Pacific Surfliner COVID-19 Communications - Social
Target Audience: The Pacific Surfliner route spans 351-miles through six counties in Southern California, from San Diego to San Luis Obispo. It's the busiest state-supported intercity passenger rail route in the United States with an annual ridership of nearly 3 million (pre-COVID). The service was severely impacted by the pandemic, as travel sharply declined across the state. As an essential service providing critical transportation options to the communities we serve, it was imperative for us to communicate detailed and timely information about schedules, travel policies and safety measures. Social media played an important role in reaching the following audiences: 1. Individuals who need to travel 2. Customers and fans who are not currently traveling 3. Partners (visitors bureaus, local attractions)
Strategy Objective:Social media allowed us to share important updates to wide audiences at little to no cost. The Pacific Surfliner channels (Facebook, Instagram and Twitter) have 68,000 fans combined. The strategy for social media was to balance informational messages with engaging content. We wanted our channels to serve those who need to travel as well as those who are interested in travel but have postponed plans. We inspired confidence in the service by sharing safety updates, and engaged fans by giving them ways to enjoy the route virtually, such as videos and photos that feature stunning views. We frequently asked riders to share photos and memories of past trips and favorite destinations to spark positive conversations and keep the Pacific Surfliner top of mind without actively promoting travel.
Situation Challenge: The Pacific Surfliner attracts leisure and business travelers, two groups which largely stopped traveling during the pandemic (at least through public modes of transport). This, paired with statewide stay-at-home orders, led to a 95% drop in ridership for the Pacific Surfliner in spring 2020. The train is an essential service, so it continued to operate, but schedules were reduced to meet current demand, and enhanced safety measures were put in place to keep passengers and crews safe. The challenge was to keep abreast of public health conditions and service updates to quickly, accurately and effectively communicate information to the public, while also maintaining a connection with those who stopped riding. This had to be done at minimal cost in light of budget constraints.
Results Impact: Between March and December, activity on the Pacific Surfliner social channels greatly increased, with a diverse mix of content that both informed and engaged. 170 posts were shared across Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, resulting in nearly 800,000 organic (not paid) impressions, 43,000 interactions (likes, comments and clicks), and 195,000 video views. This led to greater awareness of the important safety and service adjustments we made in response to the pandemic, which has helped build public confidence in the Pacific Surfliner. At the same time, our social channels benefited from increased engagement with fans, who responded positively to the scenic photos and videos we shared, and to the questions we posed to them. We also directly responded to more than 200 questions and concerns.
Why Submit: Social media has played a critical role in the Pacific Surfliner's COVID-19 communications efforts. We've reached tens of thousands of people to share timely and accurate information about the service. At a time when travel was put on hold across the globe, and when ridership on the Pacific Surfliner reached unprecedented lows, we used social media to maintain relationships with riders and build a foundation to recover ridership once the pandemic subsides. This was accomplished by diversifying our content, balancing important service updates with inspirational photos and videos that brightened the newsfeed of our fans, and reliving the joy of past trips. Social media efforts were paramount to our success when budgets were limited and the need to communicate was greater than ever.