WestJet Fan Pages

If a brand has high brand equity and people think great things about your brand they may start fan pages about it on all sorts of different social media sites. Today we will be looking at a few of WestJets fan made pages and seeing what type of content they post, and what they are saying about the airline.

The first fan page was created on Facebook and is called “WestJetters who love their job and are proud to say so!”.  This is a public Facebook group that people who worked for WestJet or currently work for WestJet can post about the things they love about the company. Here you can find photographs and videos about new innovative things happening in their industry of work that interest them. You can also find posts from individuals telling their own story about a great experience they had flying/working for WestJet.

Retrieved from: http://www.facebook.com/groups/261432263954947/

Check out this fan page here : https://www.facebook.com/groups/261432263954947/

The second fan page that is related to WestJet would be one of their flight attendants twitter pages. Instead of using twitter in a more personal way, this flight attendant uses it to share things going on in the industry, share things posted by WestJet and raise awareness for the company. Her twitter handle is @Soxchicky. Cindy frequently posts about how much she loves her job and loves to travel and posts photographs strictly from on the job, whether it’s a new plane or her and some coworkers performing WestJet Christmas Miracles.

Retieved from: https://twitter.com/Soxchicky?land=en

Check out Cindy’s fan page here: https://twitter.com/Soxchicky?lang=en

The third fan page for WestJet Airlines was created on Instagram, the account’s name is WestJetKid. This fan pages isn’t strictly for WestJet but rather photographs of what this individual believes to be the best aircrafts and airlines in the world. They post semi-daily and feature many different airlines such as; WestJet, Air Canada, Star Alliance, Asiana Airlines and more. Although in the description it does say that he/she is a WestJet fan. The content that is posted is usually photographs of airplanes with descriptions of what they are or what he/she finds intriguing.

Retrieved from: https://www.instagram.com/westjetkid/

Check out this fan page here: https://www.instagram.com/westjetkid/

Air Canada Fan Pages

Believe it or not there are fan pages made for almost every brand or company out there. These can vary on different social media accounts such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube or even a blog. Today we will be looking at 3 fan pages for Air Canada.

One of their fan pages is on Instagram, the name of the account is “Air_Canada_Lover”. They have over 40 posts that consist of photographs of the staff/crew and the airplanes. They however, don’t post descriptions with their photos regularly, if they do it’s usually just describing what airplane that they have posted. Air_Canada_Lover’s last post was posted 39 weeks ago.

Retrieved From: https://www.instagram.com/air_canada_lover/

Check out this fan page here: https://www.instagram.com/air_canada_lover/

Another fan page that was dedicated to Air Canada is on Facebook. This group is simply named Air Canada. This is an unofficial Air Canada group for current or past employees of Air Canada. Here they post videos and photos of airplanes, photographs with fellow coworkers, as well as share content that was originally posted by Air Canada. This group is also current, and is posting content regularly.

Retrieved from: https://www.facebook.com/groups/2233883934/

Check out this fan page here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/2233883934/

The last fan page we looked at was on Twitter, the Twitter handle for this account is @NewsAirCanada. This is an unofficial Twitter page that posts related news and media regarding the company regularly. Not only are they on Twitter but they also have a blog and a podcast! Their content is made up of mostly news referring to Air Canada, for example one of their posts is about how Air Canada Rouge started flights from Vacouver to Cancun. They don’t retweet any information from the actual Airlines account and don’t post any images.

Retrieved from: https://twitter.com/NewsAirCanada?lang=en

Check out this fan page here: https://twitter.com/NewsAirCanada?lang=en

As you can see fan page types can vary on topics that they wish to touch on and on what social media they decide to launch it on. 

Air Canada vs. WestJet on YouTube

Retrieved from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yV3twhBCJqM

YouTube is a video platform in which users can share video content to the world for free. This site can be seen as a great tool for a company to gain further awareness of their brand and to share their advertising online.

Air Canada has 198 videos and 8,000 subscribers. They haven’t posted a video in about a month to their YouTube Channel though. They did however post roughly 15 videos on February 1^st all about different travel stories and musicians. 

Air Canada’s YouTube content is usually advertisements, interviewing celebrities, and stories about traveling. In the description of the video the content that is included is usually; a brief description about the video and the person featured in the video, call to action to subscribe to their channel, all their other social media account links, and a link to their website. 

Their most successful video out of their last 10 posts is titled “ Connecting Musicians: Brian Mallory James and Todd Cope| Une rencontre de musiciens. It got 1,155 views, 3 likes and no comments. This video was successful because it received twice as many views than their other posts regarding other musicians. It probably got more views due to the musicians that they actually featured in that particular video.

