How an integrated digital strategy can boost your ADR significantly
A new brand needs to be nurtured
In our previous article, we explained how we helped simplify, unify and re-launch the Katikies brand of today. We had built the brand from strong foundations, based on the values that resonated with the target, a united identity that brought seven fragmented identities together, and a brand strategy that helped express its spirit – but that was only the beginning.
Like any newly launched brand, Katikies needed nurturing to grow. This required an optimisation of the existing online approach as well as bringing the brand to life through a distinctive story and a fully orchestrated multidisciplinary marketing strategy with defined goals that effectively leveraged communication/PR, digital distribution, and regular reporting. All the mentioned results were achieved thanks to a strong partnership and collaboration between Positioner and the Katikies departments such as Sales, Marketing, Revenue, Distribution and Management.
Optimisation requires more thinking than you think
Optimising a brand’s online presence often requires deeper analysis into its current approach. We quickly saw how uniting the seven different brands under one roof could help create synergies and boost visibility and performance. Visibility was further improved by ensuring a consistent domain architecture, as well as advancing SEO and metasearch, all helping to boost backlinks by 66% and website traffic by 25% (Data collected from Google Analytics and PMS, 2021 vs. 2019).
Through disintermediation and our other optimisation efforts, direct bookings increased 73% and acquisition costs fell 39% (data includes Positioner’s fees).
Effective branding takes on a life of its own
A powerful and consistent story that resonates with the target audience cannot be underestimated when driving for results. By telling a consistent brand story across the properties, we were able to transform the brand into a destination itself. This helped cross-selling opportunities between the establishments. It also allowed us to elevate the logos, images, videos, and content in a holistic way that was stronger and more memorable for the audience. And when a brand is retained in the target’s muscle memory, it starts to take on a life of its own. We believe this in itself is a large contributor, along with our marketing efforts, that led to a positive shift in brand perception and a major increase in the ADR.
Where you need it, when you need it
In addition to our branding approach, an integrated marketing strategy was launched with defined goals, which involved multidisciplinary activities across both online and offline touchpoints. We were able to identify key personas across the touchpoints, which allowed us to create an interconnected digital marketing funnel. Every individual who began the customer journey was subsequently led through the funnel, with appropriate content across website, social media, search, and e-mail marketing.
It's the little things that also count
There was no doubt that other specific measures we undertook also helped boost the performance of Katikies. For example, by creating marketing campaigns during the off-season for the first time, we were able to keep the brand top of mind, and by improving the Google Ads setup we were able to increase efficiencies.
Regular optimisation makes all the difference
We knew that raising awareness about data to the management team would improve team efficiency and consequently the results. For this reason, we built a reporting and meeting structure with Katikies on a regular basis, which provided the team with support in understanding the data and optimising the performance. As consulting partners, we were able to then share new trends and respond in a dynamic way, which also helped us to keep Katikies thriving when the Greek market was struggling.
Digital must be connected to physical
A digital strategy means nothing unless it is connected to the end consumer. Therefore we leveraged an integrated marketing strategy across the customer journey. It's also the reason why we are in the process of creating an even more personalised communication and marketing approach which will be based on user behaviour as well as the guest’s physical experiences at the property. This will also elevate the customer relationship management approach at Katikies to enrich the experience for guests. Let the results in this odyssey continue!