Kolin Jones, CEO of Amalfi Jets, explains how his company leveraged provocative, authentic social media content to achieve viral growth in the conservative private aviation industry, amassing billions of impressions without paid ads.
Kolin Jones discusses achieving over a billion impressions
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Authenticity over Aesthetics: Amalfi Jets prioritizes humanizing the brand and showing office culture over polished jet visuals, making content relatable.
Provocative Storytelling: They challenge industry "dinosaurs" with bold campaigns and behind-the-scenes content, provoking reactions and standing out.
Examples of Amalfi Jets' viral office skits and behind-the-scenes content
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Speed and Volume: Rapid content creation and posting across platforms ensure they outpace competitors and capitalize on trending topics.
Data-Driven Lead Generation: By strategically adding friction to their lead forms and tracking customer journeys, they convert views into qualified leads.
Building Brand Equity: A $99/month "Amalfi Reserve" membership creates a community for aspiring entrepreneurs, offering concierge services and exclusive events, expanding brand reach beyond direct flight bookings.
Personifying the Brand: Kolin Jones emphasizes that the most overlooked strategy is personifying the brand.
Many companies focus on branding with logos and company names, but people ultimately buy from people, not just brands.
Amalfi Jets' success comes from showcasing the personalities behind the company, such as Kolin, Josh, and Brian, making the brand feel more authentic.
Authenticity Over Polished Aesthetics:
Unlike competitors who display professionally edited videos of private jets, Amalfi Jets decided to focus on office culture and behind-the-scenes content.
This approach was partly by necessity, as they are a charter brokerage without direct access to hangers, forcing them to be creative.
Kolin states that polished 4K videos of jets don't get the same attention on social media as relatable, engaging content.
Examples of engaging content include office antics, like jokes about firing an employee, which are more memorable.
Examples of Amalfi Jets' viral office skits and behind-the-scenes content
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An office skit from Amalfi Jets garnered 34.5 million views
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Kolin's Provocative Approach to Social Media [4:21]
Standing Out in a Crowded Market: Kolin's strategy is to be provocative rather than just "disruptive."
He noticed that established private jet companies ("dinosaurs") are very conservative and traditional in their branding.
Amalfi Jets aims to do the opposite, embracing humor and "craziness" in their TikToks to create content that competitors cannot replicate due to their conservative image.
This approach garners attention and makes Amalfi Jets memorable.
Kolin Jones states his company's goal to "bury competitors in irrelevance" through provocative content
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Challenging the Industry Norms:
Kolin recounts early criticism on LinkedIn, where industry veterans called their content "unprofessional."
He views this as validation, as it means they are successfully differentiating themselves.
He plans a campaign explicitly "declaring war on dinosaurs," targeting traditional companies that resist change.
Examples of content showing the "other world of private jets" include flying Chick-fil-A to Mexico for a client, highlighting their unique customer service and willingness to be "ridiculous."
Finding the Unique Angle: Kolin advises businesses with seemingly "boring" products to identify what everyone else in their industry is doing and do the opposite.
He suggests personifying the employees and embracing preconceived notions about the industry in a creative way.
Instead of just showing the product, show the people and the culture.
Kolin Jones emphasizes Amalfi Jets' strategy of posting more content than competitors
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Prioritizing Uniqueness:
Amalfi Jets' marketing meetings involve asking if competitors are doing a particular strategy; if so, they avoid it.
This commitment to being different ensures they stay ahead and maintain a provocative edge.
Future-Proofing with Technology: Amalfi Jets is evolving into a hybrid tech company.
They employ software developers to build technology that streamlines operations, improves efficiency, and makes the business more scalable.
A key focus is developing attribution software to better track where business originates.
Social Media as a Primary Growth Engine:
Over 70-80% of their business comes from social media, despite initial skepticism about wealthy clients being on TikTok.
They found that children on TikTok influence their affluent parents and grandparents to try Amalfi Jets.
Social media is used to showcase their platform, expertise, and commitment to safety and customer service, all while highlighting their technological advancements.
New tech initiatives include sourcing platforms and risk assessment systems for flights to enhance safety standards across the industry.
Human Connection in Luxury: The core belief is that people buy from people.
Amalfi Jets balances provocative, human-centric short-form content (Reels, TikToks) with a professional, luxury-focused Instagram feed and website.
This dual approach caters to different audiences: younger, social media-savvy individuals attracted by authentic content and traditional high-net-worth clients seeking a polished brand.