Retrieved from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EDnpvH0QxCA

WestJet’s YouTube Channel has 292 videos and 56,000 subscribers. They are known worldwide for their heartwarming advertisements around Christmas time. People always look forward to seeing what advertisements they will post next. They last posted a video onto YouTube a week ago in honour of their birthday. The type of videos that they usually post onto their channel include; various advertisements, heartstring tugging stories, videos showcasing beautiful vacation spots, their viral Christmas and April fools videos and more! In the description of their videos they usually a small description of the video, call to action to subscribe to their channel, links to their other social media accounts, and a link to their website.

Out of their 10 most recent videos that they have posted to YouTube, the most popular video is titled “Impact of a Wish | WestJet and Make a Wish”. This 5 minute video is about children who got diagnosed with various illnesses and had their wishes granted and how it helped them emotionally and socially. This video was so successful because it tugged on your heartstrings and is quite emotional. 

YouTube is a great platform for companies to post video content that can get messages across to their consumers. Air Canada and WestJet both use YouTube to their own advantage.

Air Canada vs. WestJet on Instagram

Instagram is one of the newest forms of social media that companies can now use to promote their brand. Today we will be analyzing how Air Canada and WestJet utilize this photo sharing app to their advantage.

Air Canada is a verified account on Instagram. This is an advantage because consumers know that it is in fact the company’s real account. Air Canada posts a photo to their Instagram page roughly 2-3 times per week. They don’t post as frequently as they do on their other social media sites. Usually these posts are photographs of their airplanes, places that they have included in their enRoute magazine and updates about terminals and such. Usually in the description of their photographs they write lengthy descriptions that involve hashtags and tag other accounts that are linked to what they are promoting.

WestJet on the other hand is not verified on Instagram. They post approximately 2 times per week. It really depends if they have certain promotions going on like #WestJet Christmas where they posted a ton of photos leading up to Christmas. These posts consist of photos that include WestJet staff, planes, and destinations. The descriptions that are included are usually a decent length and include various hashtags. Some even include links to their website if they post about certain sales or event happening.

The most popular recent post that was added by Air Canada is about their new Boeing787 Dreamliner fleet. The photograph they posted is of the plane itself flying over water. It received 6,697 likes and 70 comments. On this platform its usually all about the photograph. If people don’t like the photo you have posted they will just scroll past your post. This post was so successful due to people liking the photograph, not necessarily the reason it was posted.

Retrieved from: http://instragram.com/p/BCRTbgiFKPb/?taken-by=aircanada

WestJet’s most popular recent post was added in honour of their 20^th birthday. This post featured a birthday cake that was placed in front of a plane in the storing area. It got 1,650 likes and a total of 40 comments. This post was so successful due to people liking the photograph itself, and people who are loyal supporters of WestJet and are proud to support the company in its 20 years of service.

Retrieved from: https://www.instragram.com/p/BCYn3m9wqL1/?taken-by=westjet

Overall both companies use their Instagram platform significantly less than any other social media outlet. This is probably because users normally use Instagram to view photographs, not to necessarily gain knowledge about a certain company.

Air Canada vs WestJet on Twitter

Using both Air Canada’s and WestJet’s last 25 tweets we are going to analyze how these two brands utilize the Twitter platform.

Air Canada

Air Canada tweets about twice per day, these posts however are usually identical except one is in French and the other is in English. They usually tweet every day or at least every other day.

The content in which Air Canada posts onto their Twitter account includes;
- Retweets from other companies tweeting Air Canada
- Sales or deals on flights
- Flight statuses/Travel alerts
- Current news regarding Air Canada
The use of the 50/50 rule is more evident than it was on other social media outlets that Air Canada uses.

(Air Canada Twitter, 2016)

The keywords sentences that are frequently found on their twitter page are “travel alert” and “save on select flights”. The hashtags that the brand utilizes a ton would be; #sale, #premiumeconomy, #(location names), and more.

The most successful recent tweet that Air Canada has posted was about their magazine called enRoutemag’s most recent article exploring Warsaw. It was posted on March 2^nd, 2016 and received 44 favourites and 31 retweets.

I believe that this post was so successful because people probably liked the image that was posted along with it. Yes some individuals may be liking the post purely because they enjoy Air Canada’s articles that explore certain regions, however a huge contributor to the number of likes a post may get is usually the photograph that accompanies it.

WestJet

WestJet on average tweets about 1 tweet per day. Although since they had their 20^th birthday recently they tweeted more than 10 times on the 29^th!

The content in which WestJet puts on their twitter include;
- Images are used frequently
- News updates regarding WestJet
- Sales/Deals that are currently happening
- Quoting tweets responding to companies who mention them
The 50/50 rule is more evident on their Twitter than on other Social Media outlets.

