A Fish Tale: How one Wall Street dealmaker traded a future in finance for a future in flies.

What happens when an avid fly-fisherman decides to cast a line into online business? Why, he catches customers.

It was 2003 when Wall Street salesman Christian Girts began feeling like he needed a change of scenery. He had been working in the financial world for 10 years and was ready to slow down and settle into a new lifestyle.

After consulting with friends, he was referred to some entrepreneurs who were selling an e-commerce web site. Christian realized he could buy the site, run it almost entirely on his own, and turn it into a retail business dedicated to something he loved: fly-fishing. Shortly thereafter, he quit his job and went full time getting the site ready.

On November 2, 2004, AnglersVice.com launched.

Christian's goal with Angler's Vice was to provide not only top-notch fly-fishing products but also service rooted in honesty, integrity, and a genuine commitment to customer satisfaction.

Knowing it would be wise to promote his new business through online advertising channels, Christian began dabbling in search marketing.

Angler's Vice employed a list of just 50 keywords upon launch of its Yahoo! Sponsored Search campaign. However, with the help of sales rep Rick Maxwell (a fly-fisherman himself), that list was soon expanded to about 450 keywords, incorporating many of the specific — albeit strange — names of flies, fly-tying materials, and other products. Adding keywords like "green butt skunk" and "dubbing fly-tying material" allowed Angler's Vice to pay less for clicks but reach very qualified prospects — those who were further along in the buying cycle.

In addition to selecting new keywords, Christian examined his bidding strategy to see which listing positions would yield the best return while providing ample visibility. By monitoring the bidding landscape, he determined that the fourth position was the most effective. This location allows the company to appear at the top of search results but costs less than the more coveted top three positions.

Although Angler's Vice does utilize some print advertising, Christian estimates that about 80% of the company's marketing budget is dedicated to search marketing — and about 80% of online sales are generated from its Sponsored Search campaign.

Christian also reports that using search marketing has helped "level the playing field," allowing Angler's Vice to appear in search results alongside much larger online retailers. As a result of this positioning and the overall success of the company's revamped Sponsored Search campaign, Christian has been able to decrease his original budget. "Business has been incredibly steady," says Christian, "and the break even point is much lower than it used to be."

For Angler's Vice, Sponsored Search has proven to be just the right lure for catching customers and spawning business.

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