Welcome to Extra Mile by HiTechNectar, an exclusive interview series with industry leaders, discussing the latest innovations, tech trends, marketing practices, expert insights, and a lot more. 

For today’s conversation, we are delighted to introduce Jan Behrans, VP of Online Marketing at IONOS, a leading European digitalization partner for small and medium-sized businesses! 

Hello Jan! We’re thrilled to host you today! 

Q1. Walk us through your experience in online marketing over the years. What attracted you to lead strategic marketing efforts for a web hosting company like IONOS?

Ans. My professional background is based on a deep understanding of business administration and eCommerce, both of which are essential to effective marketing strategies. What attracted me to IONOS was the company's solid leadership in a dynamic industry and the opportunity to support companies on their journey to online success. Leading strategic marketing here offers a unique blend of challenges and opportunities to drive innovation and growth in an industry that's at the center of digital transformation.

Q2. These days, all businesses — from start-ups to massive industry players — understand the importance of having an online presence. However, does aligning the campaign strategy with a customer-centric approach equally play a crucial role? Do you prioritize the same at IONOS?

Ans. Absolutely, customer centricity is at the forefront of our strategy at IONOS. We focus on understanding the specific problems our customers face and address them directly in our marketing, ensuring that our message provides clear, actionable solutions tailored to the unique needs of small and medium businesses.

Q3. How do you approach transparent pricing strategies for web hosting services, and how does marketing influence these decisions?

Ans. At IONOS, we believe that transparent pricing is the only way to build long-term trust with our customers. Marketing emphasizes this through clear communication so that customers understand that they are getting a fair and straightforward offer with no hidden fees. We want to ensure that our existing and potential customers understand every feature and its cost.

Q4. Could you share insights on the latest trends or tactics in the online marketing industry that you've seen and have piqued your interest? Have you used any of them in IONOS' marketing strategy?

Ans. One notable trend is the rise of platforms like TikTok, which offers unique content delivery that is very different from traditional platforms. We’ve adapted our strategies to include platforms like TikTok, enabling us to reach a broader demographic. In addition, with the ongoing changes such as the phasing out of third-party cookies, we are adjusting our tactics to rely more on first-party data to ensure compliance and maintain the effectiveness of our campaigns.

Q5. Can you share IONOS' latest offering? How do you foresee it addressing your target market's current needs and challenges?

Ans. Our latest innovation is the integration of “Artificial Intelligence”, where it provides significant value to our customers. For example, AI streamlines the website creation process for SMBs with our IONOS MyWebsite Now. AI can also simplify the process of finding the perfect domain, summarizing long emails to the most important points, and automatically generating standard email responses.

Q6. IONOS has more than 8 million customers and stands as the largest hosting company in Europe. What is that one standout marketing aspect that has consistently contributed to this remarkable success?

Ans. One outstanding aspect is our commitment to a 360-degree brand and marketing strategy. We invest significantly in understanding and managing the customer journey from awareness to purchase,  using advanced tracking and analytics to continually refine our approach. This emphasis on a holistic and data-driven approach allows us to effectively engage across multiple customer touchpoints, which has been essential in our growth and positioning as a market leader.