Keywords or sentences that are used throughout their tweets include; “summer travel”, “non-stop flights” and “travel packages”. Their most frequently used hashtags are #WestJet20, #WestJetQ4, and #WestJetEncore.

(WestJet Twitter, 2016)

The most successful recent tweet that was posted by WestJet is about their President and CEO Gregg Saretsky addressing allegations made recently about the company.  This was tweeted March 4^th, 2016 and got 66 favourites and 45 retweets.

The reason that this post was so popular was due to it addressing an issue that many people were probably wondering about or heard about and want to know how the company responded to this issue. Many of these favourites and retweets are most likely WestJet supporters and are glad to see that the company has finally addressed the allegations that have been shared throughout the media.

Both companies seem to use their twitter accounts actively to communicate with their consumers and to keep them up to date with what's going on in their company. 

Air Canada vs. WestJet on Facebook

Facebook is a great tool that any business can utilize to communicate, advertise, and promote their brand to consumers. In this post we are going to analyze both Air Canada’s and WestJet’s Facebook accounts to see how each brand uses this social media outlet to their advantage.

WestJet

WestJet’s Facebook business page has roughly 700,000 likes. Analyzing their 25 most recents posts this is what I found;

- Their last post on their Facebook page was 3 days ago
- WestJet goes through phases where they will post 2 posts everyday continuously, and then will go back to posting nothing for 2-3 days.
- Most of the content includes; deals/discounts that are currently going on, company related events such as their 20^th birthday, career opportunities as well as advertisements from their Youtube account.
- in terms of using the 50/50 rule, WestJet doesn’t really follow through with posting information about their industry after their own post.
- Keyword sentences in which the company put into their posts include; “save on flights” “save on select vacation packages” and “connecting flights”.

 WestJet’s most popular recent post is…

1. Posted 02/01/2016.
Confirming an incident with one of their flights that was travelling from Vancouver to Maui.
This post had 3000 likes, 306 total shares and 261 comments.

Retrieved from (WestJet Facebook, 2016)

The reason that this post was so successful is due to it being about an incident occurring with one of their flights. Usually the most liked or shared things on Facebook are either heartwarming videos, or issues occurring in different industries. People like to stay updated with what incidents are happening around the world and this happened to be one that caught many people’s attention.

Air Canada has approximately 1,000,000 likes on their Facebook page. I looked at their 25 most recent posts and this is what I found;

- On average they post at least 1 post per day every other day. They go on streaks where they post every single day or sometimes post twice per day and wait a few days to post again.
- These posts consist mainly of flight deals or sales, news/updates regarding their company, and video advertisements from their Youtube account.
- They also post photograph with every post to engage the consumer’s eye more while scrolling through their feed
- Air Canada doesn’t truly follow the 50/50 rule
- Key sentences used throughout their posts include; “book a flight” “ save __% by booking by___” and “flight deals”.

Air Canada

Air Canada’s most successful recent post was…

1. Posted on 02/10/2016

A popular post that was recently posted by Air Canada was about the Valentine’s Day sale. It got 3,100 likes, 365 shares and 201 comments.

Retrieved from (Air Canada Facebook, 2016)

The reason behind this post being so popular was because Valentine’s Day is seen as a day to spoil your loved one, and many people would probably enjoy receiving or taking a trip/vacation with that special someone. Which also makes sense when you think about the amount of shares this post got, couples could’ve been sharing this post onto each other’s walls hinting at them a possible Valentine’s Day present idea. 

Air Canada's Social Media Strategy

Examining Air Canada's Social Media 

   Air Canada is one of the leading competitors in the travel/transportation industry. With such a big brand they need to have a presence on as many social media outlets as possible.
Air Canada has accounts on:
- Facebook
- Instagram
- Pinterest
- Twitter
- LinkedIn
- Youtube

   The objective of this post is to observe how Air Canada utilizes its’ social media accounts to reach out to their consumers.

   One of the main things to consider when looking at a business’s social media accounts is how much they actually utilize the account. Air Canada has 1,070,009 likes on their Facebook page. There they post things such as updates in their industry, share their content from other sites such as their Youtube channel, as well as add information regarding any sales that are occurring. Air Canada posts approximately once every day, sometimes more than one post per day. They monitor their posts closely seeing as they respond regularly to comments or concerns that their consumers may have. Their posts are usually to gain interest from consumers or to generate interest in their services.

