0:00
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’m 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.

0:26
Happy New Year! I’m back from a brief holiday respite, and I’m happy to be with you here again. This is episode #156. And today I’m gonna share my predictions about jewelry marketing trends for 2022. Where should you be focusing your time and attention? Which marketing platforms will be the most important this year? What will customers want from your brand? And how should you be communicating with them? Listen up for a look into my crystal ball.

1:00
I also uploaded an ebook version of this podcast to the Joy Joya website. If you’d like to have a handy PDF reference guide to all of this year’s predicted jewelry marketing trends, then visit joyjoya.com/2022 to download it. That’s joyjoya.com/2022. I’ll also put that link in the show notes, so you can easily access it.

1:28
But before we get to the solid gold of this episode, I’d like to take a moment to remind you that this podcast if you didn’t know has both an audio and video component. So you can either listen on your favorite podcast platform or watch on YouTube by searching Joy Joya. I love creating this content as my act of 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.

2:04
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/signup. Once you’re on that VIP list, you’ll receive our weekly digest filled with new episode announcements.

2:25
This week’s first article comes from AdWeek, and it’s about finding growth on TikTok this year. How are marketers and brands doing it? Again, as I’ve mentioned many times in this podcast TikTok maybe not for every jewelry brand, but it’s something at least worth considering because your audience may be there and TikTok could provide a great opportunity for you to engage with those prospective customers. So you may know TikTok was originally associated with dance videos and sound based memes geared toward teens. But today, the app actually draws in “1 billion monthly active users across a broad range of demographics according to the company’s own data. This year in 2022 it will become extremely important for brands to better understand TikTok’s environment trends and strong community with more competition.

3:26
As you know the jewelry industry super competitive brands are looking for new ways to get creative to engage with their audience. And they’re kind of using TikTok as a way to really impress their customers and showcase their creativity and innovation. When it comes to paid promotions as well, brands need to be authentic and especially on TikTok avoid being too sales oriented with calls to action. How can you get started with TikTok and at least see if it’s right for your brand? Well, it’s definitely a good idea to explore the platform to find communities that may already support your brand or products that are similar to the ones that you sell. And also try to discover those niche pockets of communities, those people who may not know about your products yet, but once they learn about you, they will be obsessed. You can discover a multitude of successful and entertaining videos where various brands aren’t necessarily having like a “buy now” call to action in their content. They’re not being overly promotional with their products. They’re also forming long term relationships with influencers and altogether just creating more engaging content with the focus of really building those relationships with customers. TikTok is a way for you to build a strong community with purpose, authenticity, all through that engaging content, and there are potential opportunities there. So it might be worth looking into in 2022.

5:06
The next article comes from Marketing Dive. And it’s all about how social commerce again, something else that I’ve touched upon on this podcast before is really driving how influencer marketing and how influencer partnerships will be evolving this year. So as more shoppers are spending more and more time online, social media platforms have really been enhancing their tools to enable in app purchases. So that means that without ever leaving Instagram or Facebook or TikTok, for example, a consumer can make a purchase right then and there, and these tools are becoming a lot more sophisticated, making that checkout process more seamless, and even enjoyable, and offering a lot of convenience to customers. Because of these new tools seen across social media platforms that are making online shopping easier, there will be an expected increase in collaborations between influencers, who really make their bread and butter off of these platforms and brands. Social commerce, again, social commerce is this ability for customers to check out right from the apps, will unlock a multitude of opportunities for brands to make direct sales, and also impact how influencers are working with those brands.

6:33
So here’s one quote from the article. “Collaborating with a social influencer is a great way for brands to reach target customers who pay attention to specialized content, and may be ready to shop. Being able to purchase what consumers see in pictures and videos without leaving the app allows for convenient checkout, and helps marketers attribute outcomes in the lower part of the purchase funnel.” So that means at the very last step of the buyers journey, when someone’s ready to make a purchase these new tools, these new metrics that all these platforms are rolling out, will really help brands allow to track return on investment for their efforts on these social media platforms. As opposed to hiring groups of influencers for individual campaigns and projects in 2022, expect to see brands really focused on forming longer term relationships with influencers, even in the years ahead. From working with a range of big name influencers and micro influencers, brands can really develop a multitude of influencer marketing strategies, and then try to see what really works for them really testing the waters finding the right mix of influencers, ambassadors to help support their brand. Also, collaborating with lesser known influencers, or micro influencers is something to really consider this year because these people tend to convert better and can quote, be powerful allies to brands with their authenticity and dedicated followers. The lesser known influencers are usually not getting as many brand deals as the bigger ones. So naturally, they’re more dedicated, more genuinely enthusiastic, and usually more engaged in the process and making them more fun to work with, and really allowing brands to see a better return on their investment. So just some thoughts to think about regarding influencer marketing this year.

