If you are a small jewelry store owner, you wear many hats and typically don’t have enough time to do everything and do it well. These activities might include dealing with customers, vendors, customer service, jewelry repairs, and sometimes, doing the marketing yourself too. Handling everything can be tiring and inefficient. To move your business forward, you should focus on the business aspects you do well. If that’s running a business, then you should do that. If it’s making beautiful jewelry, then you should focus on that. If your strong suit is marketing, you should focus on marketing and let others do the other things needed in your business.
We’ve met many small jewelry business owners who are wearing many hats. They typically start with social media because they think it will drum up more business. Unfortunately, they soon discover that although social media can help get more business, it will not drive many new customers to your store. It’s great for branding and communication, but it is not great for consistently landing new customers. So, if you have a limited budget and you’re wondering what marketing channel you should focus on, don’t make it social media. Instead, read further in the article to learn our best tips for small jewelry stores to drive new customers to your business more effectively.
If not social media, then what? The key is buying intent!
Buying intent is a simple yet compelling concept you should consider when marketing any business. As jewelry store owners, do you think people scrolling through their Facebook or Instagram feed are thinking about buying diamond earrings? No. They are staying updated with family, personal interests, and the like. Of course, you can land new customers on social media, but it is typically not where they start when they want to buy something as important as an engagement ring, wedding band, or 25th anniversary present. So, where do people looking for that exceptional item start their shopping research? 93% start with an online search.
Focusing on this profile is more important!
We already said that social media is not the place to start when you have limited time, money, or resources, so where do you start? First, start with the profile that will drive tons of traffic to you if you pay attention to it, your Google Business Profile (GBP).
Your GBP is the free online listing Google creates for almost any business that has in-person contact with customers. It allows you to influence your business’s appearance on Google Search and Maps. Make sure it’s complete, accurate and regularly updated, and more customers in your local area looking for your products or services can find you. Sound easy? It can be.
Updating your GBP will yield more customers. So please don’t ignore it.
Here are some essential and easy tips to ensure your GBP is optimized to reel in the customers.
- Complete and accurate information. Review your Google Business Profile and ensure all your data is accurate and up-to-date. Updates should include your address, phone, store hours, and even the map pin to ensure customers find your front door when they ask for directions.
Tip: Ensure that your address is in your website footer and the address is identical to your GBP address.
- Choose the most relevant categories. First, make sure your primary category is the one most relevant to your business. From there, choose related secondary categories, which will give you more chances of customers finding you.
Tip: Jewelry Store or Jeweler is the best category for most jewelers.
- Get more high-quality reviews from your customers. Customers choose businesses with a higher number of excellent reviews over companies with fewer reviews or lower scores.
Tip: Ask your customers to include the product or service in the review they write for you.
- Add photos and posts. Like on social media, make sure you post regularly on your GBP pictures of your products, store, or similar.
Tip: Create posts that allow you to include a short description and link back to your website.
So, if your marketing options are limited, don’t fall into the same trap most struggling small businesses start with, social media. Again, social media has its place in growing a business, but when you’re just holding on, spend your time wisely and focus on updating your Google Business Profile. It will yield better results.
Think about it. Where do you start your research when you need something or want to buy something important? Most people (and most likely you) begin with a Google search. You want to ensure they find your Google Business Profile and that it looks great. If you don’t, they will probably find your competition, so don’t start with social media. Start with your GBP!
Contact us if you have any questions about optimizing your GBP, local SEO, or attracting more local customers to your jewelry store. We would be happy to help.
