British Airways Original Content

Bae, not just a cute nickname but also a way for you, British Airway flyers, to get free flights! British Airlines Explores is all about encouraging BA flyers to share their experiences, gather informative travel information, destination ideas and win a flight! By tagging @British_Airways on Instagram, Twitter or Facebook and using the hashtag #BAEgetaways (British Airways Explores) followers can share their photos on places they’ve been or what to go. Every month we will chose the best photo, the poster will then get a ticket of their choice to anywhere BA flies. This campaign is targeted to any of BA followers on Instagram. However to claim the price the individual must be 18 years or older. This contest will be promoted on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook. Individuals can post as many photos as they like! By creating a hashtag and opening the contest to a variety of social media outlets this will open windows for conversation and engagement not just consumers to BA and BA to consumers but also for other consumers to view one another’s posts. Who need a #BAEgetaways? 

British Airway Fan Page

@BA_fans is an Instagram account created by fans of the UK airway. The account has been posting for about a year with no real consistency in timing but with a frequent use of variety of hashtags. They are able to receive min 20 likes per post as well have at least one comment on every photo. By using hashtags the Fan Page is able to connect with more frequent flyers. Are you a fan of British Airways? Join the club! https://www.instagram.com/ba_fans/

Instagram, British Airways Fan Page (2016)

Unfortunately the UK airway does not have any other present fan pages available for individuals to join. There are many “closed groups” on Facebook reserved to BA flight crew and other groups who use the airline for their travels. 

British Airways vs Sunwing Airlines on YouTube

YouTube is an outlet in which British Airways could probably be more organized and consistent on. Their channel has 61, 692 subscribers and 439 videos ranging in duration from 16 seconds to 4 minutes. With up to 5 post per day BA can go one week with no uploads. British Airways’ most popular video(s) are ones called “crew stories” or “____’s story”. These videos are based on true stories in which a crew member makes a special connection with a passenger or shares personally moments experienced when travelling whether it was before, during or after their flight crew days. With over 1, 000, 000 more view than other videos posted in the past month “British Airways: Fuelled by Love” video received 1, 736, 706 views. Sharing the true story of a flight attendant on her first flight to India, comforting an older women going back home after spending time with her son in England. This video’s success could be from the real feels viewers get and also using the heart felt moment to promote a new and popular flight available from the airways.  

YouTube, British Airways (2016)

YouTube, Sunwing Vacations (2016)

Sunwing Airlines had their own Youtube channel called SunWingTV in which they are posting regular weekly videos. Although the channel only has 2, 008 subscribers they have had 2, 758, 602 views. The channel displays videos of popular travel destinations, excursions, weddings, contest promotions and more. The channels most successful video by more than 15,000 views was their most recent upload, “Majestic Resorts, Punta Cana| Sunwing.ca”. The 31 second video has no words, just visuals with a soundtrack. Displaying the beautiful resorts, in which I have stay and would without doubt recommend and go back, the airlines is promoting vacation packages that they offer.

Although both airlines use YouTube appropriately both channels are not as utilized as their other social media outlets. This could be in relation to the type of industry as airlines are very fast pace which is targeted more towards Twitter and Facebook for updates and news.

British Airways vs Sunwing Airlines on Instagram

With an Instagram following of 325 thousand @british_airways shares photos and videos Monday-Friday. The UK Airways is less consistent on their Instagram page than their other social media outlets, only posting up to five days a week with no visible trend of one or more posts per day and some empty days. @british_airways has created their own #hashtag in which other Instagram users can include in their posts to notify British Airways of their travels and experience while using the airway’s services. The hashtag, #BACitySecrets doesn’t just allow the airways to stay in contact with their users but also for potential flyers to see the experiences of past and current customers. The airways recently posted a photo with their flight crew and one of their flyers, David Beckham, (https://www.instagram.com/p/BCXYDyjIsBT/?taken-by=british_airways) this post was very successful in gaining likes and collecting comments to date, 7,844 likes and 77 comments. 

Instagram, British Airways (2016)

The other successful post the UK airway posted was displaying a new aircraft available to their passengers. In the caption of the post the airway asked a question leaving opportunity for comments to arise and conversations to start creating 339 comments and 9,124 likes (https://www.instagram.com/p/BB92OJIIsBt/?taken-by=british_airways).

Instagram, British Airways (2016)

Instagram, Sunwing Vacations (2016)

Although @SunwingVacay has also utilized creating their own hashtag #Sunwingmode they have not been as successful in generating conversation and gaining followers. With only 301 posts, 4,032 followers and 461 following Sunwing Airlines also seems to post only Monday thru Friday with no consistency however never posting more than one picture a day. Their most successful post with more likes and comments than any other photo posted by the airlines has over 100 likes and 10 comments. (https://www.instagram.com/p/BCd2IuduPtx/?taken-by=sunwingvacations ). Sunwing’s second more popular post has only half the amount of likes andcomments however it also asks a question leaving opportunity for engagement (https://www.instagram.com/p/BCtjFZduPqG/?taken-by=sunwingvacations ). 

