marketing
from 1 to 14 boats in a few years, in control of marketing and client contact
Company: Luxe Sloepen Haarlem
meet:
Luxe Sloepen Haarlem
Luxe Sloepen Haarlem organises boat trips in and around Haarlem, with rental of sloops with and without a skipper. The formula is all about comfort and experience: fully electric boats, luxurious cushions and the option for groups of up to 12 people to sail themselves. Catering also plays an important role in the offering, which makes the company attractive for corporate outings, weddings and groups of friends.
Behind the company is Arendo van Hulsbergen, who made the move from sailing in Amsterdam to running a business in Haarlem. And with success! BE Digital was allowed to help Luxe Sloepen Haarlem grow from the very beginning. Read more below.
Company
Luxe Sloepen Haarlem
Services
Website development, Website migration, Advertising on Google, Advertising on Meta, Advertising on LinkedIn, Branding, Social Media, AI agents, SEO & SGE, Website copy
Website
the challenge
The ambition was clear: become the market leader in Haarlem, in a market with many providers and a lot of similar offerings. That called for a proposition that makes it clear at a glance why Luxe Sloepen Haarlem is different, and for an online story that delivers on that promise. The online presentation therefore had to do more than generate extra reach: above all it had to move hesitant visitors to a booking faster, with sharp choices in offering, explanation and proof in image and text.
On top of that, the organisation was growing fast, while operations had to remain clear and manageable.
The question put to BE Digital was clear:
how do you set up the online proposition so that growth becomes predictable, and the flow of bookings aligns tightly with internal planning and follow-up, without noise or extra manual work.
our solution
sharpening the proposition
Together with Luxe Sloepen Haarlem, we first sharpened the digital proposition. Which target groups deliver the most return, which questions cause delay, and which arguments need to be immediately visible in text and image. Based on that, the website and social channels were redesigned, with a clear selection aid for “with skipper” versus “sail yourself”. The information per package was also made concrete, with clear explanations of routes, capacity, included options and catering.
- campaign structure based on search intent and target group
After that, the marketing on digital channels was tightened up. With Google Ads we steered on concrete search intent, such as renting a sloop in Haarlem, sailing with a skipper and group outings. With Meta Ads we built audiences around interest and location, with visual creatives that immediately show the experience and luxurious feel. The campaigns were linked to logical landing pages per package, so visitors didn't arrive on one general page, but straight on the right offering.
- further development: website, SEO and AI support
In 2024 this was translated into a completely new website and proposition, with extra attention to current SEO principles and a strong visual presentation of the boats and the experience. An AI agent was also added that answers frequently asked questions directly and actively helps visitors towards the right choice and a booking, precisely at the moments when someone is still unsure about availability, options or the difference between sailing yourself and having a skipper.
- process and measurability
As growth continued, the client contact process was tightened up with a Hubspot CRM. This meant enquiries were better recorded, follow-up became more consistent and the alignment between marketing, planning and sales became clear, without extra manual work. Finally, the effort was made structurally measurable, with fixed moments for brainstorms about content, ads and target group choices and measurements across the whole funnel, from click to booking. As a result it quickly became visible which campaigns and pages contributed the most, and where adjustments had the most effect.
the result
By approaching proposition, website, campaigns and follow-up as one whole, a stable growth engine emerged. Luxe Sloepen Haarlem became easier to find, steered more specifically on bookings and at the same time kept control of planning and follow-up, even when demand peaked in the season.
- fleet growth from 1 to 14 boats
in a few years, which allowed Luxe Sloepen Haarlem to structurally offer more capacity for groups and peak moments in the season.
- average revenue growth of around 30% per year
even during the period with coronavirus restrictions, because marketing and proposition didn't rely on a single channel but on a stable mix of organic findability and paid demand.
- more bookings from the same demand
thanks to clearer selection aids and landing pages per type of trip, which helped hesitant visitors find a suitable option faster and drop off less often in the orientation phase.
- higher quality of enquiries
by targeting Google Ads and Meta Ads at concrete intent and relevant audiences, with creatives and copy that match the luxurious positioning.
- faster handling and more overview in follow-up
by structuring the process in the CRM, with consistent recording of enquiries and consistent follow-up steps.
- growing client database
thanks to ongoing optimisations on the website and campaigns, which made repeat contact and seasonal promotions more targeted.
- new website and sharpened proposition launched
with a focus on SEO and visual persuasion, so that Luxe Sloepen Haarlem is found more easily on relevant search terms and immediately builds trust with imagery and clear information.
- AI agent deployed on the website
to answer frequently asked questions directly and guide visitors to the right choice, which lowers the threshold for booking and makes the process more consistent.
- full funnel made measurable
from click to booking, so priorities stayed clear and optimisations could quickly be based on data instead of assumptions.
what the client says
“The complete package works!”
“What makes the difference for us is how AI is applied in practice to speed up and improve processes. With AI agents, automation and machine learning, analyses, optimisations and execution have become much more efficient, allowing us to scale up faster. Thanks to this data-driven approach, we have achieved major international growth in a short time. The collaboration is always organised and highly efficient.”
Arendo van Hulsbergen
Owner Luxe Sloepen Haarlem
Owner Luxe Sloepen Haarlem
the BE Digital Touch
In this collaboration the emphasis was on making choices and testing them straight away in practice. Not just deploying more marketing, but setting up the proposition and client journey so that growth stayed manageable.
By tackling website, social, CRM and measurement together, calm came to operations and clarity about what had priority. This gave Luxe Sloepen Haarlem more grip on demand, follow-up and return, without becoming dependent on separate campaigns or ad hoc work.
grip on demand, follow-up and return
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