0:08
Welcome to the Joy Joy Podcast, where jewelry is joy and everyone is encouraged to add more polish and sparkle to the world with topics ranging from marketing tips to business development, best practices and beyond. This is the go to podcast for ambitious jewelry industry dreamers like you.

0:31
Hi, I’m your host Laryssa Wirstiuk. Through this podcast, I aim to empower and inspire jewelry entrepreneurs and professionals so they can thrive while adding more beauty to the world. I am passionate about digital marketing for jewelry brands, and I’m excited to share my passion with you. As we all know jewelry is joy, so I’ll gladly seize any opportunity to talk about it. This is episode 163. And today I’m going to be sharing my own recording of a presentation I recently gave for the annual Jewelry Ecomm conference. The topic of the presentation is “how to have more fun with jewelry marketing”.

1:15
I feel pretty passionate about this particular topic for two reasons. Number one, in my interactions with jewelry brands, I find that too many of them just take their brands and their marketing way too seriously. And to the data shows that consumers want to be entertained. They want to have fun with brands. So how can you start having more fun with jewelry marketing? Stick around for this episode to find out if you want to see me walk through the actual presentation slides instead of just listening on your favorite podcast platform, search Joy Joya on YouTube, and you will get the full experience there.

1:57
But before we get to the solid gold of this episode, I’d like to take a moment to remind you that I love creating this content as my active service to you my awesome listeners. And you can support the podcast for free by taking the time not only to subscribe, but also to leave a rating and review on iTunes, which helps other jewelry dreamers find it too.

2:18
This week I’m excited to unveil a brand new segment of this podcast called The Sparkle Award. During this segment, I highlight a jewelry brand that is impressing me with their marketing. The Sparkle Award is also interactive so you can visit sparkleaward.com and nominate a jewelry brand that’s inspiring you these days. Hey, you can even nominate your own jewelry brand if you think that you’re doing something awesome and unique with your marketing. And then I might feature your submission on a future podcast episode.

2:56
So this week’s Sparkle Award goes to Dana Rebecca Designs a female owned small business that believes in empowering women to buy their own jewelry. I subscribe to this brand’s email campaigns and I particularly enjoyed a campaign they sent on Valentine’s Day with the subject line “You Matched With”. When I opened the email I saw the headline, it’s a match. And from there, I actually took this really fun short visual quiz to help me find what they describe as their as my jewelry soulmate. It reminded me of one of those quizzes I might see in the teen magazines of the 90s. And for me at least it generated a sense of nostalgia and fun. Yes, there’s a reason I’m highlighting a fun marketing campaign for a podcast episode all about fun in marketing. So the visual quiz led me through a handful of questions to guide me to one of four different product recommendations all link a screenshot of the email in the show notes so you can see it for yourself. I think my explanation doesn’t really do it justice. Yes, the email was product and sales focused but it was super engaging and fun. Instead of asking customers to buy something it asked them to take a moment out of their day to play. I love this approach to email marketing and I encourage other brands to add more playfulness to their communications when they can. As I mentioned, you can visit sparkleaward.com yourself to nominate a jewelry brand that’s inspiring you these days, I might feature your submission on a future podcast episode who knows?

4:42
Let’s discuss some recent news related to jewelry or marketing. Each week I share my thoughts about three relevant articles and you can get those links by visiting joyjoya.com/sign up. Once you’re on the VIP list, you’ll receive our weekly digest filled with new episode announcements. So the first article comes from AskAttest.com. And it’s about how the company TrustPilot has proved that brand integrity is central to consumer trust these days. So TrustPilot recently conducted a survey, they wanted to better understand what consumers are looking for when they check product and business reviews. They surveyed 15,000 consumers across their key markets in places like the US and the UK and some other countries. And they also targeted consumers in four industries, fashion finance, home garden, and tech. So the survey revealed the following things. One, consumers don’t just care about price when they’re making a purchase. There’s much more involved in their decision making process. And one of those things is how they perceive the brand integrity, and how much they feel they can trust the brand. Number two, people do use review sites to find out about a brand’s purpose. And finally, number three, the number one factor that makes people trust a business more is how they treat their employees and the environment. And I thought that was really interesting. So having transparency in your business can kind of create that awareness of what you were doing to address these points in these issues in your jewelry business.