The "Social Seating" Strategy:
They intentionally incorporate elements relevant to their target affluent audience (e.g., golf, luxury cars, high-end travel destinations) into their content.
This helps their content appear on the "For You Pages" of potential clients and improves SEO for those keywords.
When people search for these luxury interests, Amalfi Jets' content ranks, driving traffic and brand awareness.
Employee Involvement:
Employees are encouraged (and expected) to participate in content creation, fostering a sense of community and making the brand more relatable.
Clients often recognize employees from videos, building trust and familiarity, and sometimes even requesting specific team members.
Building Brand Equity:
The strong brand affinity created through content means some clients are willing to pay a premium to work with Amalfi Jets.
This "celebrity-style brand" fosters a desire among people to be associated with it.
Safety and Industry Standards: Kolin, with his aviation background, feels a responsibility to set high safety standards in an industry with low barriers to entry.
He cites an example where a competitor falsely claimed an aircraft could fly non-stop from LA to London with 12 people, risking passenger safety.
Amalfi Jets has a robust safety management system, with all employees (marketing, sales, flight ops) undergoing "Aviation 101" training, including learning about plane crashes and risk factors.
Educating the Audience: Their social media platform is used to educate the public about aviation safety and industry best practices.
Leveraging Virality for Good: The billions of impressions gained from their "silly" videos translate into a platform for educating and influencing industry standards, which paid ads cannot achieve as authentically.
Campaign-Driven Content: Kolin recommends businesses create content around specific campaigns or a "north star" ethos.
Amalfi Jets' "declaring war on dinosaurs" campaign is an example of a clear, provocative theme that guides their content.
This prevents content from becoming unfocused, as happened in the past with random videos like golf tips.
Targeting Affluent Audience with "Social Seating":
They strategically embed keywords and themes (e.g., golf, specific car models like Ferrari 296 GTB, luxury destinations like Pebble Beach) into their videos.
This "social seating" helps their content reach the "For You Pages" of their target demographic and improves SEO, allowing them to rank for these keywords on platforms like Google, TikTok, and Instagram.
Kolin Jones driving a luxury car, part of the high-production organic content strategy
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Kolin Jones inside a private jet, highlighting the ease of private travel compared to typical commercial travel
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A commercial flight check-in contrasts with the private jet experience
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A visual comparison of commercial versus private jet travel experiences
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Kolin Jones disembarking a private jet, emphasizing quick travel times
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Guerrilla Marketing Mindset: As a company that has never taken outside investment, Amalfi Jets operates with a strong focus on creative, cost-effective marketing.
SEO Experimentation:
During a period of high website traffic from social media, Kolin removed all website links from their social bios, forcing users to Google "Amalfi Jets."
This significantly boosted their SEO, allowing them to outrank competitors even for their own branded keywords.
This highlights the power of calculated risks and understanding platform algorithms.
Mandatory Employee Participation: All Amalfi Jets employees are required to be available for video content, as it's a direct driver of business.
This initially faced resistance but was integrated into the company culture to ensure consistent content.
Building Internal Personal Brands: The goal is for clients to recognize and trust not just Kolin, but also other team members like Brian, Jaden, Daniel, and Holly Reed, from their appearances in videos.
This distributes brand equity across the team, creating a more robust and trustworthy image.
Building Trust and Brand Equity with Clients [24:02]
Real-World Impact of Social Content: Social media content directly translates to business, with clients sometimes quoting specific TikToks or expressing a desire to work with Amalfi Jets because of their content, even if it means paying a slightly higher price.
Maintaining a Professional Image: Despite the provocative social media, their website and Instagram feed maintain a traditional, corporate, and luxurious appearance to cater to older, more conservative clients who may discover them through Google searches.
Out-of-Body Experiences: Kolin describes "out-of-body moments" where the reality of flying private feels ridiculous, such as drinking a Corona while flying to Mexico for a taco run.
The "Amalfi Reserve" Community: To create a sense of belonging for both clients and aspirational followers, Amalfi Jets launched a $99/month "Reserve" membership.
This membership offers a 24/7 personal concierge service (for everything from tire changes to restaurant reservations), and access to exclusive events and networking opportunities in various cities.
It's designed to build a community and brand loyalty beyond just private jet services.
Unexpected Client Preferences: Despite the luxury, clients rarely order champagne or caviar; common requests include fresh fruit platters, sandwiches, and Chick-fil-A.
Amalfi Jets even finds ways to fulfill "impossible" requests, like serving Chick-fil-A on Sundays by pre-ordering and flash-freezing.
