Interview with Jewelry Designer and Entrepreneur Julie Lamb

In Episode #45 of the Joy Joya Jewelry Marketing Podcast, I interview Julie Lamb, the founder of and designer behind the eponymous jewelry brand Julie Lamb New York.

Making jewelry ever since she could string beads, Julie studied metalsmithing in college and then went on to pursue a career designing for some high-profile corporate brands. In 2014, she felt it was finally time to take the plunge and go into business for herself, so she dove headfirst into designing and producing her own pieces. Today, the Julie Lamb brand stands for individuality, and her pieces encourage the wearer to ‘Stand Out’, ‘Be Herd’, and ‘Be Ewe’. Furthermore, her City pieces, which are proudly Made in NY by New Yorkers, speak authentically to Julie’s New York City roots.

Her work has been featured in publications like JCK, In Store, National Jeweler, Vogue Knitting, Forbes, and many more. She’s truly a creative force to be reckoned with and, for full disclosure, she’s one of my clients. But I have to admit she’s always teaching me a thing or two about marketing, especially when it comes to consistent brand development and voice.

In this episode, we discuss topics like:

• When did she first have the vision for the Julie Lamb brand, and what inspired her to move forward with the vision and make it a reality?
• Did she design her first collections strategically around her brand identity, or did that happen naturally? How has her product assortment evolved over time?
• How is she able to generate so much fresh social media content on such a regular basis? What are her tips for creating fresh content?
• What are some of her biggest challenges in marketing, and what is she trying to do to overcome them?
• What are her strategies for getting noticed by journalists, and what kind of results has she seen from press?
• What does she like about event marketing, and what are the challenges that come with it? How does she prepare for an event?
• How does she balance all the various segments of her customer base, and how does she communicate with each segment?
• What are some jewelry brands or other retail brands that she thinks do a great job with their branding and marketing strategies?

Below are some highlights from the interview with their corresponding time stamps, so you can skip to the relevant position in the interview if you’re interested in hearing more about any specific topic:

12:00 – Why Instagram’s Her Favorite Social Media Platform

“Not all social is created equal. There’s Twitter and Pinterest and Instagram and Facebook and all that stuff. It’s another person’s job. I probably posted like four times on Instagram before I was working for myself. Right away, I had to dive into that thing. And Instagram and me were immediately friends. Beautiful, easy, quick little quip. I could throw in a joke or whatever. It’s more about the picture and a little bit of interaction. I just really like that it’s clean and easy.”

14:49 – Importance of Brand Consistency

“I would like to be defined by what I’m putting out, and I want to be recognized. When you see something of mine, whether you see the lamb or manhole cover, I want people to say, ‘Oh, I knew it was your piece.'”

17:08 – How to Generate Content for Social Media

“Take as many pictures as possible. Always take them. Like, yeah, you’re dressed up to go to a thing. You better take a bunch of pictures, just save all of pictures and, you know, get them into drafts. So on that rainy day when you don’t know what to post like, you have all this stuff.”

18:43 – Julie Explains How She Found an Accidental Customer Base – and Why That Presents a Challenge for Her Marketing

30:38 – On Giving Customers What They Want

“I’m listening. This is your line as much as it is my line at this point. I mean, I have to listen to them. They’re vocal, and they give great advice. So far, they know what they want.”

32:46 – Julie Shares Tips for Adjusting a Marketing Message to Appeal to Different Customers

39:57 – Why You Must Be Your Own Cheerleader

“You have to shout it out on social media. Social media is your platform with which to scream your messages, right? So just forget about being embarrassed. Don’t call it bragging and highlight your own little achievements – and they’re all little in the beginning. Nobody else is going to.”

41:49 – What to Do When You Can’t Afford to Exhibit at a Major Trade Show

“I can enter these contests. Or I could weasel my way into some party and take some pictures. You have to continue to make on-brand noise, and you’re the only one who can do it and has to do it. And, you know, you have to. You also have to give probably more of yourself than you would like.”

45:10 – Julie Discusses the Importance of Networking

55:03 – Why Event Marketing Is Important

“I think it’s very important that you have an event if you’re just going to have an on online store, and you want to do e-commerce and that’s it. It’s important that you physically show up. Your stuff has to be physically accessible some way, shape, or form at some time in the year.”

58:06 – Julie Shares Example of Brands with Great Marketing and Branding

To see Julie’s work for yourself, visit her online store or follow her on Facebook or Instagram.