8:39
And then lastly, an article from JCK Pro was all about 22 bold predictions for the jewelry and watch industry in 2022. If you want to read all 22 of them, I’m not going to go through them. You can go to JCK Pro or sign up for JCK Pro, I just want to highlight four that I thought were really interesting. So one the founders of NYC Jewelry Week, Bella Nyman and JB Jones, they predict a shift toward brick and mortar, which I think is kind of bold, but I also agree with them. After nearly two years of isolation, Bella Nyman and JB Jones predict a shift toward brick and mortar again. Although online shopping is obviously increasing, and ecommerce platforms are improving their tools for more convenient shopping experiences, we as people as shoppers, as lovers of jewelry, we really crave human connection, of course, and consumers are being drawn to in store experiences where they can do things like interact, gather and actually handle jewelry.

9:49
Number two prediction that I thought was really interesting. Growth and momentum in the men’s jewelry category will continue to grow. So more retailers will be embracing men’s fine jewelry as men are continuing to expand their fashion wardrobes and more designers and brands will be moving into the men’s jewelry category at both the high and low ends.

10:13
Number three, crypto interesting prediction. One I don’t even fully understand or wrap my head around to be honest. If you want to hear more about this, you should listen to my recent podcast episode interview with Ben Smithee. We talk a little bit about this at the end of the episode. But basically this person Viviana lying half owner of adornment and theory says that 2022 will see a greater pull toward crypto creativity in the use of nonfungible tokens and the utilization of blockchain for gemstone traceability. So she also said that her jewelry boutique Adornment and Theory “linked a one of a kind fine jewelry piece to an NFT with much success.” Someone want to tell me how to do that because I have no idea but it sounds really interesting. And again, if you want to listen to my interview with Ben Smithee, we talk a little bit about this at the end, I think it’s super interesting.

11:15
And the last prediction that I really enjoyed was, of course, a rise in video content, more emphasis on video content, it will only continue to grow and become more powerful in 2022 and the years to come. TikTok and Reels will continue to be top platforms. Livestream shopping, one on one Zoom presentations with customers will be key as brands are trying to really recreate the in store shopping experience online, especially now as COVID is becoming more prevalent. Unfortunately, people are a little bit more hesitant to shop in store. So while people do crave those real life in person experiences, those live stream shopping presentations and Zoom consultations are pretty good substitutes for that in the type of climate that we’re in right now. As I mentioned, if you want to get the links to the articles I share in this segment of the podcast, you can become a Joy Joya VIP by visiting joyjoya.com.com/signup.

12:19
Okay, let’s talk about my jewelry marketing predictions for 2022. Then maybe later in the year I’ll see how many of these actually come true or you can hold me accountable for that?

12:30
Number one, more than ever before jewelry brands will be looking to their customers as their trusted advisors, not only when it comes to marketing decisions, but also when it comes to decisions about strategic merchandising, pricing and product development. As a jewelry brand, you may sometimes feel the temptation to please, everyone, I totally know this I hear all the time from clients from people I consult with. But the truth is, you only have to please one small group of customers who are obsessed with you who really identify with your products with your brand with your story. They’re going to be the ones who love your products, the ones who are your raving fans, though, they will wear your jewelry proudly and then tell their friends and family members about it. They are the ones you serve. And they are the ones who are going to shape the direction of your business.

13:28
In 2022. brands will be making their customers trusted advisors in a number of ways, by polling them on social media platforms, doing more “social listening”, conducting customer surveys, building relationships with VIP customers to get their honest feedback, asking for reviews, and more. I talk more about customer advisory teams in episode number 131 of the podcast if you’re interested in going back and learning more about how you can really get your customers involved in your business as this is going to be a trend this year and moving forward.

