Engagement marketing, also known as “experiential marketing” or “event marketing”, can engage consumers with a jewelry brand and its products. The importance of engagement marketing is hard to deny. According to the recent study conducted by Event Track, “70% of users become regular customers after an experiential marketing event”.

Are you wondering what engagement marketing can look like for a jewelry brand? Here’s one example on a grand scale: in 2017, jewelry brand Damiani hosted an influencer event to celebrate the beginning of their exhibition “A Century Of Excellence And Passion”, which took place at the Palazzo Reale in Milan. They invited Instagram influencers like Eleonora Carisi, Paolo Stella, and Candela to dinner, where the women wore Damiani jewels and posted about the event using hashtags like #PalazzoRealeDreamsDamiani and #PalazzoRealeDreamsD.

Why host such an elaborate event? It allows consumers see the jewelry in action, worn in a setting where the brand intends its jewelry to be worn. In this case, Damiani sells luxury jewelry, so the goal was to create an atmosphere of aspiration.

Can’t afford to host an event of this caliber? Don’t worry: you can still leverage engagement marketing for your jewelry brand. In this blog post, we share six types of events you can consider hosting:

Trunk Show or Pop Up
For most jewelry brands without a brick-and-mortar retail space, engagement marketing means a trunk show or pop-up sale. While a trunk show is a sales event that typically takes place in a retail boutique, a pop-up sale can happen anywhere but typically takes place in a space that’s been rented for a short period of time. You may be surprised to learn that you can search for pop-up space via websites like Storefront and Popmark.

Styling Event
I was originally inspired to write this blog post after I saw this great editorial from JCK – the headline “Tired of Trunk Shows?” caught my attention. While trunk shows can be very profitable for many brands, some aren’t seeing the returns they’d like. Instead, try a styling event, which will require your jewelry brand to partner with a fashion brand and perhaps fashion stylist, hair stylist, and/or a makeup designer. When a customer can see herself incorporating a piece of jewelry into her story, she’ll be more likely to buy it. By giving her all the pieces of the complete story, you help her facilitate the process.

Influencer Event
Just because your influencer event isn’t as elaborate as the one hosted by Damiani doesn’t mean it can’t be successful and draw attention to your brand. If you cater to a local audience, consider inviting a few local influencers to your jewelry studio or retail space for a reasonably-priced catered meal and let them try on some of your favorite pieces. During the event, take photos and share them on your social media platforms, on your blog, and in your email marketing. Send the influencers home with bottles of wine and a small token of your appreciation. You can even do a virtual influencer event with a personalized hashtag.

Workshop or Class
Do your customers tend to appreciate your jewelry more once they understand how it’s made? Consider offering a master class to show your customers how you create your product. You can even let them try their hand at a very basic version of something you’ve designed to take home for themselves. Once they understand how much work and talent it takes to produce your pieces, they’ll want to buy the pieces to fill their collection rather than try to recreate the pieces on their own.

VIP Experience
Your most devoted customers want to feel valued, and they’d love to feel like they’re part of a tribe that revolves around your brand. Since they know your brand better than anyone else, why not invite them to contribute feedback and then pamper them in return? You can consider hosting an in-person or virtual roundtable, where your VIPs get a behind-the-scenes sneak peek at works in progress. In addition, you can ask them what they’d like to see in future products. Reward them with an extra-special discount or a small token of appreciation.

Contest or Award
Did you know that contests can be a form of engagement marketing? Giving something away is just a small component of a successful contest. You’ll want to encourage customers to do something for you – like signing up for your email marketing list, sharing your content on their social media channels, contributing their ideas and feedback, using designated hashtags, or inviting friends to check out products. You can also consider giving out an award to a customer who shares the best social media photo or writes the most helpful product review on your website.

Would you like to find out how your jewelry brand can customize one or more of these engagement marketing tactics for your own individual needs and budget? Contact us today for more details.