 

Air Canada Facebook Page (Air Canada,2016)

   On Twitter Air Canada has 195k tweets and regularly replies to tweets that mention them. They have a follower count of 358k and usually reply to only bad comments or questions left by the consumers. They do sometimes respond to positive comments but not as regularly has the negative ones. Air Canada tweets roughly 3 times a day and it usually consists of deals, updates, and replies to people.

Air Canada Twitter Page (Air Canada,2016)

   Their Instagram account has scenic pictures as well as plane photographs. Air Canada posts roughly 2 times per week and it’s usually about their services as well as throwback posts showing their consumers how far they have come. They have 611 posts, 182k followers and are following 295.

Air Canada Instagram Post (Air Canada, 2016)

  Lastly, Air Canada's Youtube account has around 8,283 subscribers as well as 198 videos. These are usually advertisements used to catch the attention of consumers. This social media account is probably one of the least used by the company. They go through periods where they use the account a lot, but recently they haven't posted any sort of content in a month.

    In conclusion Air Canada has a strong Social Media strategy. They share similar posts on all their social media outlets, they respond and post frequently on most of them as well as have a good follower base on each individual site.

Sources
Air Canada. (2016). Air Canada Instagram. Retrieved February 27, 2016, from https://www.instagram.com/aircanada/
Air Canada. (2016). Air Canada Twitter. Retrieved February 27, 2016, from https://twitter.com/AirCanada?ref_src=twsrc^google|twcamp^serp|twgr^author
 Air Canada. (2016). Air Canada Facebook. Retrieved February 27, 2016, from https://www.facebook.com/aircanada 

Air Canada vs WestJet

Search Engine Optimization is a very important marketing tactic that organizations should strive to improve upon to further themselves in their industry. Today we are going to compare Air Canada’s SEO to WestJet’s.

WestJet website screenshot

Air Canada website screenshot

Keywords

The biggest thing when it comes to SEO Is how high your brand ranks when you type certain keywords into a search engine like Google. 

Air Canada’s keywords include; Air Canada, Aeroplan, Reservations, Book Online, Air Canada Flights, Airline Tickets, Airfare deals
WestJet’s keywords include; Buy Airline Tickets, Book Flights, Find Cheap Airfare, last minute flights and seat sales with WestJet. Book hotels and vacations with WestJet Vacations.

They both use different keywords, some of which pertain to their specific company (ie. Aeroplan), but some of the keywords are related like cheap airfare/airfare deals. The number of times a keyword pops up throughout the site allows for a better SEO. Both sites used their keywords between 0-5 times throughout, but Air Canada had two keywords which were Air Canada and Aeroplan that was used 11-15 times.

In regards to where they put their keywords it really varied. Air Canada’s keywords usually appeared in alternative texts, keyword section, anchor text, title and URL. WestJet’s was located in their keyword section, URL and title.

Upload Speed

Site upload speed is very important for a company’s website. This is because people don’t have much patience anymore and aren’t willing to spend more than 3 seconds on a page, or wait for content to load. WestJet loaded significantly faster than Air Canada (approx. 5 seconds to load media content via Air Canada). Air Canada’s site itself loaded quickly, but the media took way longer than WestJet’s did.

Alt Text & Captions

Although both airlines did use alternate texts throughout the site, WestJet’s were stronger. They were longer and more descriptive as well as found in more areas around the site. An example of an alt text WestJet put on their site was “Nothing says I love you like a sale on flights to all destinations within Canada and the U.S., and select destinations to Mexico and the Caribbean”. An example of an alt text that Air Canada used was “!” and “Valentines Sale”.

Air Canada also included no captions to their photographs, where WestJet used one almost under every photograph. An example would be “Hawaii, It’s closer than ever”.

Call To Action

 Both Air Canada and WestJet has the same call to action, this was “book a flight”.

Anchor text

The anchor text used throughout the air Canada site was “Contact Us, Cancelled flight service, Travel Alerts”. On WestJet's site they used “Contact Us, Book Using WestJet Dollars” as their anchor text.

Mobility

Both airlines have their own App available to smart phone users, but only WestJet has a mobile site available.

Overall Ranking

Air Canada ranked 7^th under the keyword “cheap airfare”. A lot of the other keywords brought up a ton of travel websites that weren’t owned by other airlines.
WestJet ranked 1^st under the keyword “Seat deals”. For their other keywords many travel websites popped up.

Conclusion

In conclusion, both Air Canada and WestJet have good SEO. They both have areas that they can improve upon to further enhance their SEO and rankings. Air Canada should look into creating a mobile site, enhancing media upload speed,and WestJet could put their keywords in more areas around the site itself. In my opinion the Airline that flew the highest in regards to this SEO search analysis would be WestJet. This is due to their excellent use of alt texts, overall site design and layout, mobility options, and more!