Southwest Airlines Social Media Audit
By Anna Hadzinski
We Run on Southwest Heart
Southwest Airlines is a commercial flight service that has been around since 1967. Anyone who has flown on a Southwest flight will tell you how positive and uplifting that crew was. Not to mention, their excellent guest service. On their website, you can find where they list their mission, values, and promises. Their values are listed as, “To be the world’s most loved, most efficient, and most profitable airline”. That being said, their social media platforms are a direct representation of this. With the large following that they have obtained on all of their platforms, they can reach a large and diverse crowd to display their values and mission. Throughout this social media audit, I will explain the ins and outs of each social media platform, complete with a SWOT analysis that portrays everything you need to know about the company’s social media.
Fully done social media audit on Southwest Airlines
Instagram:
The Southwest Instagram is a well-followed account that has been in the game for a while. It has a total of 962 thousand followers, (so close to one million!) and is verified. Their account bio is short and simple with a link to different websites along with their bio saying, “We run on #SouthwestHeart”. One main reason why their Instagram has done so well is because it stays up to date with the latest trends and they are active in replying to comments. In terms of best/top content, their reels create the most traction and have the most views. This is because they are trendy but relevant to their brand, staying true to their values and mission. Along with reels though, they have a wide variety of content they post. This includes reels, fun facts, just simple pictures, and memes that they create. If they continue to stay on top of these trends and replying to comments, their Instagram will have no issue growing even larger!
Facebook:
The Facebook account for Southwest Airlines is the largest account by far that they have. At a whopping 6.1 million followers, this account soars past their other platforms. It is a verified account that also has a short bio, much like all of their other platforms. Their bio says, “Book Flights, Explore careers, and get in touch here:”, with a link to their website. Their posts mainly consist of pictures and memes they curated that are similar to ones you would see floating around the rest of the Facebook timeline. They also post about different events happening and the achievements of their crew. This is a good thing to post since their highest following can see and stay connected to the Southwest community. Much like Instagram, if they continue to do what they are doing, their Facebook will continue to grow.
X:
The Southwest Airlines X account is the second most popular platform they have. The account has 2.1 million followers and is verified. The bio is the exact same as their Instagram, short and simple, utilizing the same hashtag, #SouthwestHeart. X is a platform that has a very diverse crowd. You can find many different accounts that are run by younger teens, but also older adults. Southwest does a good job staying hip to the younger crowd, while also engaging their older crowd. Many of their posts seem to be comical and light-hearted, but also promotional. Their most recent post was about a 40% discount that they have been running. One thing that they could do to enhance their X account even more would be to reply to more comments and post more often, as their last post was in January 2024.
TikTok:
Southwest’s TikTok account is the newest and has the least amount of followers, coming in at 305 thousand, almost 306. Their TikTok content is similar to the stuff that they post to their Instagram account but with a heavier comical touch. For starters, their bio is just one short sentence that says, “The one with funny flight attendants.”. Many of their videos are of their cabin crew and look to be filmed before or after takeoff, when there are little to no passengers on the plane yet. They definitely focus on making content that everyone of all ages and demographics would love. TikTok being such a large platform with literally anyone of any age on it, they understand that their audience fluctuates. THeir most popular videos however are ones with crew lip-syncing to different songs. Their TikTok still has growing to go, but sticking with their videos they are making and maybe dueting different videos could bring even more attention and pull to their account.
SWOT Analysis
Summary
Southwest is an engaging and fun company that prioritizes its customer’s happiness and loyalty. That being said, their social media platforms are a direct reflection of just that. Keeping a well-versed and trendy social media representative will do the company good, since being up to date on trends is so important nowadays, specifically on social media. I strongly believe that their social media presence will only continue to grow and expand as trends do.