Sikorsky Aircraft has taken on new wings and this time they”™re turquoise.
Sikorsky is the most recent of the major corporations in Fairfield County to join the communal medium scene starting an account on the Twitter social media website.
John Pacelli, vice president of marketing at Sikorsky Aircraft in Stratford said the company is attempting to reach out to a broader audience to provide information on company news, products and services. Sikorsky is a subsidiary of United Technologies Corporation in Hartford, which has yet to join Twitter.
Twitter has proved itself to be the easiest means to enter and maintain the growing number of social media outlets. The format is informal and ”˜tweets”™ are brief, allowing for quick messages without much explanation. Posts are limited to 140 characters, called ”˜tweets.”™
The first ”˜tweet”™ from Sikorsky read, “Sikorsky Global Helicopters honors EDRA Aeronautica at Heli-Expo,” with a link pertaining to the honor. More recent posts have included updates about aircrafts in development.
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“The age of social media is here and it is strong,” said Pacelli. “Our research shows that the number of people who are visiting social media websites to stay in touch continues to grow. This is another tool to help us to engage our customers, employees, and the media, to keep them informed and connected to the latest news on our products and services. It’s another place where we need to be, and we think people will be excited to follow us on Twitter.”
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According to Forrester Research in Cambridge, Mass., by mid 2009 more than 5 million people were using Twitter.
A recent study by Burson-Marsteller, a New York City based global communications company found that 79 percent of the Fortune Global 100 companies are using at least one of the popular social media platforms of Twitter, Facebook and YouTube. Of the three, Twitter was most populated by companies. The study found that companies with active accounts post an average of 27 tweets each week.
Sikorsky”™s account can be found by searching on Twitter or through the Sikorsky main website.
Pacelli said Sikorsky plans to promote its company brand, but also sees Twitter as a new way to enhance relationships and deliver important news more quickly to customers and the media.
“Sikorsky is the world”™s fastest-growing helicopter company, and keeping up with the latest developments requires an instantaneous delivery system,” said Paul Jackson, director of communications at Sikorsky. “Using this new tool will enhance our ability to reach all who follow our company as important news is breaking.”
Jackson said in weeks like that of Feb. 20, when the Heli-Expo show took place in Houston, the company can release inside news and interesting trends as quickly as they appear. Twitter upkeep can be managed by use of smart phones, allowing for mobile updates to be posted with little effort.
“We encourage everyone to sign up,” said Jackson.