6:27
The second article comes from Forbes and it’s about why direct to consumer jewelry brands are opening stores. And this is of course applying to direct to consumer jewelry brands that started as E commerce only brands. So today, direct to consumer brands in general are really reinventing the in store experience and jewelry brands are doing that too. Stores are becoming quote, less traditional and more omni channel focused and quote to provide a better customer experience and build that relationship with the customer. So jewelry brands like Mejuri, Gorjana, and Brilliant Earth are examples of jewelry brands all utilizing an omni channel strategy, or eight approached retail with an omni channel strategy by opening their brick and mortar store. When the brand first launched in 2013. And says one great quote from the article. It’s clear the future of direct consumer is omni channel and the jewelry sector is really no different. thoughtfully designed stores are helping jewelry brands shape and emphasize the customer experience and relationship and a brand’s ecommerce, showrooms and stores at the end of the day should all be complementing each other and provide a unified experience.

7:52
And then finally, this is an article from National Jeweler called here comes Dada dot a lot of couples getting married. So Shane MacMurray, founder and CEO of market research company, the wedding report Inc. predicts that around 2.5 million couples will tie the knot in 2022 and spend an average of $24,300 on their on their wedding, while the knot released a similarly bullish forecast of 2.6 million weddings. Now if that’s not an opportunity for the wedding jewelry industry, I don’t know what is. It’s supposedly going to be the highest numbers of weddings in the US since 1984.

8:36
So let’s take a look at some wedding trends which could potentially inform jewelry industry trends. The number one trend is that couples are staying away from traditional and wanting engagement rings that are more personal and customized an engagement ring that reflects their individual personalities and relationships. pops of color are becoming a popular wedding trend like colored stone engagement rings and wedding dresses that aren’t white. And there’s a huge emphasis on couples choosing what they actually want, instead of following tradition and doing what they feel like maybe they’re supposed to do for their wedding. Couples are cutting out some traditional aspects so that they’re able to really afford what they want in other areas and that could potentially be jewelry.

9:26
As I mentioned, if you want to get the links to the articles I share in this segment of the podcast you can visit joyjoya.com/signup and sign up for the Joy Joya VIP list. Without further delay, here’s my presentation titled “How to Have More Fun With Jewelry Marketing”. I wanted to do something a little bit different and unconventional and I also just wanted to have fun with this presentation. So hopefully I’ll add a little bit of fun to your day. So I’ll get started right now.

10:01
So in this presentation, I’ll share tips for making jewelry marketing, more entertaining and engaging all in a way that can be adapted to fit your individual brand messaging. So any jewelry brand from the solopreneur to the multimillion dollar brand, we’ll be able to adapt my tips today something for everyone. So, first, you’re probably wondering, having fun with your jewelry marketing. Why should you want to do that? Why is that important? Am I just telling you this because I think it’s interesting and entertaining. No, the data actually tells us that customers want you to have more fun with your marketing customers today want to be entertained. That’s what they are desiring and craving. So according to a 2022 US consumer trends report by a test 57% of Americans want brands to entertain them and make them laugh. And more especially if your target audience includes boomers 66% of just this generation boomers want messaging that entertains them, so it’s in your best interest according to the data to have more fun with marketing and to take your brand a little less seriously in its communications. What are some other things that consumers want from brands today? 47% want brands to make them feel motivated or inspired. And in general, Americans want brands to be educational, thought provoking, and reassuring.