The Discretion of Wealth: Wealthy clients often dress casually and are often the most understanding when issues arise, as many are entrepreneurs who appreciate the challenges of business. They prioritize convenience and saving time over small cost differences.
Luck Meets Data and Effort: Kolin believes virality is a mix of luck and calculated effort.
Amalfi Jets' data-driven approach, consistent high-volume posting, and speed in content creation significantly increase their chances of going viral.
Speed Over Perfection: They prioritize quick turnaround for content ideas, aiming to film, edit, and post within 24 hours.
This agility is a key competitive advantage over "dinosaur companies" bogged down by corporate reviews.
Outworking Competitors: By posting more aggressively and ridiculously, they've "buried competitors in irrelevance," often leading to comments on competitors' posts saying they're copying Amalfi.
ROI on Organic Social: Amalfi Jets spends "zero dollars" on paid advertising, preferring to invest in organic content.
Kolin argues that spending $30,000 on a Google ad is less effective than chartering a private jet for an engaging content piece, which can generate more views and brand awareness.
Kolin Jones discusses achieving over a billion impressions
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Audience Distrust of Ads: In today's saturated media landscape, people are overexposed to ads and can easily spot sponsored content, leading to a preference for authentic organic content.
Amalfi Jets' genuine enthusiasm for certain products (e.g., Fiji water) in their videos is more impactful than paid endorsements.
Quality Content Investment: While they started with iPhone videos, investing in proper cameras, lighting, and professional editors improved content quality and performance.
Data shows that visual elements like wearing black and good lighting positively impact engagement.
From Views to Qualified Leads: Views alone don't pay bills; the key is converting them into qualified leads.
Social media serves as the "top of the funnel," driving traffic to their website or app.
Optimizing Conversion Points:
They use single conversion points in their bios (website or app download, not Linktree) to improve data tracking.
On their website, multiple calls to action exist: a prominent "request a charter" button, a "contact us" option, and a white paper pop-up that appears after 15-30 seconds.
Creating Friction for Quality Leads:
Initially, forms only asked for name, email, and phone, resulting in high volume but low qualification (2% conversion).
By adding fields like full address and qualifying questions (e.g., "Are you currently flying private?", "How many times do you fly privately?"), they increased friction, reducing the number of leads but significantly increasing their quality to 15-20%.
This strategy ensures their sales team focuses on genuinely interested prospects.
Integrated Data Systems: Amalfi Jets built its own software system, "Zeus," to centralize data from various sources (CRM, Google Analytics, website, app) for better decision-making.
This data helps identify successful content, optimal platforms for lead quality, and customer trends (e.g., golf content converting well).
Marketing as Investment: They view marketing expenses not as spending but as investing in proven strategies. If Instagram generates $3 million in revenue, they are confident in allocating similar amounts to content, knowing the ROI is there.
Social Media Levels the Playing Field: Kolin views social media as an alternative to traditional advertising, allowing small businesses to reach a large audience without massive budgets, comparable to a $2 million TV ad.
AI and Search Evolution: He acknowledges the rise of AI tools like ChatGPT for finding information but believes social media's organic content will remain crucial.
If a business's content is highly relevant and abundant on social platforms, AI tools will be compelled to link to it, further enhancing its reach.
Dual Branding Strategy: Amalfi Jets maintains a professional, corporate tone on its website and Instagram feed, distinct from its playful social media content.
This ensures they appeal to both new, social media-driven clients and older, more traditional clients who discover them through search engines.
Aggressive SEO Tactics:
They extensively analyze competitor websites to identify keywords and strategies.
Their website content and image alt text are strategically "littered" with relevant keywords, including competitors' names, to outrank them in search results.
This allows them to capture traffic from users searching for competitors.
The "Kill or Be Killed" Mindset: Kolin views competition aggressively, seeing it as a "war" for customers.
He actively avoids collaborations with competitors, emphasizing that his company's success directly impacts his employees' livelihoods.
He believes in outworking and outposting rivals, effectively burying them in "irrelevance" through sheer volume and provocative content.
Knowledge as Power: The sales team maintains a detailed binder updated monthly, containing competitor information (promotions, average costs, strategies) to effectively counter rival offers.
Landing Your First Customers as a New Founder [54:54]
Outworking the Competition: In the early years (before viral social media), Amalfi Jets focused on sheer hard work.
They maintained an in-office work culture, starting early and leaving late, effectively working more hours than remote-first competitors.
