Stores Magazine - November 2007 - (Page 102) NUTS AND BOLTS / ONLINE ADVERTISING A Word to the Wise Keywords and phrases form the core of Carolina Rustica’s Internet marketing plan BY FRED MINNICK R ichard Sexton loves the Internet. The president of Carolina Rustica only operates one store, but the company still generates upwards of $4 million in revenues annually. That’s because 85 percent of the Concord, N.C.-based store’s sales come via e-commerce. The premium furniture operation targets interior designers and 35- to 55-year-old women in the upper-income bracket. You won’t find a fullpage Carolina Rustica ad in Architecture Digest or a sponsorship at a nearby country club, however. That’s because the company pumps 80 percent of its advertising budget — 10 percent of revenue — into Google AdWords. The company buys 2,000 to 3,000 relevant keywords and phrases, ranging from brand names like Wesley Allen to specific items like “iron countertop bracket” to broader terms like “table.” Sexton has used Google AdWords since 2002, and the program has led to millions in online sales. It’s also boosted in-store sales. After seeing a search-engine ad, Sexton says, some customers make the trek to the store. “I’m amazed at how far people drive to come to our store to see samples,” he says. “AdWords helps us get the exposure that we probably wouldn’t get otherwise.” Carolina Rustica also buys keywords on Yahoo!, and uses shopping comparison search engines like Price Grabber, Shopzilla and NexTag. These comprise a relatively small chunk of the company’s marketing dollars, however, and Sexton has no plans to transfer earmarked Google monies to other mediums. If anything, Sexton is building his company around Google’s ability to drive e-commerce. Carolina Rustica is in the process of upgrading its e-commerce platform to be more Web 2.0-friendly and will dedicate more store and warehouse space to accommodate online merchandise. “This new platform will give us a nice bump in sales around the holidays,” Sexton says. “If I’m still breathing by the Over the last five years, comparablestore sales for Carolina Rustica have increased at an annual rate of end [of the launch], we’re going to look at adding a store in Raleigh. The bricksand-mortar and the website work handin-hand.” Ads add up Carolina Rustica’s search ads consist of 25 characters below a quick-hitting headline. The company’s creativity is limited by the number of characters within the AdWords console, “so you really have to push yourself to say something that’s different than your competitors and get your message across,” Sexton says. “If you look at the number of characters or words on the AdWords WWW.STORES.ORG 15% Richard Sexton 102 STORES / NOVEMBER 2007 http://WWW.STORES.ORG
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