11:45
Another reason that you want to consider having more fun with your marketing has to do with why consumers are buying jewelry in general today, and this will vary from one brand to another because of course if you sell bridal jewelry, your consumer or wedding jewelry, your consumer motivation will be a little bit different than a brand that caters to like the millennial self purchaser. But overall this is some general data that applies to the jewelry industry as a whole. So according to a survey conducted by TPC industry, and market insights 2021 40% of the 1000 US jewelry consumer consumers surveyed for the report rate self purchase most important. So self purchase. I mean, we hear this term a lot in the jewelry industry today, more women and men feel empowered to purchase jewelry for themselves. So what are the top reasons people are purchasing jewelry for themselves, they can get exactly what they want, they can reward themselves for a milestone, just because and also commemorating a special memory or trip. Last time I checked. All of these reasons are fun. Jewelry is definitely not an essential item like say toilet paper or something like that, that you’d buy at a grocery store. And shopping for luxury goods as well as everyday accessories is not only fun, but also a form of self expression for these people who are purchasing themselves jewelry. As a result, they’re really craving that fun customer experience. Because when they go and buy a piece of jewelry for themselves, they want it to be enjoyable. They’re doing it because it’s a form of entertainment, a form of distraction, a form of celebrating the self. So your consumers, especially if they are self purchasing, want that element of fun in your brand messaging.

13:50
So hopefully at this point, you are convinced that having fun is essential and important. So let’s talk about all the ways that you can actually do that I’m going to share five ways. Again, this can be scaled based on whether you are a solopreneur jewelry brand or a multimillion dollar jewelry brand. It can work for you no matter what category of jewelry you sell. There is a way to kind of adapt this based on your products, your customer, your situation in regard to your team and resources. So let’s get to the first one. Oh, also I want to mention before we do get to the first one, you want to tap into your customer motivations, since they may not be the same from one jewelry brand to another and if you listen to my podcast, you know this is something I am constantly talking about, know your customer inside and out. Because whether he or she wants fun or something else that’s ultimately going to be the deciding factor of how you approach communications. But there’s a good chance that regardless of who the customer is they want to have Have fun in their interactions with you. Nobody counts the number of ads you run, they just remember the impression you make, I think that’s a really important point to remember, you know, you can invest all of this money into marketing, you can be super specific about it, you can hire an agency. But if the customer isn’t feeling something that they can carry with them for the next few days, for the next few months or years, then you’ve kind of failed in your marketing, consumers remember the way they feel about you. And that is the most important in all of these tips that I’m going to share today.

15:40
So the number one way, or idea that you can start having more fun with your marketing is to upgrade your packaging and unboxing experience. When was the last time that you kind of audited your entire packaging experience? And would you say that it’s kind of like social media ready. So you want to share your packaging on your website on social media, you also want to be encouraging your customers to share their own unboxings and then reposting your content. I don’t know about you. But one of the most fun things about for me, when I get a new piece of jewelry from the store or in especially in the mail is opening that package in the anticipation of getting to the piece within the box within the pouch under the tissue paper, etc. And if that experience falls flat for me, there’s a pretty good chance I’m not gonna order from that brand. Again, even if I love that jewelry, because I really want to feel like it’s the holidays when I order myself something and get it in the mail. If you ship your jewelry take the time to create a beautiful unboxing experience, invest that money thought intention into the packaging, use the branded shipping box, for example with printed collateral, or branded tissue paper and have multiple components to the packaging. So there’s a many layered experience, think about creating the anticipation. Now some of you on this webinar may not be ecommerce based, you may not be shipping your jewelry. So if your customers are picking up in store, then consider a way to make that experience feel more VIP for your customers, for example, have a glass of champagne waiting for him or her or assign a specific salesperson to unveil the product in a special way. So I think even if you’re not ecommerce only, there are still ways to really translate that packaging and unboxing experience to the in store model as well. And here I just shared three examples, with the photographs from Instagram of jewelry brands that have really interesting and shareable packaging and unboxing experiences. So if you kind of want to see for yourself, you can check out these brands on social media.

18:12
But I’m sure all of you in this industry have at some point, come across a jewelry brand. Or even another type of brand, maybe it’s a fashion brand, maybe it’s a beauty brand, and you receive that package at home, and you opened it and it made you feel really special. And like the brand, put a lot of thought into that packaging experience. This is one way to create fun. And I really encourage you all to at least consider your current packing packaging experience and how it can be improved.

