United Airlines is looking to make every flyer a “main character,” according to its TikTok bio. But United has become a main character itself - at least on social media.
The airline has embraced a creator mentality to craft content its customers find relatable and appealing. In doing so, it has amassed an audience of 1.1 million followers on Instagram and is nearing another million on TikTok.
In April, Dash Hudson, a social media management platform, said the airline holds an average Entertainment Score of 8.4 out of 10 - a number that stood, at the time, 73% above the industry standard. The Entertainment Score is meant to reflect how content has captured and keeps audience attention on video-focused social media platforms including Instagram Reels and TikTok.
The airline consistently engages with its audience in the comments section and reposts user-generated content maintaining a thread of fun - with responses including oft-used Hollywood references.
Take United’s recent post about its summer interns, for example. Under the published TikTok, which referenced “Minions,” TikTok user Isabel Duffy commented “the best internship EVER!” to which United replied with another pop culture allusion. “you girls keep me young, i love you so much,” United wrote, nodding to 2004’s ever-popular “Mean Girls,” earning a number of likes on the comment in addition to the video itself, which had more than 62,000 views.
When a brand is funny, relatable or personable, it humanizes the interaction and makes customers feel like they're communicating with a friend — not some faceless entity.
Scott W. Thornburg — Sojern
Such resonating content can have an impact, according to experts.
“Social media truly is an extension of a brand, and it really humanizes a brand,” said Kate Archibald, chief marketing officer at Dash Hudson, explaining that a brand’s identity awareness is integral. “What works on social [media] today is engaging and entertaining content.”
And United isn’t alone in its pursuit to foster an identity online. Ryanair, with a bio of “catch flights, not feelings,” has cultivated a distinct voice, as have Delta and Hostelworld, among others. These travel brands are leaning into trends, continuing audience conversations, building authority and, in turn, fostering community.
It’s become a practical requirement for success.
“In this age, it's absolutely essential for travel brands to have a distinct brand identity on social media,” said Scott W. Thornburg, senior director of marketing and communications for Sojern, a travel marketing platform.
While creating a personality is just one core element of curating social media, it’s arguably as important as efforts such as influencer marketing. Many are meticulously crafting brand identities that are as relatable as they are informative - even TSA has created its own pithy, entertaining persona on Instagram and beyond.
Why should travel brands craft a social media persona?
Clear communication, storytelling and entertainment play into successful marketing efforts. Connecting with an audience on social media can do even more, given the more intimate nature of being able to respond to audiences directly via comments, direct messages and more.
“A well-defined voice can help a brand stand out and cultivate a stronger connection with its audiences,” said Thornburg.
Creating a consistent, relatable voice can change how a target audience perceives, connects with and engages a brand, Thornburg added. “When a brand is funny, relatable or personable, it humanizes the interaction and makes customers feel like they're communicating with a friend — not some faceless entity.”
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Lissa Rao, chief product and growth officer at Hostelworld Group, said it’s especially important to build a persona that resonates with travelers while also representing the mission of the company.
Hostelworld’s goal on social media is to help travelers and to bring awareness to what the company has to offer, she said. But it doesn’t stop at customer acquisition.
“For the customers that we do have, reiterating that position, showing more tips and ways that we can offer that,” said Rao. “So I think that is relevant for both our existing customer base and customers that aren't aware of what we offer today.”
And travel offers something of an innate opportunity to create entertaining content.
“Travel as a space is exciting,” said Rao. “It's interesting. It's about new experiences. So I could imagine if you're in health services it's not appropriate to have, like, a funny, pithy approach, but travel is fun.”
That said, brands’ prioritization of relatability and providing entertaining and informative content translates across industries, according to Archibald, who said it’s universally a successful tactic.
Focus on goals, brand identity, trends is important
The first step to successfully crafting a social media personality for a brand is to know what its goals are and what its identity is as a brand.
“Travel brands need to know who they are and how they want customers to view them,” said Thornburg. “Are you witty and whimsical? Friendly yet formal?”
Rao agreed. It starts for any company, she said, with what the customer needs and what value the brand can offer with that in mind - and those factors are to be kept in mind when crafting voice, tone, approach and strategy.
For Hostelworld, she said, the overarching goal on social media is to help solo travelers.
“I think [it] is valuable, because we have the authority and the insights from millions of customers,” said Rao.
Thornburg cautioned against fitting into a mold that isn’t authentic.
“Brands might try to fit into a mold that doesn't work for them,” said Thornburg. “Find what feels authentic and true to your brand, and find ways to highlight that in new and creative ways.”
Staying true to core values is “crucial” to building trust and credibility, he said.
But upholding brand identity and knowing what the goal is with social media usage won’t guarantee immediate brand persona success - staying in tune to the conversation happening on social matters too.
“I think the other piece is capitalizing on trends - [that] is hugely important,” said Archibald.
It’s about cultivating trust, community
While follower count is an easy to quantify metric, experts say connection is the golden ticket to reach for. In essence, social media can be the key to creating an online, interactive community for brands to uphold relationships with travelers.
“Over the last couple of years, we've seen this change from followers being the most important thing to now being all about community,” said Archibald. “So like Tiktok, followers don't matter, right? It’s nice to have, but it's really not the ultimate important factor of success.”
And what community means can vary based on goals and brand identity.
“Community can mean many different things,” said Archibald. The important thing is to think about how that community base can be reached, what their habits, wants and needs are - that should be among travel brands’ top considerations.
Thornburg said Sojern has worked to balance professionalism and an inviting tone meant to build trust. “This approach has allowed us to engage more effectively with our audience, fostering a sense of community,” he said.
Hostelworld seeks to connect solo travelers, according to Rao, who cited serving as a connector as another prong of the company’s goals with its social media presence.
“How can you connect with other people by using our travel products and how can our social media reflect that in our posts and our content and our interactions is really valuable,” said Rao.
It’s about meeting your customer where they are, Archibald explained.
“You want to make sure that he or she feels like they're being listened to and you're kind of on their wavelength,” she said. “And so it definitely helps create that bond. Whether it's like reposting their content or responding to content is also huge to create that connection.”