Luxury jewelry retailer Michael C. Fina reported a 45% increase in online sales through Q4 2010, following an online marketing campaign conducted by Elite SEM, a boutique digital agency. The marketing program consisted of targeted paid search campaign designed to boost web traffic to the brand’s web site and generate both online and offline sales.
Search Engine Marketing (SEM) has proven valuable for many companies in recent years. In 2009 the SEM industry was worth $14.6 billion, up from $13.5 billion in 2008, according to the 2010 State of Search Engine Marketing Report, completed by SEMPO and Econsultancy. For 2010, the group estimated a 14% increase, reaching $16.6 billion by year-end.
Companies that are investing in SEM are re-allocating budget from other areas. According to the Report, of the companies re-allocating budgets to search engine marketing, around half (49%) are moving it from print advertising. More than a third (36%) are shifting money from direct mail, and almost a quarter are moving budgets from conferences and exhibitions (24%) and web display advertising (23%).
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“Given our brand’s core assets for unparalleled quality and 24/7 concierge-style customer service, it was a smart business decision to align ourselves with a digital agency that’s equally respected and valued for its talent and expertise in Search Engine Marketing, round-the-clock customer service and, most importantly, the ability to translate its digital strategy into ROI for our brand,” said Steven Fina, Vice President of Michael C. Fina.
For the campaign, Michael C. Fina needed to streamline the process for converting online appointments into offline sales. In a period of nine months, Elite SEM facilitated 50 in-store meetings through online marketing, according to Ben Kirshner, CEO of Elite SEM. Some other Elite SEM clients include: ideeli, Lauren Merkin, Tommy Bahama, Havaianas, Terminix, Clarks and Bostonian.
