Photos bring products to life. While descriptions can tell customers how to use a product, how big a product is, or the materials it’s made of, a photo is what makes them say, “Yes. It’s beautiful. I need it.”
While photos are great for most social media sites, they are vital for Instagram. And statistics are showing that Instagram is vital for retail businesses – including jewelers. According to Hootsuite, Instagram adoption is at 85% among top brands. And it’s no wonder that brands are flocking to it, considering that Instagram’s per-follower engagement rates is 58x higher than engagement rates on Facebook, and 120x higher than engagement rates on Twitter.
It’s pretty clear that there are major opportunities out there for jewelers on Instagram… but what to post? Here are three ways you can use Instagram to connect with customers and make the sale.
To Educate
Some people may think that jewelry is a no-brainer, either you like it, or you don’t. But you know that a lot goes into finding the right piece, and keeping it sparkling for years to come. Instagram gives you a great opportunity to educate customers on gemstones, the process of customizing jewelry, and care. Not to mention, you can give a behind-the-scenes look at your business and what makes you different (and better) than the store up the street.
Successful Example: Show the process of jewelry repair, and remind customers that you do your best to make their fine jewelry look brand-new.
To Inspire
Any item is easier to sell if a customer can picture themselves using it. That’s why it’s important to give fresh examples of jewelry trends on your Instagram feed. Whether it’s a photo of a romantic proposal or a new watch to celebrate someone’s graduation from law school, inspire your customers to treat themselves and others during life’s special moments.
Successful Example: Inspire customers by giving them ideas of how to wear their jewelry. Show an example of wearing jewelry with a casual outfit, then a more formal one to show its versatility. This is also a great opportunity to showcase real people, as Instagram photos with faces in them get 38% more engagement than those without faces.
To Highlight
Sometimes, you just want to show off a product that speaks for itself. And that’s perfectly fine! Consumers expect to see products in their feeds, and many users are embracing the idea of shopping right from their Instagram feeds. In fact, in 2015, product photos were the most-engaged-with type of posts on Instagram across 200 global brands at 60 percent.
Instagram is now a viable sales tool for retailers, especially since the launch of Instagram ads in September 2015. However, some photos are a better selling tool than others. Make sure to keep product photos professional-looking, and don’t use a filter as it makes it harder for customers to make out things like color and size. Use your photo caption to give details such as size, price, and how to purchase.
Successful Example: Get products out of the display case and box and show them off in a unique way. This may include someone wearing the items or giving the shots a creative background.
Instagram is your friend, not your foe, so experiment with posts and see which type of post gets the most engagement from your customers.
Bonus Tips for Instagram:
- Don’t forget the hashtags. Hootsuite reports that posts with at least one hashtag average 12.6 percent more engagement.
- Tag popular jewelry designers. On average, posts that include another user’s handle/username get 56 percent more engagement.
Crystal Vilkaitis is the owner of Crystal Media; a company dedicated to helping retailers integrate proven social media, mobile and e-mail marketing strategies into their businesses. Crystal started Social Edge, an online membership group exclusive to retailers looking to gain an edge over competition using social media. For more information and to receive free weekly social media tips to your e-mail inbox, visit crystalmedia.co or socialedge.co. All stats via. https://blog.hootsuite.com/instagram-statistics-for-business/
