Brussels Airlines online bookings soar 420%

OVERVIEW

Brussels Airlines, who urge their their online customers to ‘Click, book and fly!’, enlisted iCrossing to help encourage more visitors to take up the challenge. Using an integrated natural and paid search marketing campaign, iCrossing generated a 420% increase in bookings across Brussels Airlines European portfolio of websites - delivering a 26:1 return on investment - after only six months. (www.brusselsairlines.com)

OBJECTIVES

Brussels Airlines saw a massive opportunity to generate new revenue by increasing their visibility in Google and other top search engines. They wanted to be found at the top of listings for popular travel search terms, to accelerate the number of customers clicking through to their sites and to increase online bookings across all their key European websites. The online campaign needed to appeal to existing and new customers.

SOLUTION

Our solution was to create an integrated natural and paid search marketing campaign on a continental  scale, including the main site www.brusselsairlines.com and country sites in Belgium, Germany, Sweden, Denmark, France and Italy.

The campaign’s methodology was based on three key principles: Content, search engine accessibility and link equity (the number of relevant incoming links to the Brussels Airlines websites). A comprehensive list of search terms was born of thorough research. These terms related to Brussels Airlines key flight paths and products, and were heavily promoted as part of an aggressive search engine optimisation strategy.

Paid search campaigns provided instant visibility. Meanwhile, accessibility and link equity were improved to bolster natural rankings, and optimised content was created around destination guides. These provided relevant and interesting arrival points for users, and were designed to improve conversions to booking. Where such guides didn’t exist, iCrossing sourced all the relevant information, wrote and translated copy, and built the pages.

RESULTS

Ongoing tracking and analysis of new customer leads, the number of online conversions and the value of every conversion enabled us to demonstrate the real value the campaign generated:

• Brussels Airlines enjoyed a 420% increase in bookings and a phenomenal return on investment of 26:1
• 141% increase in top 10 rankings across all Brussels Airlines websites caused a steep rise in visitor numbers
• Since the campaign started, natural search has generated a 103% increase in revenue and paid listings a 266% rise in revenue

The campaign is continuing, and there is still a great deal of scope to increase revenues and improve Brussels Airlines online brand reputation, but both iCrossing and Brussels Airlines are delighted with the early results.

WORKING TOGETHER

Audrey Benoit, eQuality & Performance Manager at Brussels Airlines says:

“I’d like to congratulate iCrossing for the fantastic results the campaign has generated. The return on our investment is proof that we chose the right search agency and we are pleased to share our success with them.”

Neil Cains, Account Director at iCrossing says: “The results for Brussels Airlines show what can be achieved when you unite paid and natural search techniques together across a pan-European stage. We are delighted with the results, and are enjoying developing the next phase of the campaign with their online marketing team.”

About Brussels Airlines

Brussels Airlines is a new Belgian full-service airline based in Brussels, offering its customers a gateway to Europe, Africa and the States. The company, which employs more than 2,160 people, guarantees more than 285 worldwide punctual flights a day. In 2004 Brussels Airlines has been acclaimed as "Brussels Tourism Ambassador", and has won the Skytrax Airline Excellence Award for its excellent service during the whole travel experience.