18:44
So my second tip, to have more fun with your marketing is to try being a little bit more authentic off the cuff sharing behind the scenes content. One thing that I personally encounter with my clients with or with business owners in the industry is they’re so caught up in the day to day. They’re so caught up in this the seriousness of their craft, that they forget that for the consumer, the experience isn’t so serious, necessarily, again, the consumer is wanting to have fun. So they approach all their communications in a very formal, pre planned, strategic rehearsed way. Now, of course, it’s important to plan your content, but maybe think about how you can add some authenticity into your content, and even build in space to your social media calendar to your email calendar to your general content calendar for some spontaneity as well. And what I mean by that is maybe some behind the scenes content at your business that seems interesting like the customer might want to know What that what the fulfillment experiences like at your company. So maybe you show some employees actually boxing up in order ready to go out to a customer? You may think that that is a little bit like scrappy looking like why would I want to reveal this kind of behind the scenes, not glamorous aspect of my business. But those are the things that really show your vulnerability as a brand and ultimately build trust with your customers. And that’s what today’s consumers are really looking for. There was a recent survey, I wish I had linked it here, that today’s consumers, because they don’t trust things like government institutions necessarily like the media, they are starting to look for to businesses, to be the trusted authority in the world. As a business owner, that is a really big responsibility to have. And you have to kind of consider that in every interaction that you take. And having more fun, being more playful, shows that you are not afraid to show a vulnerable side of your brand. So I put two examples here, instead of me talking in generalities, you can check out these accounts on Instagram, Sarah Briggs jewelry is one that I really like because the owner is always revealing parts of like her personal life. I’m showing behind the scenes at their studio, having like fun little interactions with her employees. And Catbird NYC is another great example. They’re both using their social media channels as a way to not only share their values as a brand, but also behind the scenes content of their workspace and team.

21:55
So my third tip is to potentially consider building a long term partnership with an ambassador or influencer, especially if this is not something that you’ve tried in your marketing before. Usually, when I talk to clients or people in the industry about influencer marketing, the first thing that comes to their mind is like working with the latest hottest Insta model who has like 1.3 million followers. And she’s like shilling all these fashion brands and has all these highly like filtered photos. And it it puts a little bit of a bad taste in their mouth because they feel there’s a sense of in in authenticity there that they’re just going to get lost in this shuffle of sponsored content. Influencer marketing or brand ambassadorship does not have to be like that. In fact, I encourage you not to go that route. If you are thinking about pursuing influencer marketing, I think it’s better, especially if you are a business with a local customer base to work with micro influencers. So these are people with maybe only a few 1000 followers, but they are they have a highly engaged audience, people who are frequently commenting on and liking their posts. And they post very thoughtful, authentic content. And they’re not necessarily working with a lot of other brands, they kind of just use social media for the passion of it because they love to share things that they are passionate and excited about. So finding a micro influencer, like that, who works with your target customers. So someone who seems to be representative of your target customer. And finding ways to partner with that person on content creation can be a way to bring more fun into your marketing. Because this person has an outsider perspective, this person is can come across as a little more trustworthy to your consumers because again, they are an outsider, not someone within your company marketing at them. And it’s a really great way to build that element of fun, because you can also reshare that content, you can brainstorm with that person again someone outside of your company to come up with unique ideas for presenting your jewelry. That influencer can really show your jewelry in a more like slice of life everyday way.

24:29
And that if you really give that person the creative power, they can express themselves with your jewelry pieces, also showing consumers how they can have fun with your jewelry. So this is something I would really encourage. Again influencer marketing has this kind of negative reputation, but if you work with them, the micro influencers it can be really impactful for your brand. And here I just have a few examples. This brand Pura Vida, they make inspirational jewelry, a lot of bracelets. These are examples of some influencers they’ve partnered with. And as you can see, all these women are having a lot of fun and showing the jewelry in a light hearted and playful way.

