Southwest’s User-Driven Community
July 23, 2009 by Heather
For those of us who come from a traditional communications background, the idea of “crowdsourcing” messages, content or design can hard to grasp (even though it’s happening more and more frequently). As PR people, it’s still our job to shape messaging, but there are times when taking a cue from the masses can be the best decision. For example, when Southwest Airlines, an early social media adopter, began blogging, the posts focused primarily on company culture. As the readership grew, bloggers discovered that the community wanted to hear more about news as well. Likewise, Southwest’s Twitter stream has evolved to reflect the types of information and links their followers want. This ability to listen and respond accordingly to the community is one of the key reasons why Southwest’s social media has “taken off.”
If your company is participating in social media, does your community drive content, or are you taking a more traditional approach? Watch this interview with Paula Berg, manager of emerging media at Southwest Airlines, to learn more about their approach to social media.
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