Happy 2015! I’m so excited for this year and the many opportunities for all of us that lie ahead. In this week's blog post I wanted to talk about 10 strategic social media tactics all jewelers should implement into their social media strategy in 2015. I hope you will add a few of these tips into your social media strategy this year to boost engagement, gain new fans, and increase sales.
#1. Define your brand
I see a lot of brands trying to encompass everyone and everything instead of focusing on their niche. Start the year off right by really defining the DNA of your brand. Here are some questions you NEED to answer and they will help you carve out a nice little space in the industry. Also try to answer these questions with your C-level execs or discuss these questions with your client, if you're a social media manager, to make sure everyone is on the same page.
1. Define your brand in three words.
2. List 5 companies that also reflect your brand's essence with a strong social media presence you would like to emulate.
3. What type of posts have worked the best last year?
4. Which posts bombed on social media?
5. What kind of feeling do you want your social media audience to have when they visit your Facebook page?
Now that you have a better idea of what your brand stands for, make sure that all you social media postings stay true to your brand.
#2 Refresh your pages
It's important to freshen up your social media cover pages on Facebook, Twitter, and Google+ at least every month. Cover pages will help define your brand's aesthetic and also showcase your latest designs and stock. I like to use collages since you can display more than 3 images at a time. If you don’t have graphic skills you can find a designer on odesk.com, elance.com and many other freelance sites.
#3 Share more customer photos
Social media should be social so don't be afraid to get REAL. Sharing customer photos is an effective way to increase your page's interaction and also give potential customers another perspective on your products. This year create a customer album and fill it with photos of customers who post pictures of themselves in your jewelry on your wall. Also create a unique hashtag and encourage customers to use it on Instagram so their photos will be easy to find.
#4 Post more "real" photos
Instead of depending on product or ad shots, mix it up by taking photos of your jewelry on a real person. I've noticed that "real-life" photos get a lot more engagement and are more inspirational. They let customers see your jewels in the flesh and allow them to imagine the piece on themselves.
#5 Put your social media links on everything
I'm always surprised when brands fail to display their social media pages on their email signatures, business cards, and magazine ads. Make sure you add your social media links to everything that lists your website. That means on all marketing materials.
#6 Do giveaways
Want to make people excited in under 10 seconds? Host a giveaway! Choose something small but still exciting to give away. An engagement ring brand might want to give away a diamond band, or a jewelry store might want to give away a gift certificate. Make it significant enough to cause people to care. Contests will boost your engagement and also win you additional followers.
#7 Influencer program
We all have super fans who comment and like most of our posts. It's important to keep their loyalty and encourage their brand evangelism. Identify ten of your most engaged fans and followers and make them your brand ambassadors. Engage them by giving them free products, exclusive discounts, and access to VIP events. If you're a local jeweler make sure they live in your area, they will tell their local friends and family. If you are a national brand you should consider paying style bloggers to be ambassadors for wider reach.
#8 Make videos
This is something I'm working on myself this year. Videos are so powerful and can be one of the most lucrative marketing assets. You can hire an actor to do the videos and either tape the video in a camcorder, phone, or laptop and use iMovie to edit them yourself. There are also companies that can do all of this for you. Make sure your videos are interesting and try to make them informative rather than pushing your product. Make sure to title your videos and add descriptions that will make your video easy to find.
#9 Set up a feed
It's hard to stay on top of all the news, but this year make it a point to discuss more current events on your page. I like to use Feedly, a reader that pulls in the latest articles from my favorite news sites and blogs. Once you have your Feedly set up you can share the articles directly to your social media pages. You can also use Feedly with Sprout Social to either schedule posts for a later date or go into Sprout's queue and be automatically scheduled and posted at optimal times.
#10 Facebook advertising
What if I told you that you can get 10,000 fans in one week with only $1,000.00 . . . would you do it? Well you can easily achieve this with FB ads. The key is to choose your target well. Your best bet is to target a competing local business or brand. Once you have done this, target local publications or niche publications. Last but not least, target your own demographic. Facebook has been the top social media site in terms of referrals to my clients’ websites, so investing in Facebook ads is a sure way to expand your reach in 2015.
I hope you enjoyed this article! Please comment below with any questions you have and I will try to answer them. Also please let me know if you have any article suggestions you'd like me to write in 2015.
Wishing you all a dazzling 2015! May success find you in all of you endeavors.
Millissa Mathai