EFT Berlin 2006 Special: By EyeforTravel.com Correspondent Suppliers have been working with optimisation partners and beginning to build their natural search presence.

Published: 15 Oct 2006

EFT Berlin 2006 Special: By EyeforTravel.com Correspondent Suppliers have been working with optimisation partners and beginning to build their natural search presence.

Ivan Imhoff, online strategy and marketing consultant feels search has its
role, but other channels have greater contribution now when it comes to
marketing activities.

"Natural search developments is focused on capturing the tail of search
traffic, all those strange and borderline search terms that we would not
normally get. I really don't see, in the near future, consumer generated
content, blogs, reviews, etc , putting a single hotel company on the first page
of Google search for terms like "hotel London"," Imhoff told EyeforTravel.com's
Ritesh Gupta.

Imhoff adds, "Content initiatives are absolutely fabulous at driving what can
amount to be a significant proportion of traffic to a branded site. But it is
tail traffic. Like the MP3 world, 70 percent of the revenue comes from 10
percent of the music catalogue and 30 percent comes from the 90 percent of the
catalogue = The Tail. This catalogue of music is not even found in stores. The
same applies here, search terms that we would have never thought of or had the
time of including in a PPC campaign will generate traffic. This tail can grow
quite quickly and bring in a very targeted and relevant traffic."

When EyeforTravel.com had interviewed Imhoff, formerly director - channel
development, Hilton International, last year, Imhoff had said the biggest
changes being witnessed were the booking patterns of customers notably for the
summer period as well as the ever increasing competitiveness of search engine
marketing.

When queries about the same, he said, "Regarding customer booking patterns,
the Internet has provided a translucent window of research, price transparency
and value."

According to him, customers are now extremely well educated in finding the
best value for money. They share amongst themselves the mutual positive and
negative experiences through reviews and rating sites.

"Customers are in the driving seat, travel companies aren't. A percentage of
customers are willing to change their travel dates for better price offers. The
demand curves in many circumstances is flattening, booking lead times are
shortening and pressure on prices grows as does the competition. Christmas will
never change and the peak business period will remain September for as long as
most people come back from holidays at the end of summer," he says.

"Companies that understand this will better focus their tactical marketing
spend to optimise sales and revenue in need periods and move customers to
locations and time periods more efficiently," he adds.

On search, he said, "What I mentioned last year seems to be materialising. PPC
is no longer the end all be all of online marketing. Internet users still only
look at the firs few pages of search results, so bids have increased for PPC
ads. Like all fluid economic markets, demand and offer balance each other."

In the case of PPC, Imhoff says, "We are finally starting to understand that
it is not the end, but the beginning of the development of true multi-channel
online marketing. Such indicators are the new buzz words, consumer generated
content, blog generate content, review sites, destination guides, regional
guides, online brochure engines and the likes. All efforts to generate static
content designed to tap into the tail of search engine queries."

"Interestingly, the big three of PPC, Google, Yahoo and Miva are starting to
see more serious PPC providers that are picking up the overflow of PPC demand.
Alternatives exist and the travel industry is starting to realise it and are
focusing efforts into affiliate marketing, email, banner networks,
partnerships, competitions, viral and the many other online alternatives," he
says.