"The team is there for us whenever I need them, and sometimes even before that."

Joe Merino x Brandfirm

We have worked with Yvo from Joe Merino since late 2020. A great collaboration, where we have inspiring brainstorming sessions and get excellent results. And those results are celebrated. Very quickly, we were able to establish a great connection with Yvo. Read below how we moved forward together.

Yvo, what problem did you want to solve by choosing Brandfirm?

Yvo Batenburg: "Initially, we came to Brandfirm because we wanted to professionalize our SEO channel. We wanted it to be much easier to find us, using very specific keywords and terms. Then we took the next step by focusing on more generic terms. Whereas we were moderately visible at first, we’ve risen quite a bit in a lot of positions since we started working together.

To take a holistic approach to the Dutch market, we also started bringing our other channels to Brandfirm. That just felt like the right thing to do!"

How did you approach the problem, Tim, what was the strategy?

Tim Hoogewerf: "We started working for Joe Merino in December 2020 and, as Yvo mentioned, the initial task was to increase organic findability. So we started with a technical analysis, which we discussed right away with the development team at Joe Merino. That plan was implemented very quickly, so it was a great start from the beginning. That’s also what makes working for Joe Merino so satisfying; they have a solid development team, so shifting gears on improvements is very efficient.

We followed up with a keyword analysis and moved forward by category, which we built on each month using content and link building. We soon noticed that we started ranking better for those keywords; with every category we created, we saw progress. That motivated us a lot! Especially because Joe Merino's progress stood out and we constantly shared those successes.

Last year, we included Ads, in the form of Google Ads, Bing Ads, and Pinterest Ads. Since then, the strategy has been to respond to current events. In the summer months, we focus more on pages that feature polos and t-shirts, and in winter, of course, jumpers and sweatshirts. The same for special occasions like Father's Day or Christmas, we are able to respond perfectly with Ads."

Can you tell us about your experience with Brandfirm so far, Yvo?

Yvo: "Tim, Mitchel, and Milan are very professional and knowledgeable. Communication is always straightforward and I get a lot of commitment and a proactive approach from them. If I indicate that I have doubts about something or want to try another channel, specialists from other teams are immediately called in and we are provided with an analysis. The team is there for us whenever I need them and even before that."

And what’s your experience, Tim?

Tim: "We also click really well with everyone at Joe Merino. They’re down-to-earth and value relationships based on trust. On top of that, we celebrate our wins together. As a team, for instance, we were recently invited to pick out a Joe Merino jersey. We also had a lovely, spontaneous get-together last year and were invited to a big celebration. You could say we’ve become close friends.

Apart from socializing, we also work well together. We have biweekly calls and, of course, regularly exchange e-mails and phone calls. Because we’ve performed so well, we’ve earned their trust. They are great sparring partners with a strong development team, and have the capacity to take things on themselves. They are ambitious and want to grow.

They also have a great product. Let’s not forget that."

What value has Brandfirm added, Yvo?

Yvo: "We feel truly cared for in terms of online marketing. It's great to work with a sparring partner with lots of ideas. Mitchel is a content machine who can create live content quickly and in the right tone of voice. Milan, as an Ads specialist, brings more and more traffic to our website and is hungry for more results. And Tim has delved into every single interesting search term since day one and always knows how to visualize new opportunities."

And what would you say to people considering Brandfirm?

Yvo: "At Brandfirm, your online marketing efforts are in the right hands. You’ll find that every important KPI is anticipated and hit.”