How global airports engage social media users : a study of facebook use and its role in stakeholder communication

Examining airports’ use of Facebook, particularly the types of information they have provided to, and established with, users, this study was conducted using the framework of the five functional aspects: communications, promotions, product distribution, research, and management relationship building. The results show that the airports studied used Facebook for various aspects of communication with users, different airports concentrating on different areas. The study also supports previous findings in revealing a lack of strategic marketing, and showing that the limited uniformity of airports’ Facebook pages lessens the effectiveness of communication. The findings of this study benefit airports, especially those with limited budgets and limited human resources for social media. The findings also imply and highlight actions and strategies being used to successfully promote posts on Facebook. The use of such strategies is expected to gain airports greater popularity and enable them to develop a more positive public image.School of Hotel and Tourism Managemen