Instagram, Sunwing Vacations (2016)

The post not only asks a question but 4/7words are hashtagged making it easy for Instagram users to find

Both British Airways and Sunwing Airlines use resources that are available to them through the social outlet however British Airways is able to bring in more follower engagement through their posts. Do it for the insta and give the two a follow, like or comment!

British Airways vs Sunwing Airlines on Twitter

It can be difficult only having 140 characters to use and to use effectively. So the question is can British Airways and Sunwing execute each tweet? A little birdie told us it's possible!

 British Airways has 838K followers, follows 52.6K and has tweeted 445 thousand times since the UK airline joined Twitter in December of 2008. Unlike their Facebook British Airways posts twice as much per day on their Twitter account. With their 4 tweets a day @British_Airways does an excellent job at applying the 50/50 rule. Two tweets a day are in regards of British Airways’ flying conditions, flight schedules and promotions whereas the other two tweets are promoting popular destination in which the airlines flies to. Their two tweets that were most successful but the number of retweets and likes/favourites were recent tweets that follow the 50/50 rule. 

Twitter, British Airways (2016)

One tweet is asking consumers about why they like Spain via a poll which is most likely why it became so popular because the airline engaged their followers. The other, is a tweet alerting the followers of weather conditions and scheduling of the airlines’ flights for the day/time being.

Twitter, British Airways (2016)

  @SunwingVacay has three years less than British Airways on the social media site with only 15 thousand followers, following 1,486 and 6,636 tweets. The Canadian Airline is less consistent with their Twitter, tweeting anywhere from 2-5 sometimes more times per day. The airlines enjoys using hashtags and retweeting when someone mentions them or using a Sunwing hashtag. Although the Canadian airline uses hashtags more they fail to get consumers engaged. The two more popular tweets of the airlines are both ones that are asking their followers questions in hopes to get them engaged. 

Twitter, Sunwing Vacations (2016)

There is some effort to support the 50/50 rule however @SunwingVacay focuses more on travel destination then their transportation department. Find out for yourselves and give @British_Airways and @SunwingVacay a follow!  

British Airways vs Sunwing Airlines on Facebook

British Airways, travel and leisure and Sunwing Vacations, travel and transportation are two verified Facebook Business Pages. British Airways has over 2, 000, 000 more likes than Sunwing, posting on average two times per day, usually one post being between the hours of 6-7 am EST and second being posted around noon, 12 pm EST. The UK airline along with their consistent posts also is true to the 50/50 rule. Although British Airways enjoys posting about their brand, details of the daily flying conditions, weather updates of popular UK tourist sites, promotions and milestones their Facebook page also posts content in regards to travel tips, must see destinations and social norms where there are cultural differences. With combined likes of 5K, over 600 shares and over 400 comments British Airways’ 2 most successful posts were both focused on their industry and not brand. One a video of popular to do’s and must see in Spain, where British Airways now flies to 15 destinations and the other, an infographic sharing tips for first time travellers to Italy. I believe these two posts were successful due to their use of hashtags and both posts asked questions in which followers were able to engage. 

British Airways Facebook Page, 2016

With close to four posts a day, all seeming to be in a close window of time, Sunwing may not be as consistent however the airline does share their content equally between brand and industry. Sharing posts between Sunwing’s packages, promotions, deals, destinations and travel tips, popular vacations and articles relating to travel. Both of Sunwing’s most popular post have had a French translation but only had a combined total of 200 like, under 100 comments and a handful of shares. 

Sunwing Facebook Page, 2016

Although not as successful as those of British Airways, Sunwing’s post were likely more popular than their other posts in relation to the timing and number of post those days.

Go give British Airways and Sunwing Vacations a ‘like’ to see more!

British Airways’ Social Media Strategy

Analyzing the Strength of British Airways’ Social Media Outlets

British Airways, also known and common referred to as BA, is a widely used and trusted airlines in the United Kingdom. The large UK airlines is present and frequently uses a variety of social media channels to promote their name, promotions, connect with existing and potential passengers and compete with other airlines. British Airways currently uses the following outlets to do so;

• Facebook
• Twitter
• YouTube
• Instagram
• LinkedIn
• Google+

Although BA is present on the above social media outlets do they use them frequently and efficiently? Let’s find out.

With 2, 244, 708 likes on Facebook and an average of two posts per day it would seem that British Airways has their Facebook to a science. However when we analyse their post BA does not utilize the 50/50 rule. That being 50% of the content focused on their brand and the other 50% promoting their industry. Their page followers don’t seem to mind however as BA still continues to have a lot of engagement including, shares, likes and comments on all their posts. British Airways also takes the time and responds regularly to comments which most likely makes the consumers feel appreciated and therefore BA has gained their trust and loyalty.

