Bois Online: The French carpentry business expanding their reach online

Virgil's grandfather founded a sawmill almost sixty years ago. In 2002, his father and his godfather set up a carpentry workshop, specialising in the manufacturing of wooden pallets. Almost twenty years later, Virgile, working on a work-study programme in a business school in Nancy, chose to continue the work of his father's business. In order to adapt to a new era and no longer rely on business through simple word of mouth, the Janès decided last winter to launch a website to promote their tailor-made products.

During his studies, Virgile remembers the arrival of speakers from the Google Digital Workshops at ESNA, his school. "I found the module on SEO super interesting," recalls the young Nancy. He contacted Chloé, Google Coach, local SEO specialist. "The session went really well, she gave me lots of very useful advice, on natural or paid media, during two meetings in February", explains Virgile.

Virgile decided to launch a Google Ads campaign in March to reach new customers, with the help of Chloe who assisted him in identifying the right keywords, to adjust his budget … then COVID-19 reached France. The question of putting the campaign on hold arose: "We limited only to weekends at first, it worked well, then we got back to promoting during the week with the help of Chloe” says Virgil. “During the lockdown, people focused on their interior design; and this new online activity allowed us to compensate for the drop in business linked to all the industries in slow motion. The effectiveness of this campaign has helped us keep everyone in the business”.

He underlines the important role of Chloe's advice in negotiating this time of uncertainty. “It was the first time that I had a teacher all to myself, in a fun and free exchange format,” says Virgil, delighted. “Today, I feel empowered to manage a Google Ads campaign, with the luxury of knowing that Chloé can help me; very responsive, if need be."