If you’ve ever flown Southwest Airlines, you know that their corporate image is about having fun and embracing the inner goofball, while seriously and professionally moving you from point A to B. Witness the singing flight attendants, the gate agents that crack bad jokes, and the former CEO who challenged a competing exec to an arm-wrestling competition so he’d win the right to keep his ad tagline (he lost).
Southwest’s shtick is all about providing highly customer-centric service at good value, but making sure that employees and customers have a good time while they do so. Southwest’s blog, Nuts About Southwest, is one of those rare company blogs that successfully mirrors the brand attitude. It’s fun to read, it’s got (gasp!) real-live employees who write posts (just like the Content Bureau’s blog!), and it actually addresses criticisms of the company in an open, honest manner.
Take the 2006 spat over Southwest’s proposal to eliminate open seating, in favor of the assigned seating typical of most other airlines. CEO Gary Kelly weighed in with a post acknowledging customer concerns (most loved open seating), and explaining the rationale behind the proposed change. Of the dozens of commenters weighing in, nearly all mentioned how delighted they were that the CEO took time to talk directly to customers via the blog.
If you’re part of a corporate blog team and you’re trying hard to make sure the posts maintain an authentic tone and echo brand messages—and don’t bore readers to tears—here are more reasons why Nuts About Southwest is a great model:
Diverse voices: It’s nice to hear from bloggers outside the corporate PR department—like a Southwest compliance analyst who attended a travel writers conference, or a Dallas-based pilot who blogs about pets that are up for adoption from employees who provide foster care. Posts from various departments can provide different perspectives on corporate messages, and simply make for a livelier read.
The personal touch: Southwest bloggers are allowed to talk about their personal lives in a way that’s relevant to their airline jobs. Personal tales add to the “realness” that’s so sorely lacking in many corporate blogs. When you read about multimedia specialist Steve Heaser’s love of floating in an inner tube on a Texas river for the 4th of July, or office administrator Jon Shubert’s story of how he met his wife 29 years ago courtesy of Southwest, you really do start thinking about applying for a job with these guys. The smart thing about these personal posts is that they still come back around to the airline’s brand messages about service, community, and connections.
Fun features: To build an audience, you need regular features—and if they’re enjoyable to read, so much the better. “Flashback Fridays” is the Southwest blog’s regular feature on the airline’s history, such as pictures of the first 737s being towed to Love Field in Dallas, and images of the airline’s first inflight drink menus from the 1970s (cocktails were called “Love Potions”). These blog features are a nice way to bring both employees and customers a little closer to the company, and make for a refreshing change from nonstop posts about the latest product launch or executive announcement.
