For many leisure entrepreneurs, the weather is a familiar challenge. Simply put: the weather dictates the crowds. If it’s sunny and warm, De Admiraal is fully booked. But once the weather changes, demand drops immediately.
“The main goal was to keep occupancy more stable throughout the entire season,” Rick explains. “We don’t need even more bookings when the sun is blazing at 30 degrees, but those quieter moments—those are the ones that need to be filled.”
We developed a flexible approach that adapts to the weather. Using weather apps, we monitor forecasts daily and adjust ad budgets accordingly.
“If the weather is really bad, you can throw €1,000 at ads and still no one will book. That’s why it’s great that you constantly monitor and adjust,” says Rick.
“If it were up to me, I’d set up online marketing once and never look at it again. But now someone checks in every day and shifts the budget based on the weather. That works super well!”
We also tapped into spontaneous demand. “We’re now visible in places where people are looking for inspiration. Not just when someone is actively searching for us, but also when they’re browsing for a fun day out. We’re basically getting ahead of the demand.”
According to Rick, the effect is undeniable:
“Since starting online marketing, it’s been much busier than last season. I notice it in our visibility online—and of course in the number of bookings.”
And the numbers back it up:
- Between April 1 and July 31, 530 bookings were made with a ROAS of 21.64 – meaning every €1 in ad spend generated €21.64 in revenue.
- Nearly two-thirds of bookings came from non-branded campaigns, showing that we reached plenty of new customers who weren’t actively searching for De Admiraal.
- Google Ads campaigns generated 15,669 clicks during this period—thousands of potential visitors driven straight to the website.
- By aligning ad spend with weather forecasts, we focused campaigns on moments with the highest chance of conversions. This meant less waste and better results.
- The average cost-per-click halved to €0.29 compared to last year, allowing nearly double the traffic for the same budget.
In short: With weather-driven advertising, De Admiraal is visible at the right moments—when people are still exploring their options. That way, they capture bookings earlier in the customer journey, resulting in more reservations and almost doubling ROAS compared to last year.
