Christoph von Bülow
COO HolidayPirates
What is the formula to survive and thrive as a travel brand in a world of media monopolies and all-powerful platforms? While most travel companies rely heavily on paid traffic, discover a sustainable manner to build a strong brand presence online and acquire substantial organic traffic through the power of social media.
Over 15 years of experience in the areas of operations and business development, primarily in the travel environment. Prior to joining the Holiday Pirates, Christoph worked for the European branch of Travelzoo for nearly eight years in various management positions at home and abroad alongside stations at Tomorrow FOCUS, lastminute.com and Humboldt Reisen Berlin. Most recently he was responsible for the German business of the global payment provider Adyen from Berlin.
4. Started as a travel blog in 2011
…but first, who are we?
Became a company in 2012
Active today in 10 markets
5 offices + HQ in Berlin
Currently 200+ employees
5. We find unique travel deals…
…and publish them on our
channels dedicated to each
market
What do we do?
9€
Roundtri
p
to Stavanger
Norway
£200
7 nights in
Marrakec
h
£492
Bali
Holiday
$1,134
Around-the-
World
Flights
10. The recipe for virality:
Be creative &
controversial to foster
engagement
Call to Action
Travel insights,
open
discussion
Transparency
Target group
Entertaining,
authentic tone
of voice
Authenticity
Content & deals
that are too good not
to be shared
Relevance
InspirationTrust
11. The goal?
Make fans & followers
brand ambassadors
Identification!
… traffic & revenue will
follow
29. Connection & Interaction
Search & Book (Pull)
Relevant Deals (Push)
via Facebook, App, Whatsapp…
Community Building
Trust
User Generated Content
Deals
Search &
Book
30. New vs. returning visitors 2018 all sources
Higher share of returning visitors
67%
33%
New Existing
33. Even though we only pay
for 8% of our traffic, we
are able to compete with
global giants.
34. Monthly Traffic in Millions (without App)
Monthly Traffic in Millions (without App)
TOTAL** OUTSIDE US*** MOBILE**
Monthly traffic in millions from Jan - Dec 18 (excluding in-app traffic)
**For DE, UK, IT, FR, PL, ES, NL, AT, CH, US *** For DE, UK, IT, FR, PL, ES, NL, AT, CH
Similar Web accessed on 10.01.2019
35. SOCIAL MEDIA TRAFFIC
*SHARE OF TOTAL
SESSIONS
MOBILE TRAFFIC
*SHARE OF TOTAL
SESSIONS
TRAFFIC FROM SOCIAL MEDIA
SHARE OF TOTAL SESSIONS*
TRAFFIC FROM MOBILE
SHARE OF TOTAL SESSIONS*
*Average no. of sessions in last year Jan 2018 - Dec 2018
Similar Web Accessed on 10.01.2019
36. DIRECT TRAFFIC
*SHARE OF TOTAL
SESSIONS
SEO TRAFFIC
*SHARE OF TOTAL
SESSIONSDIRECT TRAFFIC
SHARE OF TOTAL SESSIONS*
TRAFFIC FROM SEO
SHARE OF TOTAL SESSIONS*
*Average no. of sessions in last year Jan 2018 - Dec 2018
Similar Web Accessed on 10.01.2019