Airlines say they are planning to invest more in their social media efforts according to the latest findings in the SimpliFlying airline social media study.
The 2015 research reveals a third of airline executives expect a return on investment in social media of less than 5% in the next three years while 28% feel more positive about the impact on the bottom line expecting an ROI of between 5 and 10%.
The Airline Social Media Outlook 2015 also shows 64% of airline executives believe the social media budget will increase next year with 4o% of them thinking it could rise by up to 25% and almost a fifth are hoping for a 50% increase.
The survey, which was conducted on 148 executives from 87 airlines, also shows 84% of airline executives want more staff devoted to social media with the majority saying they would like to see staff double.
Further highlights include:
- Executives would like to see data from social media play a more significant role such as in developing new product strategies or to glean customer intelligence to help market segmentation.
- The number of likes, fans or followers is being replaced by engagement rates and actual bookings in terms of importance.
The full study will be released in the coming weeks.