As a representative of a small or mid-size airport, you’ve likely felt the heat of the larger competition at some point. But the square footage of your airport doesn’t have to determine its success. Rather, the most important factor is the relationship you share with your audience.

If travelers simply come and go without spreading the word, your airport might experience stagnancy. But when they make you their airport of choice and encourage their friends, family, and business partners to do the same, your opportunity for growth skyrockets. Here, Advance Aviation, a division of Advance Media New York, discusses the important roles played by repeat travelers, brand advocates, and brand ambassadors and how you can maximize the benefits each offers for traveler-generated marketing.

Customer-Brand Relationships

In the commercial world, three types of customers offer businesses benefits beyond their shopping dollars. They vary based on how they relate to your brand and the benefits they provide. These customers include:

• • Repeat Travelers

Also called loyal customers, repeat travelers are those who continuously choose to fly with you whenever they take a trip. Although they’re not typically vocal about your brand, their commitment equates to dependable business for you.

• Brand Advocates
  This term describes someone who actively promotes your airport’s services to their friends, family, coworkers, or social media followers. Their advocacy can transform everyday people into loyal customers. In other words, they are some of your brand’s most vocal supporters.
• Brand Ambassadors
  The brand ambassador is your ultimate customer, giving you the ongoing purchases of the repeat traveler and the promotion benefits of the brand advocate. Not only do they choose your airport over the competition, but they also engage with their community to help others see the benefits of flying with you.

Maximizing Traveler-Generated Marketing Benefits
If brand ambassadors provide such great benefits, how can your airport get more of them? To this end, we have a few tips to consider as you work to graduate your clientele into dedicated, engaged brand loyalists.

• Create Engagement Opportunities
  If you want your travelers to rave about your services, give them a reason to. A great way to do this is by introducing a loyalty program that offers rewards when they share their thoughts on social media or refer their connections through email.
• Foster Transparent Communication
  Offering traveler services like online instant support messaging or opportunities to honestly review your facilities shows just how much you value customers and their input. This way, your customers will recognize your integrity and respond accordingly with their purchase habits and brand referrals.
• Amplification
  As a brand, you have the power to make travelers’ Tweets, Facebook statuses, Instagram posts, and blog posts more visible to others. Replying to these reviews or featuring them on your own site, whether it’s to say thank you or to direct a traveler to your customer services page, fosters a sense of trust in your audience while putting forth a convincing, subtle advertisement for your prospects.

Create New Brand Ambassadors Today

Repeat travelers, brand advocates, and brand ambassadors each offer great benefits for airports, especially facilities of small and medium size. When you harness the power of their voice, you’ll find a highly effective way to connect with new flyers and stand out amongst larger competitors. For help mobilizing your clientele into engaged, loyal ambassadors, contact Advance Aviation, Advance Media New York’s full-service airport marketing partner, at 315-575-0222 today.