Online Marketing Strategies for Jewelry Stores

by Charles Pobee-Mensah, Director of Digital Marketing With the plethora of online marketing options available to us all, it's easy to get lost in the quagmire of "opportunities". Instead of looking at more new options, let's take a step back and think about the core strategies that work for jewelry stores online.

Marketing to Current Customers

Collect > Engage > Invite We would be remiss to not talk about current customers first. It is well known that marketing to existing customers is less expensive than searching for new customers. Our strategy will be Collect > Engage > Invite. Collect stands for collecting your customers' information. Regardless of the tool or tactic that you use for getting it, collecting information is the first step in this strategy. For jewelers, this typically means getting permission to engage your customers via email when they make a purchase. Engage is when you contact your customers using the information you've collected. In our case, we're usually talking about sending email campaigns to keep the relationship going. In addition to call-to-actions to buy, we also recommend periodically sending emails that are simply helpful to the customers, like tips for caring for jewelry. In his book, Jab, Jab, Jab, Right Hook, Gary Vaynerchuk explains the importance of communication that is "giving" to customers rather than always "asking". Invite is when it's time to invite customers to buy. This is an email about a sale or a new product. It can even be enticing customers with a piece that is a favorite among buyers. These three strategic pieces can each be used in different ways. For example, instead of engaging with a mass email, you could email small personalized videos thanking your new customers for their purchase. There is a service called Bonjoro that is perfect for that.

Marketing to New Customers

Now let's talk about finding new customers. We'll look at approaches in terms of "inbound" and "outbound" marketing.

Help Them Find You

Attract > Invite There are, of course, numerous people right now who are in need of a jeweler. People who are looking for jewelry or information related to jewelry. The trouble is finding them. "Inbound" marketing is the marketing you do to help them find you. Attract is what we'll use for the things you do to make yourself discoverable to the people looking. A typical way to attract is to optimize your website for search (SEO). However, you can also pay to be shown in search results (paid search), and create content related to what your customers are searching for with a blog. Invite in this case will often be taking the online conversation in person. If they were looking for a jeweler, having a good strong call-to-action is your best way of serving them. Make it easy for them to schedule a meeting or call the store.

Go Out and Find Them

Target > Engage > Reengage Some people are not actively looking for a jeweler, but will be needing one soon, or can be reminded of their need for one. This is where "outbound" marketing comes in. Target in this case is finding the demographic, location, or interest-based parts of those who are most likely to become your customers. The internet is much more effective at this than a billboard. Engage is the enticing messaging that will get your audience to interact. This is the wording or offer or jewelry piece that grabs their attention and causes a click. Not to mention the wording and images on the page on the other end of that click. Your website is a marketing tool after all. Reengage is here to represent your ability to market again to people who have already visited. Platforms like Facebook and Google have the ability to let you show a new marketing message just to those who clicked the last time. Remember, these people weren't necessarily looking for a jeweler when you first engaged with them. However, this is a great time to present them with a special offer now that they've expressed interest by clicking the first time. Strategies like these form the foundation of modern online marketing for jewelry stores. There are, of course, other approaches and even overlap between the people you're targeting in each. But the important thing is to have a thought-out approach. "Social media" isn't a strategy. It's a tool. Spend money there aimlessly and you may not see results. But give it a coherent framework, and a part to play in a larger strategy, and you'll have the potential for success. Are you looking for an agency that can take your online marketing strategies to the next level? Contact suits@fruchtman.com.