This document discusses search marketing strategies for airlines. It outlines the customer engagement model for airlines as low interest purchases that are savagely competitive. The marketing activities model of acquire, convert, retain is described using tactics like SEM, email, video, and analytics. Touchpoints like confirmation emails and flight reminders are mentioned. Challenges include getting results from spending and that "the consumer is NOT a moron". Learnings include testing ad timing and frequency, personalizing emails, and segmenting geographically. Building an email database is emphasized as the new real estate.

1. Search Marketing in Airlines

2. What is the airline customer
engagement model?

3. Context: Buying airline flights
• Low interest purchase – semi-commoditised
• Savagely competitive
• Get transaction done in fastest possible time
• Work PC is source of the majority of online travel bookings
Email is the driver
• UK and Ireland are driven by airlines with market power

4. What’s my model of online marketing activities?
What’s my model of online
marketing activities?

5. Acquire, convert, retain
• SEM
• Email
• Affiliate
• Banner
• Video
• Viral
• RSS
• Online PR
Convert
Retain and
Grow
Acquire
• Usability
• Site design
• Tracking code
• Copywriting, content
• Functionality
• Site security
• Good calls to action
• Site speed
• Offers and promotions
• 4 stage process
• Customer service
• Email
• Personalisation
• Site security
• Referrals
• Research, Test &
Measure
• Analytics
• Site performance
• Online surveys
• Usability

6. Touch strategy – post purchase retention
Confirmation
page
HTML
Itinerary email
Sent
With
ancillary offers
Flight Reminder
[Carhire,
Hotel]
Online
check-in
M-Ticket

7. The challenges of airline
marketing

8. • No spend, no results
•Advertising is the channel
• ‘The consumer is NOT a moron’……but :-)
•CRM is a waste

9. How do you stand out 1?

10. How do you stand out 2?

11. Learnings

12. Learnings: display
• ContiWnuhouast twaielo rheda vpree sleenacrened
• Bump up ad presence during peak buying season and reduce in off peak
• Buying larger amount of inventory upfront: value and cherry pick
• Creative: use cliches
• Two ads to play on the webpage at the same time = higher response rate
• Monday to Thursday - reduce other days
• 4 times more expensive in IRL - BUT - CTR IRL - 0.49 v 0.28 in UK

13. • Segment
Geographic targeting with location specific deals more effective than generic emails
How we make it work: email
• Personalise
• Best days to send
Communications early in the work week or weekends have the highest high open
and click rates; Mondays being the best, followed by Tuesday.
• Best times to send
Midday or 10am
• Subject line
35 or fewer characters
• How often????
Learnings: email

14. Thoughts and takeaways
• Customers are ‘trained’ by somebody else – who is training your customers?
• What if the boss is technophobe? CHEAT
Davechaffey.com, eConsultancy.com, slideshare.net, scribd.com,
Laura ries blog, guy Kawasaki blog
• Use ‘Test, learn, refine’ model or as I prefer: ‘Ready, shoot, aim’
• ‘Do the Math’
Online has can be measured to the nth degree - requires numbers savvy
staff
• Email database is the new real estate - always be building a database.