Shimano Benelux Strengthens Dealer Engagement and Local Presence with Apostle

Shimano and Apostle Collaborate to Build Local Reach through Dealer Advocacy

For Apostle, Shimano Benelux is much more than just a client. They were our very first partner in dealer advocacy and continue to play a key role in the development of our software. This case study outlines how they have built an active and scalable network of brand ambassadors through a smart strategy and personalized support.

Andries Mellema, B2B Content Marketer at Shimano Benelux, manages the collaboration with Apostle. “For us, Apostle is a tool to add value to the Shimano Service Center concept, our premium label for bike shops that truly want to stand for quality. With Apostle, we support them with professional content about technical topics and the concept itself. Presenting this often technical information in an engaging way can be challenging, so this is where we offer real added value to the Service Centers,” says Andries.

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From Experiment to Best Practice

We began our collaboration in 2018 by developing a content model tailored specifically for dealers. Today, around 175 Shimano Service Centers across the Benelux are active on Apostle, representing over 300 connected business pages. This makes Shimano Benelux the largest — and best-organized — team worldwide using our platform.

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Local Relevance Through Smart Personalization

With a broad dealer network across the Benelux, it’s crucial for Shimano to deliver content that fits the local context of each store. As the visual illustrates, Shimano operates in diverse regions — from mountain bike specialists in the Ardennes to city-focused e-bike dealers in Rotterdam. What works in one area requires a different approach in another.

Shimano uses Apostle to implement a well-thought-out distribution strategy. The platform utilizes:

• Groups to assign content to specific dealer types
• Topics to categorize content by themes such as sports, recreation, or products
• Parameters like location, target audience, or specialization — such as name, region, or bike type — to automatically personalize the content

As a result, each dealer automatically receives personalized content with familiar elements like their location or team photos. The outcome: content that’s easy to publish and effective.

“We’ve put a lot of effort into ensuring every Shimano Service Center profile contains complete and accurate data. Now, each post can include the business name, city, and custom hashtags for every individual member. This makes the content more relevant, and we’ve seen that it significantly increases sharing rates,” says Andries.

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Segmentation as the Key to Success

A major part of this approach is segmentation. Initially, this wasn’t possible, so all dealers received the same content regardless of their focus. This caused some dealers to disengage — especially those for whom the content wasn’t relevant. By further developing the platform with specific topics and settings, Shimano was able to tailor content to the needs of different dealer types. A sporty bike shop no longer receives e-bike promotions, and vice versa. This refinement allowed disengaged dealers to be reactivated successfully. Since then, we’ve seen higher appreciation and an increase in the number of posts shared.

This creates a two-way collaboration:

1. Dealers provide feedback and market insights
2. Shimano translates that input into strong, relevant content

At the same time, Apostle enables Shimano to reach audiences outside its corporate channels.

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Andries explains:

“Our own channels primarily reach what we call ‘advanced riders’. But the people who take their e-bike to the supermarket twice a week — those are much harder for us to reach. I’d even say they’re more likely to follow their local bike shop on social media than Shimano itself. That’s why Apostle enables us to engage an audience we wouldn’t otherwise reach.”

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Welcome to the Team: Premium Onboarding as Added Value

One common question we hear from organizations is: How do I really get my people or dealers on board? At Shimano Benelux, it starts from day one. A great example of dealer advocacy in action is the onboarding of new Shimano Service Centers. Although optional, Shimano often arranges a welcome post for new SSCs, created and scheduled via Apostle. Dealers send in a photo of their store, which is then used to create a personalized post to mark the milestone.

This approach works on several levels: it helps the dealer feel seen and involved, creates immediate visibility on social media, and tests the technical setup. But perhaps most importantly, it ensures a flying start to adoption. The dealer sees the impact of the platform, experiences how easy it is to use, and becomes active from the start.

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