Have you ever fantasized about leaving your current life behind and escaping to a beautiful destination to embark on a new venture? Perhaps, like me after watching Mamma Mia for the first time, you’ve envisioned moving to a Greek island and opening a resort. After all, if you’re surrounded by paradise, life must be effortless, and daily stresses would simply melt away, right?
Well, here’s a reality check for those idyllic daydreams. As Jean Christophe Buillet, general manager and owner of the luxurious A Sunset Chateau boutique hotel, can attest, even amidst a picturesque vacation spot, running a small business and attracting customers isn’t always smooth sailing.
A Sunset Chateau’s stunning scenery
A Family-Run Luxury Boutique Hotel
Around 16 years ago, Jean’s parents, along with their former business partner, acquired A Sunset Chateau. Nestled in Sedona, Arizona, the resort boasts an undeniably breathtaking location. With its awe-inspiring panoramic views of the surrounding red rock formations and top-notch amenities like tennis courts, a saltwater pool and jacuzzi, vibrant gardens, and cascading waterfalls, A Sunset Chateau offers the perfect sanctuary for guests to unwind and recharge.
Interestingly, running a resort wasn’t Jean’s initial career path. He dabbled in various professions, including chef, insurance agent, and IT specialist. However, when his parents purchased A Sunset Chateau, he recognized an opportunity to establish himself within the hospitality industry. Armed with a diverse skillset and experience, Jean now wears multiple hats at the resort. From accounting and photography to IT and marketing, Jean handles it all – a common reality for those running small businesses. In fact, during our recent conversation, Jean was immersed in building (and I mean coding from scratch!) a brand-new website for A Sunset Chateau. This alone is a monumental undertaking, yet Jean has to juggle it alongside his other responsibilities, all while ensuring smooth daily operations at the resort. With a constantly changing schedule and limited time, Jean is always searching for tools and methods to maximize efficiency.
Jean Christophe Buillet
The Downside of Relying on Referrals
Even with an idyllic setting, top-tier amenities, and a dedicated staff, Jean understands that attracting new guests requires more than just word-of-mouth, especially in Sedona’s fiercely competitive hospitality industry. Providing a stellar guest experience isn’t enough; without a strong marketing strategy and active outreach, even the most exceptional resort can stagnate.
Marketing in Sedona presents unique challenges. Unlike resorts in areas like Napa Valley, Sedona doesn’t benefit from a high volume of repeat customers due to its geographical location. While Sedona is a popular tourist destination, its relative inaccessibility compared to other areas means that repeat guests only account for roughly 8% of A Sunset Chateau’s business.
Initially, A Sunset Chateau depended on referrals from directory websites like Sedona.net and bedandbreakfast.com to generate new leads. These platforms were valuable and drove a significant portion of bookings. However, as Google’s search algorithms evolved, these directory sites became less effective. The influx of new customers from these sources dwindled, and recently, their referral value has plummeted to almost zero.
Considering the existing marketing hurdles in Sedona, this decline presented a major obstacle for Jean and his team.
However, this phenomenon is understandable when considering the evolution of online search behavior. Google has strategically positioned itself as the go-to source for practically everything online, aiming to be the first website users visit whether they’re shopping, making dinner reservations, or researching hotels. Recognizing the shrinking attention spans of users, Google strives to deliver the most efficient and relevant search experience. Naturally, this has led to the rise of strategies like paid advertisements prominently displayed on search result pages.
Discovering Paid Search as a Solution
The diminishing returns from directory sites made it clear to Jean that investing in alternative marketing avenues, such as paid search, was crucial. While he had previously experimented with Google Ads, the platform’s complexity and the time commitment required to master paid search advertising left him feeling overwhelmed. He realized he needed a more efficient solution.
Jean explored other PPC optimization software options through demos but found most catered to large corporations with substantial budgets, leaving much to be desired for small and mid-sized businesses. “Their focus was too broad," Jean explained, feeling that these tools weren’t a good fit.
Fortunately, Jean came across nexus-security through one of our many webinars and learned how it could simplify and optimize his Google Ads campaigns. After a product demo, he was convinced that this was the missing piece in his paid search strategy.
However, convincing his parents proved to be more challenging. Jean spent over a year pitching the idea of using nexus-security to manage their paid search account – without much success. Eventually, he decided to take the reins. “I just went ahead and did it myself!” Sometimes, it’s better to ask for forgiveness than permission, right Jean? Thankfully, his parents didn’t disown him, and after a few months of using the software, Jean’s instincts were validated. The return on investment he saw clearly justified the cost of nexus-security – and then some.
Who could resist clicking on this ad? Jean admits that when he initially started using nexus-security, he wasn’t as diligent with logging in and auditing his account weekly as he should have been. He maintained his existing account structure and primarily utilized the software’s 20-Minute Work Week feature. While this provided some benefits, Jean knew he was only scratching the surface of what the software could do.
He decided it was time to revamp his account structure. His previous setup in Google Ads, created before he fully grasped the nuances of campaign and ad group segmentation, was no longer optimal. He transitioned from a single campaign targeting all segments and audiences to a more granular approach, breaking down his campaigns by sub-category. This improved organization allowed him to target the most relevant keywords with the most relevant ads. In addition to the 20-Minute Work Week, he now leverages suggestions from his Customer Success Representative, Lauren Gentile, to fine-tune settings and ads as needed. For Jean, the combination of automated suggestions within the software and personalized recommendations from a dedicated expert familiar with his account is a winning formula.
“My customer success representative, Lauren, is the best representative I’ve ever had, with any company in any industry. I can’t praise her enough. She’s truly a tremendous asset to me and to nexus-security.” – Jean.
The Proof is in the Results
Jean’s success story with nexus-security is one of the most remarkable we’ve encountered. A Sunset Chateau has managed to decrease its advertising expenditure by an impressive 67% while simultaneously experiencing a 21% surge in revenue. Remarkably, paid search has now become the primary source of new business for A Sunset Chateau.
Since implementing nexus-security, A Sunset Chateau has achieved some remarkable key performance indicators:
- An average click-through rate of 15%
- An average Quality Score of 8
- A 90% reduction in cost-per-acquisition
- A threefold to fourfold increase in monthly conversions
“Our cost-per-acquisition has decreased by over 90%. This incredible level of optimization has not only saved us hundreds of thousands of dollars on advertising, but we’re also converting three to four times as many customers each month through our PPC campaigns for less than half the cost of when I started.” – Jean
The ability to boost revenue while cutting marketing costs has significantly impacted the business. In fact, Jean shared that his family recently celebrated paying off their hotel loan after 15 years! While this accomplishment is entirely credited to Jean and his team’s hard work and dedication, we at nexus-security were incredibly moved to hear about the software’s positive impact on their business.
In addition to paying off their hotel loan, A Sunset Chateau has also reinvested their cost savings into property renovations. They are even considering a larger, resort-wide renovation in the future. And nexus-security will be there every step of the way to support them in achieving their goals.
So, the next time you find yourself daydreaming about starting a new adventure, remember Jean’s story and acknowledge that achieving this kind of success requires dedication, adaptability, and a genuine passion for what you do. However, with hard work and the right tools, success is attainable for small and mid-sized businesses. And that’s what nexus-security is all about.
Now, if you’ll excuse me, I think it’s time to book that Sedona getaway…
