This eBook from Digital Jungle highlights the need for Airports to start reaching Chinese travellers via Chinese social media. Platforms such as Weibo and WeChat are becoming as important to Airport social media programs as Facebook and Twitter.

2. Leveraging
Social Marketing
Social media marketing refers to the process of gaining website traffic or attention
through social media sites. Social media marketing programs usually center on efforts
to create content that attracts attention and encourages readers to share it with their
social networks. The resulting digital “word of mouth” refers to any statement consumers share via the Internet about an event, product, service, brand or company. When
the underlying message spreads from user to user and presumably resonates because
it appears to come from a trusted, third-party source, as opposed to the brand or company itself, this form of marketing results in ‘earned media’ rather than ‘paid media’
In order to understand how airports can use Chinese social media, we must first
look at how airports are currently using foreign social media. Airports throughout the world are currently engaging in all forms of social media marketing from Facebook to blogging. Many are building massive fan bases and
using social media for every aspect of business. Most are using social media to offer real time customer service but others are also offering promotional material and even running viral campaigns via Twitter and Facebook.
There have been many campaigns run by airports; some of the most creative
and effective have been run by Changi Airport. They currently have over 298K
fans on Facebook, over 12K Twitter followers, and over 120K fans on Weibo. Other airports notable for their use of social media include Melbourne
International Airport, London Gatwick Airport and Kuala Lumpur Airport.
Most airports have been busy on Twitter and Facebook but many have
forgotten about Chinese social media platforms, like Weibo, WeChat, and Ctrip. This oversight will soon become a major drawback
for airports wishing to attract more Chinese Tourists to their airport.
“Word of Mouth”
Equals Trust
Changi Airport currently has over 298K fans on Facebook, over 12K Twitter followers,
and over 120K fans on Weibo.
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3. Airport Marketing
Why Social Media?
The Connected Chinese Traveler
Chinese travelers constitute the majority of inbound international passengers at many global airports and
those same travelers collectively are the world’s biggest spenders on international tourism. Moreover, in April
2013, President Xi Jinping noted that in the next five years China will probably have over 400 million tourists
traveling abroad. These tourists flocked to destinations the world over but registered huge numbers of visits to
Thailand, USA, UK, Taiwan, and France in particular in 2013. Initial research suggests that Australia, Indonesia,
Malaysia, and New Zealand will join the list of “hot destinations” for Chinese tourists in 2014. Chinese travelers clearly are very important to businesses across every sector and industry, especially those connected to
tourism and travel. Airports, as the first point of entry that many Chinese tourists have in new countries are no
exception to the rule and thus stand to profit from engaging with and catering to these “connected Chinese
travelers.”
Who are these “Connected Chinese Travelers?”
The notion of a “connected” Chinese traveler is being fully realised as 420 million Chinese now own a smartphone, with many of these smartphone users taking their devices overseas to capture photos and exchange
news with friends and loved ones back in China. China has the largest number of internet users of any country
in the world--roughly 600 million by the end of 2013 - and these users tend to stay connected while abroad.
Over 350 million people have downloaded WeChat and over 450 million people use Weibo. These habits travel
well as tourists relay their experiences (whether good or bad) to contacts around the world.
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Digital Jungle E-Book
How airports are engaging Connected Travelers?
Our world today is more connected than ever before. Over the last decade - especially the last five years –
this connectedness has been influenced by the proliferation of internet access, the immense popularity of
social networks and the meteoric rise in smartphone usage. This has led to the rise of a new kind of traveler
who is not only increasingly connected to thousands of people in his/her virtual networks, but also uses
these networks to find recommendations, share reviews and photographs as well as to complain when brands
make a mistake. All of these activities can now be effortlessly carried out while in transit, waiting for a flight
or browsing retail outlets.
At the same time, airport marketing today is not only a function of communications. Instead, airports are
increasingly competing to attract passengers from competitors and to improve their route networks. This has
led to a number of airports investing in innovative products and service initiatives in order to differentiate
the airport experience and, ultimately become a preferred airport of choice for passengers. Due to all these
developments, airport marketing has evolved dramatically.
China has roughly 600
million internet users
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4. Social Media Marketing
What do Airports need
to know?
Offline Campaigns
Online Results
R
esearch suggests that 80
percent of travelers today
plan their travels online and
half of travelers use mobile devices to access travel information. Moreover, they share their
experiences, and reviews while
on the go. According to TripAdvisor, 91 percent of travellers
post pictures of vacations, 57
percent post status updates
and 34 percent check-in while
travelling. In fact, 75 percent of
business travellers and frequent fliers carry smartphones
today, and just as many of them
log-on to airport Wi-Fi, when it
is available for free.
There are a number of reasons
for this rapid transformation.
First, the digital and mobile
revolution has extraordinary implications for every airport, as
the connected traveler expects
airports to be accessible in
their “pockets”, whilst receiving
excellent customer service on
the go, as well as a more tailored airport experience resulting from improved customer
insights.
S
econd, the real and virtual
worlds are fast merging.
A more connected world has
implications for the offline marketing space as well. Increasingly, airports are realizing that
a powerfully executed offline
campaign will inevitably result
in online advocacy.
Indeed, for many airports, “realworld” campaigns are tuned
to drive maximum buzz online
and have a digital component.
For instance, a number of offline campaigns are leveraging
mobile technologies such as
QR codes to ultimately drive
revenue.
T
hird, and perhaps more
importantly, airports can
now begin to overcome their
traditional weakness versus
airlines: the lack of customer
data. By mining social and
location-based information,
airports can target very specific
demographics and build a
base of social advocates while
gaining greater knowledge of
the travelers passing through
their terminals. This newfound power can be used by
airports to drive goals as varied
as better customer service,
tailored passenger experiences
to even innovative air service
development.
“91 percent of travellers post
pictures of vacations.”
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Digital Jungle E-Book
http://www.digitaljungle.com.cn/