British Airways’ Twitter Page (British Airways, 2016)

British Airways uses their Twitter account in similar ways as their Facebook. With 52.1K followers BA tweets twice a day with 100% of the content being geared to their own brand. However they do post about travel tips, site seeing, deals and contest in which their followers can participate in. Upside of Twitter is their posts do not get lost as easy amongst consumer news feed so BA is able to post shorter and quicker updates in regards to flights, weather and delays.

YouTube is an outlet in which British Airways could probably be more organized and consistent on. Their channel has 61, 692 subscribers and 439 videos ranging in duration from 16 seconds to 4 minutes. With up to 5 post per day BA can go one week with no uploads.

Last, @british_airways has 317K followers and 737 posts on their Instagram. All post, on average 2 daily are all consistent with those on their Facebook page. They have differentiated their Instagram from their other social media outlets as well those of their competitors as BA has introduced a hashtag in which individuals can use to get involved and reach out to British Airways.  #BACitySecrets

Instagram, Explore #BAcitysecrets (Instagram, 2016)

In conclusion British Airways has a strong social media presence on all their outlets. Their posts are consistent, frequent and relate to their brand. BA could utilize the 50/50 rule more and share more about their industry, travel, airlines other than that their strategy is well used and has been able to gain a large follower base on all their social media accounts. 

British Airways vs Sun Wing Airlines

Search Engine Optimization, SEO, is an excellent resource available to marketers in which they can maximize traffic to their website from their consumers. SEO allows marketers to use key words to target consumer’s needs and wants to draw them into their website. This is beneficial for companies as they can be as specific and honest as they choose. Whether or not they branch out just from what their company has to offer or go outside the box for their choice of words thus bringing in a wider range of consumers and widening their potential target market.

Both British Airways and Sun Wing Airlines utilize a variety of keywords, both unique to their airline’s services. Although both airlines would have consumers with similar needs and wants, the two sites have no keywords in which overlap with one another. British Airways uses words such as; flights, booking, hotels, city breaks, car rental, check in online, british airways, ba, ba.com to target their consumer’s needs and wants when looking for an airline to book online and/or answer their travel questions. Vacation Packages, Travel Deals, Hotel deals, Group Travel, Weekly Getaways, Ideal Vacation, Cuba, Mexico, Caribbean, Jamaica, Costa Rica, Panama, Florida, Dominican Republic, Cheap, Vacations, Sunwing.ca are all examples of keywords Sun Wing Airlines uses to connect with their consumers online. Although Sun Wing has more keywords, British Airways keywords appear more frequently on their site. Both British Airways and Sun Wing Airlines have visually appealing web designs however Sun Wing’s is more engaging using more anchor texts, photos and colours. Both Titles,

1. British Airways: Book Flights, Holidays & Check In Online | British Airways

2. Sun Wing Airlines: Last Minute Travel Deals | All inclusive Vacations | Vacation Packages | Discount Travel | Vacation Deals

use one or more of both the airlines’ keywords as well as their descriptions,

1. British Airways: Book flights to London, New York and many other international holiday destinations with British Airways. BA.com offer flights, hotels, holidays, car rental and more

2. Sun Wing saves you money on travel with Vacation Packages on All Inclusive Vacations and Vacation Deals to Mexico, the Caribbean, USA & Europe. Book Last Minute Travel Deals and take advantage of Discount Travel rates today.

Although both sites use anchor texts, have a high presence on multiple social media sites, have mobile friendly sites only British Airways offers a mobile app.

Google. (February 2016). Google trends. [Airlines, British Airways, Sun Wing Airlines]. Retrieved from https://www.google.ca/trends/explore#q=airlines%2C%20British%20Airways%2C%20Sunwing%20Airlines&geo=CA&cmpt=q&tz=Etc%2FGMT%2B5

(Please refer to attached image of Google Trends results) Consumers are searching for “airlines” periodically as weather changes in Canada with many ups and downs throughout the 12 months. However there is a large decrease in the amount of searches for my two airlines being, British Airways and Sun Wing. Although there is still similarities in the ups and downs in the searches throughout the 12 month period.British Airways and Sun Wing both have made good use of their key words through SEO. British Airways has a very visually appealing and easy to navigate and legible web design. Having a strong presence on social media and search specific key words are great strengths for British Airways. Sun Wing has a very busy web design however has multiple keywords and anchor texts making it’s SEO very strong.

In the airlines industry both British Airways and Sun Wing have strong presence of key words, visuals and anchor texts utilized on their websites. Although both sites make create use of their social media and visuals via their websites, Sun Wing has a larger slew of key words making their site more available to consumers amongst Google searches. Therefore in my opinion making Sun Wing a stronger company through SEO. 

British Airways. (2015). http://www.britishairways.com/travel/home/public/en_ca

Sun Wing Vacations. (2015). Experience the Difference. Retrieved from http://www.sunwing.ca/