14:10
Number two brands will really really be leaning into the emotional elements of their jewelry story more than ever before. If 2020 and 2021 taught us anything it was about feeling really grateful for the beautiful and positive things in our life and valuing our personal relationships. Jewelry plays such a pivotal role in representing those things. Whether it’s a self purchase to honor a year of staying consistent with your at-home workouts, or a gifted jewelry purchase to put a smile on the face of a loved one who lives far away and you haven’t been able to connect with in person for a while. Well things like sustainably sourced materials, accessible pricing, quality craftsmanship, unique designs, exquisite and valuable materials all play a role in the buyer’s journey in purchasing decisions. They’re not the reason someone is ultimately buying jewelry. No one needs to buy jewelry, like they might need to buy toilet paper. And they’re standing in Target comparing the softness of one brand to the price of another. No, people buy jewelry, because it means something to them, whether it makes them feel more beautiful when they wear it, or it makes them think of a loved one, or it makes them remember a milestone or whatever.

15:39
In 2022, with your brand, you want to be more feeling driven in your storytelling and less cerebral, less, less in the head of your brand. It doesn’t even mean you have to be cheesy or sentimental. If that’s not your vibe, it’s not really my vibe either. It just really means you need to crack open the heart of your brand and see what’s in there. That can be hard for a lot of entrepreneurs and decision makers at jewelry companies. Because maybe they are just more like left brained in general, maybe they just think more rationally and logically about things and that’s how they communicate stories. Well, that’s why you have to find someone who’s good at expressing feelings. So really think about how are you kind of expressing the emotion of your story. And if if you’re not if it’s not resonating with customers, find someone who can help you do that.

16:38
Number three, piggybacking off of number two, as much as jewelry shopping is emotional and kind of like soulful and meaningful experience. Let’s not forget, it’s also a fun one to like, let’s be a little bit less serious. Yeah, all those things are true. But jewelry shopping really should be fun, most especially when it’s a self purchase. But it also should be made fun for people who may be intimidated by it like those shopping for partners, but maybe they never really shopped for jewelry before. In 2022 I predict that jewelry shopping is going to be more or should be more like entertainment than ever before. With more live and interactive shopping experiences. The brands that will have the most success in 2022 and beyond are the ones that make shopping. Fun, fun, fun, fun, accessible, easy, and non intimidating.

17:48
Number four brands will definitely be looking for creative new ways to build and nourish a sense of community and engagement away from social media platforms like Instagram and Facebook. Not that those platforms are going to go away or be any less important. But I think brands will be looking for other ways to supplement their social media presence, and really feel like they have ownership over the communities that they’re building. That might mean starting a VIP customer program, launching a blog or a podcast, offering more value and connection through email marketing campaigns, doing more in person and virtual events, etc. Community will be central to brand building and marketing.

18:37
And finally, number five is content. The smartest, most forward thinking jewelry brands in 2022 will not only be product based businesses, but they will also be creative content machines. One brand I think that’s doing a really great job of this and I don’t know a ton about them except from what I see on social media and some brief looks at their ecommerce website. But they’re called Sarah Briggs Jewelry. They’re a Texas based jewelry brand with the following tagline on their Instagram profile, which is @sarahbriggsjewelry, “impactful jewelry designed to ignite the most powerful you made in house made by women made to last”. I really couldn’t tell you how I first discovered this brand. But lately I’ve been feeling kind of invested in their Instagram posts since they’re really striving in creative, honest, transparent, accessible ways to tell a story about their brand values, and about sharing content behind the scenes about their team, which is all women and it’s awesome. I’m also seeing videos post about the women who are working on the team, how much fun they’re having. Sarah, the founder is always giving glimpses into her personal life in like a very fun and honest way. And I just feel like if I do buy from this brand one day, I’d really be buying into a community of women who love to have fun. And they’re living real authentic lives committed to women’s empowerment. And guess what, without content without their their commitment to content and the creative way that they are producing and sharing content. I wouldn’t know any of this, and you can take a look for yourself. It’s not like super high production value. They don’t have like a professional team of videographers following them around. But they’re putting thoughtfulness into it, and really being as real and honest as possible. So I just wanted to share that example of content and how you can also push the boundaries of your own jewelry brand this year by being a creative content machine.

21:02
What do you think? Do you agree with my trends? 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.

Transcribed by https://otter.ai