6. Sina Weibo
WeChat
Much More Than Twitter
eLong
Voice Messaging
Ctrip
Community Reviews
Travel Research
Chinese Tourists Trust Social Media
The Chinese Social Media
Landscape
China is the world’s biggest internet market
with an estimated 600 million users. There are
over 221 million blogs, 181 million bloggers,
117 million bulletin board systems (BBS) and
235 million social network users.
The social media landscape is complex, vast
and ever changing. It is also increasingly
becoming a crucial part of the lives of Chinese
people, as it allows them to gain entry to social
circles and information that would not be
otherwise accessible.
Chinese internet users are more likely to trust
social media because they trust their friends
and family.
“There are over 221
million blogs, 181
million bloggers, 117
million bulletin board
systems (BBS).”
S
ina Weibo is predominately a micro-blogging
site with a mix of Facebook like features
that has approximately 550 million registered
usersn and is still growing. Its users are white
collar workers, aged between 20-30 years old,
and 48% of users access the platform on their
mobile phones. The platform allows users to
listen to music, watch movies, and donate to
charties, along with many other features.
W
eChat, a Tencent app, is one of the more
recent additions to the Chinese social
media landscape and it has rapidly become
essential for technology-savvy and up-to date
social media users in China. WeChat already
boasts some 300 million domestic users and
counting, and a further 100 million international
users. It is a multimedia communication tool
that offers a wide range of services such as
text messaging, hold-to-talk voice messaging,
broadcast (one-to-many or one-to-one)
messaging, photo/video sharing, location
sharing, and contact information exchange.
C
trip is one of China’s largest travel booking
and research companies. The site offers
flight, hotel, tour and vacation booking services
and, crucially, allows users to review properties
and accommodations on page.
“Trust”
E
long offers similar features to Ctrip—including
the all important customer review function—
and is part of Expedia. It also includes rental car
and international hotel booking services.
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Digital Jungle E-Book
http://www.digitaljungle.com.cn/

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8. GETTING INTO SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING
What To Ask
T
op 10 Questions:
1 Do you serve Chinese travelers?
2 Do you have a social following?
3 Do you have Chinese content?
4 Do you have a Chinese language website?
5 Do you expect increases in Chinese travelers?
6 Is your airport served by Chinese carriers?
7 Do you have Facebook and/or Twitter?
8 Do you have a social media plan?
9 Can you attract Chinese flyers?
10 Can you afford to wait?
Digital Jungle
We are China’s largest independent
content focused, digital marketing agency,
boasting 120+ staff in China and around
the region. Our primary focus is to work
with Western organizations to deepen
their relationships between their brand
and Chinese consumers; through quality
content and strategic thinking, to drive
consumer action, and to deliver value and
measurable results for our clients.
Content is a currency in today’s landscape
for any brand or business. Therefore,
we’re centered on creating and curating
content experiences that drive deep consumer engagement across all platforms.
We develop content strategies that help
brands get discovered, become engaged,
builds advocates, stimulates people down
your sales funnel and assists with your
SEO activities.
MORE INFO HERE
For more information about Digital Jungle and for
help with social media marketing please contact us:
•
•
•
•
info@digitaljungle.com.cn
www.digitaljungle.com.cn
www.weibo.com/digitaljungle
www.slideshare.net/digitaljungle
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