Low budget airline Ryanair joined Twitter last week and has already caused quite a storm on social media.
This isn’t surprising. Michael O’Leary, Ryanair’s CEO, is well known for his provocative soundbites. On passengers who forget to print their boarding pass: “We think [they] should pay 60 euros for being so stupid.” He summed up his approach to customer service as follows: “People say the customer is always right, but you know what – they’re not. Sometimes they are wrong and they need to be told so.”
At the time of writing Ryanair had only tweeted ten times- and hadn’t pulled any punches. When UK consumer magazine Which? revealed that Ryanair had been voted worst brand for customer service, they responded with:
Some have said that Ryanair is simply being true to its brand values. I agree with that, but I also think that they are making 5 classic social media mistakes. They are:
1. Not understanding that social media is ‘social.’ Yep, the clue is in the name. Joining Twitter and being rude to everyone (sample tweet: “Ryanair carries over 80m passengers a year so we can’t write back on Twitter”) is just, well, rude. It’s like turning up to a fantastic party and then sneering at everyone in the room. Why bother? Next time, stay at home and watch reruns of Downton Abbey.
2. Not responding to replies/ DMs. See above. Again, not surprising as they aren’t following anyone.
3. Sharing nothing of real value. Ryanair have tweeted about new routes, their new advert and the availability of more tickets. Fine, but all they’re doing is broadcasting messages, rather than considering what is genuinely useful to their customers. Contrast this with Easyjet’s Twitter feed which includes helpful information such as this:
4. Not talking like their customers. Ryanair’s Twitter profile simply says ‘Europe’s ultra-low cost carrier.’ It’s factual jargon which sounds cold, and sits awkwardly with the profile photo of bikini clad girls, a Ryanair plane looming ominously overhead. Contrast this with British Airways’ Twitter profile which includes this: ‘We love reading your tweets & try to answer all of them between 0900-1700 GMT Mon-Fri.’ They sound like an airline who actually care about their customers, no?
5. Being complacent. I know people who’ve said that Ryanair’s Twitter feed is just a cynical means of reinforcing their brand values. Ryanair have been able to get away with their non-existent approach to customer services so far. But things aren’t going their way anymore. For the first time in ten years Ryanair is due to miss its profit forecast and has now pledged to improve its website and social media presence. Whether they will truly commit to changing things for the better remains to be seen.
What do you think of Ryanair’s tweets?
PS As it’s Social Media Week I’m giving away an hour of free advice about social media to one organisation. Email zoe@zoeamar.com with your name, job title, organisation and what you need advice on by 5pm on Friday 27 September. Thanks!