Advertising keeps FITAGE in shape
Sponsored products essential in sales strategy
Sponsored products essential in sales strategy
Bart van Drimmelen, owner of FITAGE, started with sponsored products about 6 years ago. The brand sells items that contribute to a healthier lifestyle. Think of blenders, smartwatches, treadmills, and scales to track your fitness.
In this article....
In this article, we discuss with Bart how advertising helps his business grow, what challenges he faces, and what tips he has for other partners. “If you really want to participate via bol, you cannot do without a strong advertising approach,” says Bart.
Why do you think advertising is essential?
“It's not only important for visibility, but also to maintain your positions in the search results,” he explains. “You won't make it with organic traffic alone. Sponsored products give you the extra push needed to truly stand out.”
And it works. Bart says the impact of advertisements extends further than you might think: “Even if you pause a campaign, your items often continue to perform well. That visibility remains.”
What challenges do you face with advertising?
"Advertising is something you have to learn. Just like everything else you encounter on your entrepreneurial journey.” According to Bart, it's a matter of continuous tweaking: “We are now in a phase where we are finetuning our strategies,” he says. “It's about improvement: how do you keep well-performing items in the spotlight, and how do you ensure that new items quickly find the right position?”
How do you experience the collaboration with bol?
For Bart, innovation is an important part of his success. “You don't have to do it alone. Specialists assist you, which makes the whole process much simpler and more enjoyable,” he says enthusiastically. “bol regularly offers new tools and guidance, which helps us take a step further. This way, we keep learning and growing.”
Even if you pause a campaign, your items often continue to perform well. That visibility remains.
‘How do you handle January as a peak moment for New Year's resolutions?’
“For us, January is truly a good month. We see a clear peak in our product category then,” Bart says. “Especially in the first 2 to 3 weeks of January, when half of the Netherlands returns from the Christmas holidays full of fresh motivation and gets started with New Year's resolutions. We also notice that via bol: more people are active, and that is reflected in the demand for our items. Historically, it's a peak period, just like December, by the way.”
How does FITAGE respond to that increase in traffic? “By adjusting our campaigns. For example, by increasing budgets, so there is more room to advertise and be visible. Because there are simply more people on the platform, it also pays to focus extra on visibility. We always start preparing on time so that we can make good use of that peak.”
Bart's tips for beginner advertisers
- Start small and test
“First, use a small budget to test what works. This way, you limit your risk. If you get good results? Then you can easily scale up.” - Be consistent
“Give your campaigns weekly attention. Logging in once a quarter is really not enough. Make it a fixed part of your routine.” - Work with systems
“Ensure a process. Don't work randomly, but work with a clear strategy. Depending on that strategy, use the available benchmarks such as the ACoS or the TACoS to analyze and improve your results.”
