A Beginner's Guide to Behavioral Marketing for Airlines

Content Marketing Specialist, Nash Pervin, is here to share five surefire ways the airline industry can utilize Behavioral Marketing to their advantage.
The art of Behavioral Marketing is an interesting one to say the least. It studies your customers to better understand their behaviors, their tendencies and more importantly, their needs. Which in return, increases conversions, sales and creates loyal customers simply because you’ve taken a step back and understood what’s valuable to them in their journey.
With peak travel season upon us, we turn our attention to the airline industry to see five ways Behavioral Marketing can help optimize bookings and keep your flights full!

[one_half]

1 Upgrade their experience

Behavioral Marketing is a strategy that works to personalize experiences and create a journey your customers are actually excited for.[/one_half][one_half_last] [/one_half_last]
The best thing about a marketing strategy that’s customer-focused, especially regarding the airline industry, is that it works to ensure the best possible traveling experience for each individual flier. Maybe that means offering those long-time economy passengers an extra incentive to try out first class.
Or letting a large travel party know that there are options for their extra checked luggage. Your customers deserve an upgrade one way or another! And in the grander scheme of things, they’ll appreciate the fact that you’ve keyed in their comfort and luxury into the equation of their travels.

[one_half]

2 Staying ahead of their needs

Does their destination require a car to get around? Did they book their flight but didn’t look at where to stay? Did they purchase travel insurance for that once-in-a-lifetime vacation?[/one_half][one_half_last][/one_half_last]
We all know there are a lot of moving pieces and considerations when we travel.. and let’s face it, sometimes all the details can slip our minds. So why not lend a helping hand, and give a friendly nudge to your passengers to take these things into consideration as soon as they’ve booked their flight?
It’s a win-win strategy really; super relevant and helpful information for your customers and an opportunity to cross-sell for you! So airline booking? Check. Hotels? Check. Always being one step ahead of the game? Check.

[one_half]

3 Understand who they are

Not everyone who is browsing your website should be treated the same, with the exact same messages. Why, you might ask?
Well some people may be brand new to your site or in the early stages of researching flights.[/one_half][one_half_last] [/one_half_last]
Others might solely be curious about signing up for your frequent flyer program. Then again, maybe it’s a returning customer who is curious about that new priority boarding policy you have.
Whatever the case may be, your messages and offers must be dynamic enough to be relevant to them at whatever point they are in their journey, catering to whatever curiosity they have in their minds about your services. Bottom line, two things your messages should do: make sense and make them feel special! Show them you know exactly who they are and what they’re looking for and ultimately, help inspire a conversion.

[one_half]

4 Grow your reach

The quest to grow one’s marketing database is never-ending. But what’s the best way to go about asking your customers for that all-important email address? It requires some finesse and a little give-and-take.[/one_half][one_half_last][/one_half_last]
[inlinetweet]Do you have monthly travel deals or special sales?[/inlinetweet]. Is there a loyalty program or credit card available to earn frequent flyer miles?
Make sure you’re letting your customers know that by providing their email addresses, they’ll always be the first to receive your latest and greatest news and promotions!
After all the goal is to build a life-long, personal relationship with your customers by always providing the most helpful, relevant information. But in order to create that bond, you need to first create the opportunity to get that email address.

[one_half]

5 Don’t let ’em go

Booking abandonment is a common headache for every airline, with the global industry average hovering around 80%. Whether it’s getting your website visitors to stay or tempting them back to complete their reservation, Behavioral Marketing tactics can help you reconnect with convenient on-site, email or SMS messages.
[/one_half][one_half_last][/one_half_last]
How you might ask? One particular favorite, using messaging that creates a sense of urgency.
Whether it’s scooping up that great ticket price or grabbing the last seats available, we all know there’s a very finite window when booking a flight. So why not use that to your greatest advantage? Think on-site countdown timers or live consumer trends. Creatives that highlight how many people are viewing a particular flight or how long until a sale ends can be huge motivating factors for your customers to act now.
It’s pretty awesome when you’re able to delve into your customer’s psyche and really understand what drives them to go forward with their decisions and purchases. Makes your job a little easier, wouldn’t you say?

Still not convinced? For more examples of Behavioral Marketing in action, check out our Travel Look Book!