Marketing yourself online

For the most part, a jewellery business has a secure market. There will always be a demand for jewellery for special occasions. In the past, high street jewellery stores relied on this to make sales, but now with the advent of the digital age, everything has changed. It is hard for the local jewellery store to compete with online stores with a multinational reach and that can deliver just about anywhere in the world. Gone are the days where a young man would have to bring his betrothed in for a ring fitting. Now all one needs is the ring size and a deeper understanding of ones preferences, to purchase rings and other jewellery that means something to the intended recipient. The thing is that jewellery stores have had to start doing things differently of late – a lot differently. They have had to throw out their old printed catalogues and start appealing to the market where it is all happening – the online market. Now, this does not mean that by creating a website and advertising products online that ‘they have it in the bag’ and profits are imminent. The online world is highly competitive and while it can bring great rewards, it also requires continuous effort and a strategic approach to SEO. Below are just three of many ways the digital marketing team at Dojono have seen jewellery stores using SEO to market their sparkly gems and intricate accessories online. If you are a jewellery store owner, you might want to pay attention. 3 ways to market a jewellery store online using SEO Modern SEO rules dictate that content, images, and videos simply jam-packed with keywords are no longer relevant to SEO. Nowadays, if you want to rank in an online search engine result, you need to provide a valuable experience to the user. This means that giving customers something to go on is more important than keywords and clever adverts. Here is how you can connect and engage with your audience in a way that search engines, such as Google, deem “a valuable experience”. Create a tight, emotive brand story Jewellery is most often an emotional purchase. While for some it’s merely a status symbol, it is actually rarely about simply adorning oneself in sparkly trinkets, bits and pieces. It is more about the message behind it. As such, jewellery store owners are in a great position. They know the general persona of their target audience and that means that they can capitalise on it. Most people want to buy their jewellery from a store that has an interesting and meaningful history – and that store is your store – they just need to find that out. Create a brand story that truly tells your story. No doubt, your jewellery store comes from your passion, and you certainly have a story to tell about what makes your jewellery store one that is meaningful, valuable, and unique. Use the opportunity to publish content that introduces the human, emotive side of your brand. You can use LinkedIn, your website’s “about” page, blog posts, and social media pages to deliver this story and keep highlighting it along the way. Good questions to ask yourself are: What is the message behind our brand? What is our business all about? What value do we offer the customer that they can get nowhere else? Focus your marketing around major life events Some of the top jewellery stores have realised the value of editorial calendars and have put them to good use. Marketing to customers around major life events is a great way to get your SEO working to full capacity. Google likes to see content that is relevant, fresh and provides value to the consumer. Leading up to Mother’s Day, Women’s Day, Father’s Day, and even graduations, people will be looking for the perfect gift to spoil their loved-one with. Jewellery is the perfect gift, but many might not think about it or know that you have a range that is ideal for the occasion. This is especially the case if you do not create content and posts that draw their attention to it. Sharing is caring – put social media to work Humans are social creatures and love to share. When someone graduates from university, they tell the world. When couples get engaged, they unleash the news all over social media. And when babies are born, people love to share pictures of the actual event. What if you could use other people’s eagerness, to share the most intimate parts of their lives with the world, to your SEO advantage? Social mentions mean a lot to Google as it shows that people value your product and find your content helpful. Essentially, every like, mention, tag, share, or new signup is somewhat impressive to Google – and thus a great ranking is in store for you. Encourage those who buy jewellery from you to share photos and videos of the occasion. Couples can share engagement and wedding ring photos. The mom that buys her daughter a graduation charm bracelet can post pictures of it being excitedly received. Whatever the case may be, encourage them to share these images and tag your business or link back to your website. Most people will be happy to do this obligation free, but you can always throw in some incentive. Perhaps make it a competition, offer loyalty points, ensure a discount – your business name will spread like wildfire and your search engine rankings should improve exponentially. Join the online revolution – sell your jewellery and accessories online You know that SEO is the way to boost your business’ online presence and start getting your piece of the proverbial online pie, but where do you start? You can do your research and implement an SEO strategy for your jewellery store yourself, or you can hire a professional SEO team to assist. Hanging on steadfastly to the idea of a brick and mortar store will merely do your business more damage than good. The time to join the revolution and start using SEO to boost your jewellery store’s online presence is now. Charlotte Ross is one of the leading contributors of content and all things SEO related at Dojono. As an SEO specialist and enthusiast, Charlotte is always meticulously up to date and on top of the latest revelations and updates in the industry to deliver the most helpful and cutting-edge content. Advised by the digital marketing team at smeloans.