Jewelry marketing, on the other hand, is becoming more and more difficult, especially with the number of customers walking into your store with a picture of a ring or diamond on their phone that they’ve been looking at online.
Most successful jewelers are inherently good at making people comfortable. The larger ones have good processes in place for managing millions of dollars in very portable inventory, greeting customers when they walk in the door and making people feel at home.
However, jewelers in 2019 face some difficult challenges.
There are big, national retailers on almost every street corner. Not to mention the “local” guys in every market that have been around for years.
There are big, national retailers on almost every street corner. Not to mention the “local” guys in every market that have been around for years.
Add in the competition from companies like Blue Nile, James Allen and a host of others spending small fortunes on Google Ads. And to top it all off, there’s this whole digital marketing thing. For years jewelers leveraged broadcast media like radio and TV to build big businesses, but if feels like their customers live on their phones (or even their watches) these days.
How do you stay in touch with them digitally, but then get them to actually show up in your store?
That’s where we come in!
Over the years, we’ve developed a proprietary system for jewelers that merges old school strategies that still work with new school digital marketing strategies. In this guide, we’ll walk you through the most common challenges we have to overcome as well as our Dazzling, 6 Step Jewelry Marketing Formula.
Clients we talk to tell us they struggle to make sense of digital marketing in a few common areas. Let’s cover those first so you can get a good foundation for the actual strategies themselves.
Complexity
If you’re a roofer or pest control company, running digital advertising is simple. You need to rank near the top and offer a free inspection.
Not so with jewelry.
Your industry requires a delicate touch.
People may only need their jeweler once every few years for major purchases, so you’ve got to stay top of mind without coming across as too salesy.
That’s not easily done.
You’ve got to entertain consumers on digital platforms, educate them, provide value and keep them interested, all while gently reminding them you’re there when they need you.
Takeaway: Approach your digital marketing the same way you do your brand advertising - with the goal of developing the relationship, not just selling jewelry.
Platform Choices
It used to be simple. You had radio, TV and print.
Today, which digital platforms are you going to leverage?
Google? Yes. But is that SEO, Google Ads, or the shopping network?
Facebook? Yes. But are you going to have multiple locations, run ads, promoted posts or contests?
Instagram? Yes. But is anyone going to buy jewelry from you on Instagram?
What about multi-channel marketing, Twitter or The Knot?
The choices are dizzying.
We’ll get into recommendations for specific online platforms in a bit, but for now the big thing you need to understand is that unless you have MAJOR resources to invest, you can’t be on all platforms and do it well.
It’s just too hard without the right staffing, strategy and budget.
Takeaway: Don’t fall into the trap of believing you need to be on EVERY marketing platform. Choose a few and own them!
Staffing Needs
We’re a marketing agency, so we believe jewelers need some outside help in order to be successful with digital marketing.
But let’s get one thing straight right from the start…
You MUST have some in house staff allocated to digital in order to make it work!
Yes, agencies or consultants can help you with strategy, ads and lots of other things, but having someone in the store to help with social media, photography, content ideas and signage is critical.
Also, we’ve found that in house staff generally have their fingers on the pulse of the consumers walking in the store WAY better than a third-party consultant or agency ever could. That feedback is critical to understanding the impact of digital marketing efforts.
Takeaway: Don’t underestimate the importance of your in-house staff when it comes to running a GREAT digital marketing campaign.
Budget
Ahhh, money. Everyone’s favorite subject.
Most successful local fine jewelers have a pretty good understanding of how budgets work when it comes to marketing.
However, there’s this misperception that digital marketing can be done successfully on a shoestring budget.
We get it. Budget constraints are real.
If you’re going to take money out of radio or TV and put it to digital, that money comes from somewhere.
Just don’t make the mistake of thinking a $500 budget for Google Ads or just boosting a few Facebook posts is the same thing as a full-blown digital marketing strategy. It’s not.
Takeaway: Running a successful digital campaign requires sufficient budget, just like it does for things like radio & TV.
Understanding ROI
ROI is often the first thing jewelers ask about. But it’s the hardest thing to track.
Step back and think for a moment.
What’s the ROI on your mass media marketing budget?
Can you do a 30 day run of radio commercials and expect to calculate the direct ROI? No.
Because you CAN track everything in online marketing, there’s a tendency to look at these strategies in a straight line.
In other words, you bought 100 Google Ads clicks, that should lead to 5 sales. It’s not that simple.
People often research jewelry for weeks before visiting a local store. Then, they might visit 2-3 stores in one day, and make their decision a few weeks later.
If they originally found you for a Google paid click, but heard a radio commercial and saw a Facebook ad in the weeks that followed before they came in and bought, which activity do you credit with the sale?
There’s no easy answer.
Takeaway: Evaluate your ROI from digital based on the overall growth of the business, not the short-term, week to week activities.
Now, let’s get to the good stuff… the HOW! We’ve broken success into 3 categories. We call them the 3 Ms
MESSAGE
Generally speaking, successful jewelers understand the importance of crafting the right message that represents who they are and develops a relationship with their clientele.
However, we’ve found there’s a need to develop that message further when it comes to social media. The reason is that these kinds of messages are designed to get people’s attention on a radio commercial or mailer.
In other words, you’re trying not to lose their attention. But on digital channels, you’ve got to do the opposite. You’ve got to earn their attention and KEEP it.
Let that sink in for a moment.
It’s not enough to get a click. You’ve got to bring them to your website or social platform and lead them down the rabbit hole.
Training & Affiliations
