Data-Driven Hotel Marketing

<div class="article_quote"><div class="article_quote_contain"><div class="article_quote_quote">"The trend in online hotel marketing is towards data-driven and personalized marketing. Some of this can be fully automated thanks to CRM and specialized software solutions for hotels."</div><div class="article_quote_name u-text-style-main">Michael Köck</div></div></div>

Michael Köck is a consultant at Kohl & Partner, a leading consulting firm in the tourism and hospitality industry with more than 30 years of experience. He focuses on online marketing in the hotel industry. In the interview, he explains the importance of measurability and transparency in online marketing for hotels.

<h3 class="interview-question">What topics and focus areas have you worked on as a consultant at Kohl & Partner over the past 8 years?</h3>
I started working for Kohl & Partner eight years ago in October as an intern during my studies, after having worked in the international hotel industry for many years. Thanks to a wide variety of tasks, I was able to get a good overview of the different aspects of consulting.

I quickly felt very comfortable in the hotel industry, with a focus on marketing and sales. In this area, I now provide long-term and ongoing support to companies through marketing optimization and coaching. I also provide sales training and manage agency development processes for my clients, as the hospitality world has become increasingly digital and technical.

<h3 class="interview-question">You have spoken to many hoteliers over the years. What have been the most common concerns and questions about online marketing?</h3>

<div class="article_quote"><div class="article_quote_contain"><div class="article_quote_quote">"One of the most common questions I get is how hotels can increase occupancy in the short term. "</div><div class="article_quote_name u-text-style-main">Michael Köck</div></div></div>

Of course, this is an important issue, and there are usually ways to do it in the short term, but often price execution suffers. The ideal situation is for hotel companies to plan strategically for the long term, rather than trying to achieve spontaneous occupancy. In this context, marketing controlling and measurability are and will remain important as they reflect performance and provide reassurance as hoteliers can see what is actually coming back in terms of revenue when they invest in marketing. Another big issue is looking at the cost of marketing. The concern of hoteliers and marketers is how to reduce costs rather than how to improve performance. Reducing costs often results in poorer performance. In this context, marketing controlling and measurability are and will remain important because they reflect performance and give hoteliers peace of mind by showing them what they are actually getting back in terms of revenue when they invest in marketing.

When planning marketing activities, I am often asked how and with which platforms more attention and awareness can be generated and which marketing mix should be chosen in order to get more out of it for the hotel business. Hoteliers also often ask how to choose the right advertising agency partner.

Transparency in Online Marketing

<h3 class="interview-question">In online marketing, why is transparency and measurability so important?</h3>
The obvious question in marketing is: What do I get out of my marketing activities? The ROI (Return On Investment) is very important in terms of performance and investment. For me, it is also important to review the strategy and how to achieve the goal thanks to the transparent measurability of online marketing.

<div class="article_quote"><div class="article_quote_contain"><div class="article_quote_quote">"In my opinion, hoteliers should no longer just look for more occupancy, but should have already considered where they want to go with their strategy. This includes questions such as "Which target group do I want to welcome more in the hotel?" and "Which areas or seasons have potential that I can exploit?”."</div><div class="article_quote_name u-text-style-main">Michael Köck</div></div></div>

Marketing controlling helps you to understand whether your campaigns are actually addressing the right target group and whether you are actually achieving more bookings in the desired season. Strategy and objectives are important for controlling. For me, transparency means actually implementing the strategy and not just increasing sales. In the end, this offers a lot of potential for success, especially outside of marketing activities.

<h3 class="interview-question">What do you think is the perfect online marketing mix?</h3>
In my opinion, there is no perfect marketing mix. It is always individual. In my opinion, the basic recipe for a good online marketing mix is to look at what product I actually have and who I can and want to address with it. Then you have to decide which channels you want to use to reach those audiences.

<div class="article_quote"><div class="article_quote_contain"><div class="article_quote_quote">"So it comes back to the basic strategy. Online certainly has the greatest reach and is the best way to track results."</div><div class="article_quote_name u-text-style-main">Michael Köck</div></div></div>

In my opinion, many hoteliers in the industry are a bit too impatient when it comes to marketing, although marketing often takes time and you should not constantly jump back and forth between methods. I recommend hotels to monitor their marketing efforts over a period of time and write down exactly what worked and what did not. That way, you get the right marketing mix for your hotel business, which can always change and adjust. It is important to try a lot and stick with it over time.

<h3 class="interview-question">Why should your online marketing efforts be more than just selective?</h3>
You will miss opportunities if you are inconsistent and selective. That's why you should set your strategy and stick to it. And then break it down into what steps you need to take in your marketing efforts and how you're going to implement them. You need to plan for the long term, because short-term and ad hoc efforts tend to be spontaneous and often lack the concept behind them.