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CHO Knows Social Media: How a Regional Airport Makes Connections

By: Marijean Jaggers | 07/15/2009

Standing Partnership client, the Charlottesville Albemarle Airport (CHO), has grown by leaps and bounds with its reputation and reach over the last year. Through the use of social media tools and a new dynamic Web site, the airport's executive director, Barbara Hutchinson, has developed a strong personal brand. We often counsel clients that the most successful social media campaigns are successful because of a champion within the organization. That champion isn't always in a leadership role; take Frank, a customer service representative who is the face of Comcast on Twitter @comcastcares, as one such example. It is only necessary that your organization have a human face -- a person who represents the company and is responsive and active online and, in the case of a geographic community such as CHO's, in person.

The way that CHO and, in large part Barbara Hutchinson (http://twitter.com/@bhutchinson and http://twitter.com/CHOairport and now with the Where's Barb Blog on www.GoCHO.com), have built the airport's brand and reputation is by making the connection between social media and community relations.

Barb doesn't merely engage in social media -- she ties it back to community relations by interacting online and then turning those interactions into real life (IRL) experiences, all as a way of developing relationships on behalf of the airport. Barb has developed and nurtured relationships in Central Virginia by using Twitter to follow, interact with and be responsive to the online community. Her tweets share special fares and airport news as well as Barb's personal comments about what she's reading, seeing and doing.

A few weeks ago, Barb began taking her Twitter interaction to the streets by instituting Fridays as Follower Fridays; she chooses an area business who follows and interacts with her on Twitter, and shows up with airplane-shaped brownies she bakes herself and handfuls of CHO swag for everyone in the office. This outreach often results in blog posts from the recipients, such as this example from Charlottesville media group, C'villian.

As one can imagine, these visits (and the brownies) are a big hit. Several readers expressed their love for CHO in the comments, further enhancing the airport's brand as a community-enhancing airport. Barb's interaction with the online community is completely sincere, and that's what has made her reputation so strong in the community. When a local mommy blogger expressed interest in a tour of the airport, Barb opened up the invitation, hosted the tour personally and provided her guests with CHO-branded gifts.

The blogger was, of course, thrilled with the visit and devoted a great blog post with photos to the experience.

It's true that CHO (and Barbara Hutchinson) knows social media, and it's also true that they understand the critical connection that companies and organizations must make that links what's done online back to the community they serve.

If your company is dabbling in the social media space, what's the plan for tying what's being done online back to the customer?

Posted in Digital Communications