Data-Driven from Day One: From the outset, they tracked everything, unlike many established companies that rely on traditional methods.
This data-centric approach informed all decisions, from office location (e.g., near wealthy areas like Calabasas to optimize local SEO) to marketing strategies.
Setting Up for Scale: The key to scaling beyond initial success is building systems ready for significant growth.
This includes formalizing policies (dress code, PTO), establishing clear processes, and ensuring current operations can handle a much larger team (e.g., 100+ employees).
Replicating Wins with Data:
Consistently tracking data (touch points, conversion rates, customer demographics) allows them to identify successful strategies and replicate them.
A "touch point map" helps visualize the customer journey from initial social media exposure to conversion, enabling them to optimize each step.
CRM and Lead Qualification: A robust CRM system is essential for handling large volumes of leads and filtering for qualified prospects.
By asking more detailed questions in forms, they prioritize high-intent customers, even if it means fewer overall leads.
Post-Mortem Analysis: Regularly conducting post-mortems on both successes and failures (e.g., a delayed flight) helps refine processes, improve customer service, and create SOPs for future situations.
Tailored Customer Experience: Sales brochures and communication styles are customized for different client profiles (conservative vs. young entrepreneur) while delivering the same core product.
Customer Experience as a Competitive Advantage [1:05:29]
Beyond Price: For high-net-worth clients, the decision isn't solely about cost but the overall experience, level of service, and convenience.
Understanding Client Motivations: Clients fly private to buy back time (e.g., getting to a meeting on Monday after a weekend trip) or for direct access to remote destinations not served by commercial flights.
Personalized Service: Amalfi Jets provides a 24/7 concierge team to handle all aspects of a trip, including hotels, car services, and reservations, ensuring a seamless luxury experience.
Challenging Perceptions of Wealth: Kolin notes that the wealthiest clients are often the most "down-to-earth" and understanding, as many are entrepreneurs who appreciate the value of money and the challenges of running a business. They value efficiency and solutions over petty complaints.
Strategic Partnerships: Early on, Amalfi Jets sought partnerships with established luxury brands like The Ritz-Carlton to build trust and credibility. Being "Amalfi Jets trusted by the Ritz-Carlton" significantly enhanced their reputation.
Kolin Jones, founder and CEO of Amalfi Jets, speaking at an event
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Aspiration and Community: The Amalfi Reserve membership was born from Kolin's childhood dream of exclusive parties. It creates a community for aspiring entrepreneurs who may not fly private but want to be part of the brand's network and events.
Future Vision: Kolin envisions Amalfi-branded services (e.g., cars with Amalfi logos) to extend the premium experience beyond flights into clients' daily lives.
Sacrifices and Risks of Entrepreneurship: Kolin reflects on the dedication required in the early days, working long hours and making personal sacrifices.
Mindset for Building Amalfi: His mindset involves constant learning from successful people (even if it makes him feel "poor" by comparison), strict discipline, and a highly regimented routine focused on maximizing time and opportunity.
Strategic Networking: He intentionally places himself in environments where successful individuals gather, like Equinox gyms, to expand his network.
Speed Beats Perfection: Kolin's philosophy is to move quickly and implement ideas immediately, rather than getting bogged down in perfectionism.
This rapid execution allows them to stay agile and capitalize on trends, differentiating them from slower, corporate competitors.
Responsibility of Leadership: As the company grows, the CEO's role shifts from a hands-on founder to a leader responsible for many employees. This requires emotional intelligence, calculated risk-taking, and continuous personal growth.
Believe in Yourself and Develop Emotional Intelligence: Crucial for navigating the entrepreneurial journey.
Embrace Social Media Aggressively: Regardless of the industry, founders should be authentic, loud, and strategic on social media to differentiate themselves and capture attention.
Build Smart Technology: Invest in internal tech solutions (like attribution software and operational systems) to streamline processes, understand data, and enable scalable growth.
Impact of Social Media on Revenue: The hosts are shocked by Kolin's revelation that ~98% of Amalfi Jets' revenue comes from social media, defying conventional luxury branding wisdom.
Humanizing the Brand: They reiterate the importance of showing office culture and employees, even for "unsexy" businesses, to build trust and relatability.
Speed and Volume are Key: Kolin's emphasis on rapid content creation and consistent posting is a major takeaway for all creators and businesses.
Data-Driven Decisions: Leveraging data for content performance and customer acquisition is critical for growth.
World-Building with Characters: Bringing employees into content creates a "show" with developing characters and storylines, increasing engagement and community loyalty.
