Leadpile’s Blog

Are you one of those people that has a Blackberrys, iPhone, lap top or other electronic device connected to your hand at all times?  Being fully connected with the internet has become the norm, and if one does not have access for more than one hour at a time… we (yes, WE) all go crazy!!!!! Knowing this craziness, airlines are now testing Wi-Fi availability on their planes.    Various U.S. airlines have been testing this phenomenom for about a year now, however all others are now scrambling to get on board with this. Initially this is going to be free, however once all the kinks are ironed out you can expect this to be hitting your pocket book.  According to MSNBC, “Alaska Airlines is asking those who use the free test service to take a survey, which includes a question about how much they’d be willing to pay. A Southwest Airlines spokesperson says the airline will start testing fee structures once technical testing is complete, perhaps this summer.” So how much would you be willing to pay to have non stop access to the internet? I think the Leadpile crew would be willing to pay a little extra for the convenience, however let’s see what the airlines try to make us pay.

With surging fuel prices, the airline industry is in dire condition. Even before the rising fuel costs, the industry as a whole was in pretty bad shape. Through it all, there has been one shining (and profitable) star. You can probably guess that I am writing about Southwest Airlines. They have been profitable, and remain profitable because of shrewd business decisions and good customer service.

Well, they have made another good decision, and this one touches in our world. Like everyone else, they want to drive as much traffic as they can to their website. Of course, their way of building traffic is not traditional, and excellent out of the box thinking. They are sponsoring the upcoming Midnight Gaming Championship. The ages for these participants are 16-25 years… not exactly your frequent business travelers.

The marketing message is about their desktop widget and their weekly email. Of course, the participants have to register for this event, and I can guess you know where that is done… their company website. This appears to be another great business decision by Southwest Airlines… exposing future travelers to their company and their services. Based on their track record, you would have to predict this will be successful.

We are having great success with email marketing and list management at Leadpile. This can be used to build traffic and/or be more transactional and create sales. Please let us help you and your company become the Southwest Airlines of your industry.