communityflights.com or visit us at www.communityflights.com

Other Current Airport Marketing Posts

Why Airports Should Commit to an Email Program – Part 2
Why Airports Should Integrate Social Efforts with their Email Marketing Program

Join the Community Flights Email List

Receive the FREE – Email for Airports Guide when you Join