The JA Report: News, Tips & Trends from Jewelers of America

Secrets to Pay-Per-Click Success

How do your jewelry customers begin any major purchase? As much as you'd like it to start with a visit to your store, the web is the most popular starting-point for consumer shopping today. It's important to ensure that current and prospective customers can find your jewelry store on search engines, like Google and Bing, and social media networks like Facebook.

Most likely, your company is getting lost in the sea of search results. Are you willing to pay to improve your search engine results placement and increase the amount of traffic to your website quickly?
   
According to WR Cobb Online, a jewelry industry leader in web development and marketing, this is where Pay-Per-Click (PPC) advertising can help. Combining this powerful tool with social networking creates the ideal platform for optimizing your presence in the world (wide web, that is). WR Cobb Online answers the top questions most independent jewelry brands have about PPC and explains why you should highly consider incorporating Pay-Per-Click ads into your marketing strategy -- to ensure jewelry customers find you, learn about your business and shop at your store.

Is PPC right for my jewelry business?
PPC is effective, no matter the type of business. The key is to develop ads that will appear to consumers when they are searching for your business, jewelry products or other keywords that are relevant to your business.

Websites organically appear in search results, so why should I pay for this?
Your current customers search for your business by name and that’s great. However, those who don’t know you, prospective customers, generally search by topic or location; in these circumstances, your website may not appear. By using Pay-Per-Click advertising strategically you have more control on how your business appears upon a relevant search query. Not only are you increasing your visibility to consumers looking for jewelry products, but it also increases the likelihood of them visiting your website and store location(s).

What are the main steps for setting up a Pay-Per-Click campaign?

• Through the use of a variety of search engine programs, you start out by choosing a daily budget that you’re comfortable with, that can be changed at any time through your PPC campaign.
•  Next, you identify and bid on keywords that are relevant to your business goals and your target market. Things to consider when determining keywords are: Do you want to reach a specific audience? Do you want to focus on selling just one or two products?  Do you want to target a specific or multiple locations?
• Using the keywords and phrases identified, you create the ads that will appear online. These can be text ads or image-based banner ads. The key is to invest in keywords that are relevant to your product or service and how consumers search for these, and then target your ads to reach these consumers.

Continue reading for answers to four other burning Pay-Per-Click questions and the secrets to easily incorporating PPC into your marketing plan . . .

Facebook News Feed Update: Get Visual or Get Lost!

In early March, Facebook announced that it is rolling out a major redesign of its News Feed. As the central source for users' updates from friends and fan pages, this is big news. For jewelry companies with brand pages, the new design will impact how you engage with your customers and prospects. The good news is that the updated Facebook News Feed is designed to make it easier for users to interact with brand pages and vice versa. Here are the key updates, so you can capitalize on the changes to the Facebook News Feed:

Opportunity to Participate in AGS Jewelry Fashion Show

Don't miss out on a once-a-year opportunity to network with the best retailers in the business, who will see your designs on and off the runway during a Fashion Show and Showcase Reception! Jewelers of America Supplier Members have a special opportunity to participate in American Gem Society's Supplier Fashion Show & Showcase, Wednesday, April 24, 2013, during the AGS Conclave in Phoenix, AZ, April 24-27. Space is limited, so click to download application and register before the spots are filled! 

Jewelers of America's consumer education arm, Jewelry Information Center, is again producing the dynamic Jewelry Fashion Show this year, which offers advanced visibility for your jewelry. Read on to discover the many benefits of showcasing your jewelry at this one-of-a-kind event . . .

Holiday eCommerce Trends That Will Make You Get Online

We're a little obsessed with infographics. We generally keep this little habit to ourselves, browsing infographics online when no one is looking. But this one, which captures key data from a LivePerson.com Holiday eCommerce survey, we just had to share. With so many jewelers still not embracing the online and eCommerce marketing and business model, it's important to emphasize the amount of pre-purchase research and brand interaction that is involved in a customer's shopping patterns -- let alone actual purchases made through the convenience of online and mobile commerce. Check it out, if it doesn't get your jewelry brand to invest in your online presence, maybe it will spark a love for infographics.

