Axipoint supports petrol stations and carwashes with online and offline marketing campaigns

At a time when the digital world is playing an increasing role, the combination of online and offline marketing remains essential for many businesses. Axipoint, based in Uitgeest, has been involved in marketing for 17 years, supporting many petrol stations, carwash entrepreneurs, car companies and hospitality businesses.

“Many people probably don’t know it, but almost everyone in the Netherlands has seen something from us passing by via e-mail or social media,” begins Sjors Plaum, online marketer at Axipoint. “Think hospitality promotions from well-known fast-food chains or discount coupons for carwashes. And we are also active offline. For instance, we regularly deploy microfibre cloths for petrol stations, which are then used within a promotion. A lot of what we do ends up in people’s homes, even though our name is usually not on it.”

From paper voucher to WhatsApp Business

Seventeen years ago, Axipoint was founded by Cees Visser, with a strong focus on offline campaigns at the time. Since then, the marketing landscape has changed considerably and Axipoint has moved with it. Campaigns are increasingly combined with offline and online resources. Where customers used to receive mainly a paper voucher, campaigns nowadays refer to online registration forms, sweepstakes or personal discount codes via QR codes, for example. Plaum: “And as soon as we collect e-mail addresses, we can also use e-mail marketing. We also deal with online ads, social media campaigns, websites and website SEO and SEA.”

One of the latest services is WhatsApp Business. “Emails may end up in spam, but an app opens almost everyone. A discount code via WhatsApp feels more personal and communication is much more direct. For entrepreneurs, this is very interesting.”

Personal approach

Axipoint works with a young team of eight: four marketers,two designers, the owner and his partner , who is responsible for office and HR tasks. In doing so, the team deliberately takes a personal approach. “Every client is different,” explains Plaum. “That’s why we make a separate plan for everyone. That is our strength. One petrol station wants a big win campaign, while another chooses a more subtle approach. Some carwashes bet on perfume products, others on seasonal promotions. We tailor everything to the customer’s need and budget.”

Currently, the period of the ‘giveaway months’ is starting, says Plaum, and Axipoint is developing scratch cards for many customers with which consumers can win a free car wash, for instance. “That works well and many customers find it a nice promotion. But if someone wants something completely different in terms of prizes, that’s just as well.”

With a larger budget, Axipoint can also provide other promotions, such as car perfume, scent holders or microfibre cloths in the customer’s house style. “Those kinds of giveaways always do well. People like getting something and therefore come back faster. The great thing about our company: anything goes, nothing has to.”

Axipoint also ensures that communication with customers remains fast and clear. “We manage the social media accounts for many companies. That is also where complaints come in from their customers, and then you have to act immediately. In busy periods, we check all messages twice a day. It is precisely because we react so quickly that we can resolve everything quickly. We value personal interaction with our customers.”

Achieving growth

Ultimately, both online and offline marketing revolve around one thing: increasing customer sales. How big that increase is varies from situation to situation. “That is why we discuss in advance with the customer what goals are realistic,” Plaum explains. “Sometimes a certain discount works excellently, sometimes you have to make adjustments because there are huge differences in actions and conversions per location or area. We closely monitor all results so that we can make campaigns perform optimally. With the whole team, we have the passion and energy to achieve growth for our clients.”