25:18
So my number four tip is to consider hosting a giveaway or a contest. Like just like I’m doing today with my book, What can be more fun to consumers than a contest or giveaway, I screenshotted. This recent Valentine’s Day example from Levien, they partnered with the chocolate company Godiva, which seems like such a natural partnership to me with their chocolate diamonds, I mean, what is more appropriate for Valentine’s Day than that. And this was to celebrate the launch of their most recent collection. Another example is James Allen, the wedding jewelry brand last year hosted an engagement ring giveaway for a chance to win a $10,000 engagement ring. Now if you’re a smaller brand, you may not have the budget to give away a very expensive piece or even as a large sum of money. But perhaps there are other ways you can approach doing a giveaway, maybe it’s a gift card, maybe it’s some kind of special exclusive discount, maybe it’s a VIP experience, like they get to come behind the scenes with you and have input on designing a custom piece. You can really get creative and tailor this to your resources and what you have available. But it’s a great way to drive engagement, to get your followers to pay attention to you and to try something new and really get like feedback from your from your audience and get them involved in a way that’s different from the every day.

26:53
And number five, I think this is the most important one personally, is to really lean into content marketing. So instead of doing sales and promotional content all the time, you can provide value through content. So what do I mean by this? I subscribe to probably every jewelry brands email list. In the world, my inbox is like crazy, like every promotional email, it’s usually we’re having a sale. Here’s the new product. Here’s a product we’re highlighting, we have a new collection, it’s all usually very sales or promotional focused content. And there’s absolutely a place for that. And it should be part of an email strategy. But consumers can really become fatigued when literally their entire inbox is selling at them. So mixing up some of that sales and promotional content with more value driven content can cause someone who would otherwise just quickly skip over that subject line to maybe pay attention because you’re sharing something different and new. So examples of this might be a blog post, a quiz, which is super popular now. And one of the best ways to drive engagement to have a quiz on your website that helps someone like find their style, or the type of jewelry piece they would like or a piece for like an upcoming event that they’re having. You can get really playful with this, doing a live stream, whether that’s on Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, sharing audio content, doing videos apart from the social media platforms, hosting them on your own website, providing styling and sizing guides, maybe as PDF downloads that people can get in exchange for signing up to your email list. You want to always remember with every piece of content to create, to focus on the emotional resonance of your jewelry and share less about the product features and details.

29:10
So again, going back to that quote I shared earlier in this presentation, your customers are more likely to remember how you made them feel than anything that you like sold at them. So if you can get them to feel a certain way that’s going to be more impactful over the long run. The best part about all these ideas is that they can infuse FUN into your marketing if you are creative in the way you approach them with your topics. However, if you’re a brand that is more luxury, say that you’re not necessarily like fun, like where maybe you’re more serious or more formal. You can balance having fun with still having that more formal or serious tone. There’s a way to do all of this and adapt it to your brand identity without necessarily undermining your brand DNA. So here’s a jewelry style quiz from Ava jewelry, just as an example, ready to ignite the magic within. Again, this title even is not necessarily like unserious, it’s still kind of serious and professional, but the customer knows that when he or she begins this quiz. It will be a fun little break from their day that they can play and really explore jewelry options for themselves.

30:39
So again, why does this all matter? Why are we talking about fun, which can seem like a little bit of an arbitrary thing, having fun doesn’t only matter for your customers, but it also matters internally for your team and your business. And even if you’re a solopreneur, it matters for yourself as well. If you are just approaching all your messaging in a serious way, it can truly burn you out and it can burn out your team members and the people who handle your marketing. But if you’re approaching it with a goal to have some enjoyment, and really add playfulness, and creativity, it can keep you motivated as a business owner and it can really make you excited to plan your marketing and have these amazing interactions with your customers. It also helps remind you why your customers buy your jewelry in the first place, and could even ultimately impact your merchandising strategy as well. So the way that you choose to present your products which products you highlight when it can really cause you to reflect on perhaps what new products and collections Do you want to share in the future with a goal of really delighting your customer is the point of all of this.

32:02
What did you think you can always email me Laryssa, that’s laryssa@joyjoya.com. If you love this podcast, please share it with a friend who’d appreciate it. And don’t forget to subscribe as well as leave a review on iTunes to purchase a signed copy of my book jewelry marketing Joy visit JoyJoya.com/book for more information. Thanks for listening. Remember to subscribe so you never miss an episode. For more information about working with Joy Joy, visit JoyJoya.com where you can sign up to download our free eBooks about various topics in jewelry marketing.

Transcribed by https://otter.ai