5 Holiday Marketing Trends Every Jeweler Should Know

There's no denying that the jewelry industry, and jewelers especially, are confused with how to navigate the growing online landscape. One thing is certain, jewelers can no longer ignore the importance of having an online presence. Email marketing provider Constant Contact has identified marketing trends that will help you successfully market your brand online. Use them to compete with big guys with your marketing campaigns for the holidays and beyond.

1. Mobile Is Here
Have a website, great, but is it mobile? Today's customers want to be able to find you and shop whenever and wherever it's convenient for them -- and for a growing majority that is on their phones. Don't miss out on these customers -- who often are more apt to respond to the right promotions: according to Constant Contact, 70% of mobile search results get customers to act within one hour and mobile coupons get 10x the number of redemptions.

Daunted by the thought taking your brand mobile or m-commerce? Jewelers of America's partnership with WR Cobb Online saves members 57% off its e-commerce platform and other exclusive discounts. Working with WR Cobb Online is easy; they handle all the details of expanding your brand online, freeing you up to focus on growing your business. Learn more here.

3 Email Marketing Tips for Holiday Campaigns

As you prepare your holiday marketing campaigns, email should be in the mix and get priority over social media. According to recent research, 4.25% of website visitors from emails turn into purchasing customers, while only .59% of visitors from social media convert to customers.

Determining the right content and the right approach can help your emails go from just being opened to being read, saved and even shared with your contact's friends and family. Consider these strategies that we've compiled from the leader in email marketing, Constant Contact, to help your brand's promotional emails resonate more with your jewelry customers.

Blog Hand Holding for Jewelers

We're always trying to connect jewelers with  the power of Jewelers of America's consumer education arm, Jewelry Information Center, for blog and social media content and consumer jewelry marketing ideas. Let's face it: who has time to post, tweet, like and blog for their business, while running the business?

But it's important for jewelers to stay on top of jewelry trends and celebrity fashion and showcase that to their online customers, friends and fans. Jewelry Information Center's website, www.JIC.org, makes that easy, as Matthew Perosi of the Jeweler Website Advisory Group explains in "Blog Hand Holding For Jewelers," excerpted below:

Today, I'd like to hold your hand (virtually I guess) as I lead you through the exact steps of how-to take a blog post from another website and creatively use it for your own jewelry store.

Let's start with a revisit to the Jewelry Information Center website. As of this writing, on their website they have a page about Engagement Ring Trends. Here's the URL: http://www.jic.org/?page=engagement-trends. If you're following along for the actual Golden Nugget lesson then you should open that URL in another tab then keep reading.

Jewelry Information Center's website features jewelry trends, like engagement rings

That JIC page covers 3 engagement ring trends:
1. Fancy Shaped Diamonds
2. Romantic Vintage Inspiration
3. Brilliant Color

You would start your own blog post with a reference to their website, perhaps saying something like...

Read on for tips on how to easily turn Jewelry Information Center's engagement ring trends into content for your brand online.

via www.jwag.biz

Tapping Jewelry Information Center for Jewelry Blog Content

We were pleased to see industry marketing and SEO expert Matthew Perosi, of the Jewelry Website Advisory Group, profile Jewelers of America's consumer education arm, Jewelry Information Center, as a great source for jewelers' blogs. We've noticed more of our members sharing Jewelry Information Center's fun Facebook posts, but Perosi shows in his article, "Tapping the JIC for Jewelry Related Blogging Topics," that jewelers should use the Jewelry Information Center website (JIC.org) for easy blog content as well.

We've included top tips from his article here -- and invite you to check out JIC.org for jewelry-related content, to subscribe to Jewelry Information Center's jewelry trend emails and follow JIC on Facebook.

Simple Steps to Tell Your Brand's Story With Facebook Timeline

The Facebook Timeline deadline is quickly approaching -- all brand pages will be automatically transitioned to the Timeline design on March 30th. Use these expert tips to make the transition for your brand as seamless and effective as possible. (Note: if you’ve yet to feature your company’s brand on Facebook -- now is the time to do it, and here’s why…)

Why You Must Redefine the Customer Experience to Thrive

For jewelry brands, customer relationships have always been a foundation of success. Jewelers pride themselves on being some of the most customer-centric retailers in their communities. So you should be relieved to learn that succeeding with the modern consumer – in our increasingly networked, digital world -- is going to require a renewed and refocused emphasis on customer service and relationships.

