The Big Wave Blog

At Evision, we have a certain affinity for hotel clients. Collectively, we have a lot of experience with hotel management, revenue management, PPC and SEO. So we can run an online hotel marketing campaign like no one you’ve ever seen. This we know for sure. And the money we pull in for our hotel clients bears this out.

But lately, I’ve become a bit disillusioned with the hotel sector. In other industries—like retail, education, real estate—clients want only two things from us: a dedicated team they like and trust, and results that excite them. They are able to appreciate ROI. If we bring in $5k more in monthly revenue compared with a previous vendor, we are well worth an extra $500 in monthly fees. Hotels, by contrast, don’t seem to connect the dots between monthly marketing fees and monthly bookings. They are devoted to keeping “costs” down with no regard for returns. This seems unthinkable to those of us who truly appreciate the wonderfully trackable nature of PPC. Yet, there it is.

Size isn’t everything. Search marketing is young. It’s an industry that only becomes more powerful and effective as new, passionate agencies enter the scene. I’m not going to say that more established companies with larger payrolls don’t have quality work to offer. And I’m not saying go with the guy that incorporated 6 weeks ago in his basement. I am just saying that smaller, nimbler groups are often the ones trying new strategies, working day by day to fine-tune client campaigns. We are not automating bids or letting campaigns run on auto-pilot. We like the trenches and we are getting the best results. And in our case, out of sheer love of the game, we are giving spectacular customer service because the more we talk to our clients, the better we can refine their campaigns.

Basically, I think that Evision and its counterparts in the industry have a lot to offer. Is it a leap of faith for some clients to hire companies with less than 100 employees? Yes, apparently so. But I say it is well worth the risk.