Marc Santín, IM student and Content Manager at Hotelbeds

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A journalist by training with a magazine under his belt, he gradually pivoted his career toward digital marketing, specializing in e-commerce and the hospitality sector. He currently works for an international company, managing content. He tells us his story in the following interview.

You graduated in journalism and are beginning your career as a writer for various media outlets. Why did you choose this field, and what were your first experiences like?
Since I was a child, two of my greatest passions have been writing and observing my surroundings. I saw journalism as a way of life that combined both, so it was more of a romantic notion than a way to make a living. When I started working in newspapers, I discovered a canada mobile database complicated and intense research process (especially dealing with press offices) and experienced the incomparable thrill and satisfaction of seeing your story published. The worst part was seeing so many financial interests limiting your freedom to research and publish topics…

Tell us about the project you embarked on next, Page 0.
For two years, and as a way to conclude my experience in pure journalism, I created and directed a digital magazine with a friend (Alexia Domínguez): undoubtedly the professional work of which I am most proud. La Página 0 was a magazine of in-depth reports, biting criticism, and unique topics. It wasn't profitable, but it was an explosion of creativity and a social portrait of the era of 11-M and the city of Barcelona in general.

You then combined journalistic writing with digital positions such as community manager and e-commerce executive. How do you remember this period? What led you to choose digital marketing?
When I realized journalism was something romantic but hardly profitable, I began working in the e-commerce world as a multi-tasking editor. I soon saw the connections between web content and SEO, email marketing, social media, and so on. I began to take an interest in all fields and began training as a social media specialist.

You then began working as Content Manager at Barceló Hotel Group, where you worked for over five years. How did this opportunity arise? What tasks did you perform?
I was living in the UK and heard that Barceló was looking for a journalist to start the internal Content team at Barcelo.com. I did the interview via Skype and, two weeks later, I was living in Palma. As Content Manager, I started with content curation and creative and inspirational writing, then focused on the overall Content Marketing strategy and managing a team that grew to five internal and seven external people.

What are the most important things to keep in mind when generating content for the hospitality industry?
The travel sector is one of the most competitive because, ultimately, everyone wants to travel, and the offerings are immense. As in all sectors, the trend is toward user-centric content, in two ways: being clear about your target audience to explain what they need at each moment and on each channel; and having the right technology, both on the web and in other channels, to test, measure, and retest. In this context, the great incentive is that you have to generate stories based on places, people, and the travel experience, and that's exciting because the options are endless and creativity is the best way to differentiate and stand out.