This is the premise in the great new marketing book, The Hidden Power of Your Customers: Four Keys to Grow Your Business Through Existing Customers, by Becky Carroll -- customer advocate and social media marketing expert. In the introduction to the book, Brian Solis, principal analyst at the Altimeter Group, writes: “As everyday sales and service become commodities, experiences and relationships become paramount.” That’s good news for jewelers, who already excel in the realm of the customer experience.

Tip: Avoid Marketing Mistakes That Can Ruin Holiday Sales

With the holiday sales period accounting for about 30% of specialty jewelers annual sales, we’re sure you’ve prepared your holiday sales and marketing plan and checked it twice. But with so many changeable factors affecting your potential costumers’ shopping habits -- like the unsteady economy or ever-growing multi-channel shopping options -- it’s important to make sure you don’t make unknowing holiday marketing blunders.

Read this list of the worst “Mistakes That Could Ruin Holiday Sales,” by Joanna L. Krotz from Microsoft Business strategies, and then avoid them. Use the suggestions to ensure your marketing campaigns are doing everything right to draw jewelry customers in this holiday season.

Use JIC's Fall Contest to Benefit Your Brand

As jewelers, you share in some of the most romantic (engagements, anniversaries) and life-changing moments (weddings, births, promotions) of your customers' lives. You know that each piece of jewelry you create or sell to a customer carries with it a special memory and story that is valued far beyond the price of the piece.

Have your customers share these jewelry stories  in Jewelry Information Center's fall  Sparkling Snapshots Contest, and they could win a Grand Prize package that includes a luxurious spa getaway and jewelry.

Holiday Emails You Can -- & Should -- Plan Now

Get ahead of the rush by planning your end-of-year customer outreach with these tips from Constant Contact

It’s hard to believe the holiday sales season is almost upon us. And yet, before we know it our inboxes will be full with emails offering exclusive coupons and sales from big-box and chain retailers to motivate holiday spending. As independent jewelers, you should prepare your holiday messages in advance to differentiate your small business from the competition -- and stand out from the clutter of pre-holiday offers. 

Live From JCK Show: The Essentials of Marketing

At the 2011 JCK Show in Las Vegas, JA Director of Education & Member Services David Peters led a seminar on “The Essentials of Marketing.” He gives us some of his top tips from the seminar for those who missed this excellent overview.

Peters told the audience that the elements for true marketing success include:

1. All company policies, activities and decisions must be governed by the fundamental principle of satisfying customer needs
2. Comprehensive marketing plans must be established and followed
3. ROIs must be measured and reacted to
4. Profitability (as opposed to sales volume) and relationship-building are the two primary measurements used to determine success of any given endeavor

Peters revealed the Top 10 marketing principles to achieve marketing success. We've highlighted three of the best here.

Adding Web Videos to Your Marketing Strategy (Part 2)

By Stan Bashmashnikov

Last month, we walked you through the fundamentals of adding web videos to your marketing strategy. The importance of a good camera, clear sound quality, neutral lighting, stable image frame and YouTube channel all correlate to a professionally made video.

So what more is there to mastering web videos for your brand? Practical implementation, of course. Knowing how to create a web video is only half the battle. To have real success from online videos -- as outlined below -- you must deliver actionable and relevant ideas to  inspire customers to return to your website or store. No need to shudder – it’s not as daunting as you may think.

Adding Web Videos to Your Marketing Strategy (Part 1)

By Stan Bashmashnikov

Jewelry retailers are gearing up for all things summer. This traditionally “slow” season doesn’t necessarily have to be. Customers will flock to your store through a fun and interactive social media strategy using online video. Audio & Video Production Expert Mark David Zahn's article, "Is your Flip video camera killing your brand image?," provides video how-tos for even the most inexperienced. We've included a hit list of his advice to help you start generating excitement about your brand with web videos.

