Analyzing Southwest’s Digital Presence
Jocelyn Shahu
It is no doubt that Southwest has made quite a name for itself in the travel and airline industry as a strong a reputable brand. It is more important than even for brands like Southwest to showcase and push advertising efforts on social media platforms to gain traction. We have closely analyzed Southwest’s digital presence across four popular social media platforms - Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, and X - and here’s what we found.
With over 960,000 followers, Southwest certainly utilizes their Instagram to reach a large segment of their audience. Their content mix has recently stepped up, as they previously struggled with repetitive content of simple photos of their airplanes. Now, they post a mixture of reels and photos, consisting of contests/giveaways, heartwarming stories, employee shoutouts and testimonials, and trend following posts and language. This is effective, especially on Instagram, due to its diverse demographic. A wide range of ages utilize this platform (while Facebook is gears towards older generations and TikTok/X are used by younger generations), so posting a mixture of content is sure to appeal to each group. They tend to post once a day and receive great engagement - with a few thousand likes and hundreds of comments on each post (if not more). However, their most successful and appealing content comes from the authentic and heartwarming stories, Their reels, specifically, gain the most attention. It is clear that their Instagram can play a large role in perception and awareness, so focusing on their own trends and what works will help their overall digital presence.
Southwest’s Facebook holds most of its overall following, with over 6 million audience members. This can give some insight on Southwest’s demographics, as older generations tend to use Facebook over any other platform. Therefore, the content on this page should showcase and reach that audience. Their content is similar to that on Instagram, with the addition of memes, news, and announcements, such as the scholarship application opening. Their most popular content is their relatable travel memes, as it has generated the most likes and shares on their platforms,. Since this is their biggest platform in terms of following, Southwest must utilize that power and continue to post popular and engaging content to attract its followers. Posting exclusive promo codes or contests strictly on Facebook can help increase brand loyalty as they give their largest audience a sense of exclusivity within the brand.
TikTok
As TikTok is becoming one of the leading social media platforms, and even the leading search engine for younger generations, it would be detrimental for Southwest to not use the platform to its greatest potential. Its short bio “The one with the funny flight attendants” is nothing short of perfect for the type of content and brief language typically used on TikTok. Despite having numerous viral videos and a collective 12.2 million likes across its page, they fall short in their following with only 305k, making it their least followed platform. It is important for Southwest to reach the younger demographic as they become the leading consumers. Therefore, their presence on TikTok is crucial. Southwest can begin to create a “persona” that the audience will want to follow. Having viral videos is important, but retaining the watchers serves greater rewards.
X
Despite Southwest’s lack of presence, their X account holds their second largest following (2.1 million). Before their hiatus, their content consisted of interactive posts, memes, and trends. Their comment section would be filled with concerns or customer inquiries, much like any other company X account. To combat the tainted image people may see from complaints on their main page, Southwest can create a separate account which deals with customer inquires so that their main X page can focus on fun, interactive content. Since a large portion of their following is on X, Southwest must regularly utilize this platform to build that “persona” and brand loyalty.