JIC Hosts Jewelry Preview & Media Training at Designer Day

"Seven Designers, 10 Minutes, 10 Blocks Away" -- that was the invitation sent by Jewelers of America Director of Media & Special Events Helena Krodel to leading fashion and accessories editors at major consumer and trade magazines for a special Designer Day Jewelry Preview held at Jewelers of America's headquarters on March 15, 2011. More than 20 editors from trend-setting publications, like Brides and O! The Oprah Magazine, attended the event which also included a special media training for the designer attendees.

Click here to see jewelry images from the event.

Jewelry Retailers: Join the Ultimate Proposal Contest!

With spring and summer the traditional "slow" season for fine jewelry sales, many retail jewelers struggle with how to engage customers and get them through their doors.

One simple (and free) way to excite consumers in the coming months is to participate in Jewelry Information Center's popular Ultimate Proposal Contest, a national consumer contest that asks consumers to share their proposal stories online at www.JIC.org. The Contest features amazing prizes for the customers, staff and owners of Participating Retailers.

Only Few Spots Left in AGS Jewelry Fashion Show

Don't miss out on a once-a-year opportunity to network with the best retailers in the business, who will see your designs on and off the runway during a Fashion Show and Showcase Reception! Register to participate in the Supplier Fashion Show & Showcase, held Wednesday, April 27, during the American Gem Society Conclave in San Fransisco, CA. There are limited spots available, so register today!

Click to download application and register before the spots are filled!

Jewelers of America's consumer education arm, Jewelry Information Center, is producing the Fashion Show this year, which offers advanced visibility for your jewelry:

Coming Soon: JIC's Second Annual Ultimate Proposal Contest

Beginning next month, JIC will be accepting registration from JA Retail Members to participate in its Second Annual Ultimate Proposal Contest. The Contest, running from April 4-June 20, 2011, asks consumers to share their proposal stories online at www.JIC.org. The first Ultimate Proposal Contest debuted in February 2010.

New this year! Any retailer who registers to participate in the Contest from February 15 to March 15 will be entered to win an iPad, courtesy of GE Money.

Retail Resolutions, Part 2: Merchandising Trends to Try

In "Retail Resolutions, Part 1," we listed some key marketing trends that Tobe, a fashion and retail analyst firm, projected would be key to consumer attraction in 2011. Tobe's annual State of the Consumer Report also gave retailers a guide to top 2011 fashion and merchandising trends. For fine jewelry retailers and designers many of these trends involve simple-to-implement strategies like re-featuring classics and incorporating color.

Use the following trends to help you formulate your year-long merchandising plan:

Retail Resolutions, Part 1: Marketing Trends to Try

Have you planned out your business resolutions for 2011? To help you get started Tobe, the international fashion and retail authority, has written its annual State of the Consumer Report, which includes their projected top retail trends for 2011. To help retailers formulate long-range business plans for success in today’s hyper-competitive consumer-driven economy, State of the Consumer identifies and analyzes changing demographics, emerging business opportunities, and lifestyle influences impacting the retail industry.

We've highlighted their 2011 marketing and merchandising retail trends that fine jewelry retailers and designers should consider implementing -- or they could find themselves losing to digital- and fashion-savvy competitors.

Retail's BIG Blog | Top ten holiday trends for 2010

The National Retail Federation released its Top 10 list for holiday retail trends. There's a lot here that's good for our retail jewelry members. According to NRF, value will trump price as a priority for consumers, who are looking for customer service and merchandise quality -- two things Jewelers of America Members master. Jewelry is second on women's holiday wish lists -- with 33.3% of women picking it as their gift of choice. Read the complete list and pass on to your holiday sales team . . . click here for full article.

via blog.nrf.com

Samuel Gordon Jewelers: A Small Business That Gets Social Media | BNET

Daniel Gordon, president of Jewelers of America-Member Samuel Gordon Jewelers, was recently profiled on BNet.com in an article detailing how he reduced the annual marketing budget to $50,000 by embracing social media marketing. Read what makes the company's strategy a success . . . click for full article.

via bnet.com

TIP: Showcase Your Values This Holiday

Getting your business prepared for the holiday season is about more than carrying the right stock and successfully marketing it. In addition to being the season for selling, the holidays are also the time for greater scrutiny. That spotlight focuses on the best and worst examples of retail behavior, so you need to be sure that your business is strongly in the former camp. With that in mind, you and your staff should take the following steps to prepare for the season:

Just for Jewelers: Free Internet Marketing Tip Series!

We just received a press release announcing an event that includes a "week of Internet marketing tips for independent jewelers" and wanted to pass it on to The JA Report's retail jeweler readers!

The Event: Just for Jewelers: A Week of Internet Marketing Tips For Independent Retail Jewelers
When: October 11-15, 2010
Where: Online

Mac and Cheese Web Marketing announces an online social media event Just for Jewelers. Starting October 11th, Mac and Cheese's Facebook page will feature free daily tips specifically for independent jewelers

JIC Promotes Fall Fine Jewelry Fashion Across Nation

On August 25th, Amanda Gizzi and Helena Krodel, the expert spokespeople for Jewelry Information Center (JIC) -- Jewelers of America's consumer education arm, performed more than 30 television interviews about fall fine jewelry trends on morning shows across the nation. The media tour promoted the jewelry collections of Jewelers of America Supplier Members, while motivating audiences to seek out Jewelers of America Retail Member stores for their fine jewelry purchases.

How can anyone manage to be in 30 cities in one day?  If anyone can, it is the JIC ladies!

Helena Krodel (left) and Amanda Gizzi, of Jewelry Information Center, showcased
the fall fine jewelry trends on news stations across the country.

Pop-Up Jewelry Stores: The Wave of the Future?

By Helena Krodel, Director of Media and Special Events

From Boston to California, New York to San Francisco, pop-up stores are a new phenomenon taking retail by storm. A pop-up shop, that is — a temporary retail space or experience which involves “popping-up” one day, and disappearing the next – has become the second most clever way (after social media of course) to create a unique environment that engages customers and generates a feeling of relevance and interactivity. As far as publicity goes, this concept is high on the list of buzz-worthy activities. 

Ingredients for Internet Marketing, Part 2: Understanding Traffic

By Vedran Tomic is an Internet marketing consultant, who specializes in local search and is a contributor to SmallBizTrends.com, a small business news site

In Part One of “Ingredients for Internet Marketing for Jewelers,” Internet Marketing Consultant Vedran Tomic explained the importance of web design, social media and local search to your Internet marketing campaign. Now, he explains how organic and paid search helps build your web traffic and increase your customer base.

To have a decent return of investment (ROI) on your Internet marketing efforts, you will need to get traffic to your website. More specifically, you will need targeted, qualified traffic. In the case of local brick-and-mortar jewelers, this means web traffic from people in your area interested in jewelry.

Web traffic can be acquired in many ways. In this guide, I will concentrate on traffic from search, because search is arguably the most important channel of traffic acquisition. There are two types of search traffic: organic search traffic and paid search traffic. No search marketing strategy is complete without both of these models at work. However, it’s important to understand each method’s advantages.

Ingredients of Internet Marketing Success for Jewelers, A 2-Part Series

By: Vedran Tomic is an Internet marketing consultant who specializes in local search and is a contributor to SmallBizTrends.com, a small business news site

Why Internet Marketing?

Growing a small business without a clearly defined Internet marketing strategy today would be more than just difficult. Consumers have never had as many choices and as little time as they have today. The Internet has not only given consumers more options – but also more power to influence your business’ reputation and success. People can grow your business beyond your imagination just by sharing their experiences with their friends and family in person and online. They can also cut your business in half by posting negative reviews on the web.

Traditional advertising methods through TV, radio and print ads offer lower and lower ROI, as consumers are choosing the Internet to explore, decide and shop. This is true for retail jewelry, as well as all small businesses. But this is not the end of marketing; it is the beginning.

Using the Internet to put your business directly in front of a costumer who is searching for your services or products, at the moment she's searching, is one of the best ways to market your business. This is the reason every small business owner should revisit their marketing budget and consider allocating more resources and effort into Internet marketing.