60 Percent of Jewelers Surveyed Say They Don’t Make Their Own Social Media Posts

question: Do you, as owner/manager, make all of your company’s social media posts?

Yes: 39%

• Currently, there is no one to delegate it to, and currently, I’m best suited to tell our story daily, which I do through social media. Also, I’m not a fan of the canned, scheduled posts available to me. However, I love those for inspiration … as well as the inspiration from my best vendors. I enjoy this task most for its value in keeping me current with the industry. It is also a segue into a future revenue stream for the business that we’re currently developing. — Jill Keith, Enchanted Jewelry, Danielson, CT
• Mom and pop. Mom is busy on the bench, so I handle it. — Cliff Yankovich, Chimera Design, Lowell, MI
• Because I am the only one there is. I also clean the toilets, about the same level of fun. — James Doggett, Doggett Jewelry, Kingston, NH
• There’s only me, so I literally do everything! — Janne Etz, Contemporary Concepts, Cocoa, FL
• For my sins, I’m in charge of online sales and all other online nonsense. — Gretchen Schaffner, Eytan’s Designs, Sherman Oaks, CA
• I lost the employee who had been doing the posts. I was and am doing it all right now — cannot find good help! — Linda Brown, Heritage Jewelers, Shelbyville, TN
• I want to control it, so that it is personal. I want our clients to know they are our family! — Elizabeth Saba, Presley Co. Fine Jewelers, San Diego, CA
• I have not been able to let it go … Have yet to find someone to fill that role who I trust enough, who can convey our “voice” reliably, who WANTS that job and is also going to stick around. — Jennifer Hornik Johnson, Miller’s Jewelry, Bozeman, MT
• I have learned that it is important to address the items you are promoting for that month and sometimes it is a spur of the moment change and decision. Having a social media calendar really helps us stay on top of things and be prepared. The only issue with this is change of personnel responsible for these tasks and making sure that the best person in your staff is handling your social media! — Susan Eisen, Susan Eisen Fine Jewelry & Watches, El Paso, TX
• I add around three Facebook posts a day. I know that’s old school, but it is very effective. We have many followers and it keeps them engaged. Most customers know the merchandise even before they come in. — Rick Nichols, Nassau Jewelry, Fernandina Beach, FL
• I create them so I know exactly what is going out to the public, and I print them and put them in the lunchroom so the staff can familiarize themselves with every post, promotion and picture. — Christine Graichen, Malloves Jewelers, Middletown, CT
• I have a certain way of saying things, and people know it’s me and like it. — Tommy Thobe, The Village Gem, Perry Hall, MD
• Because it is done in my “voice,” which is our brand and our store. I tried having someone else do it several times, and this was not as successful. It’s very time-consuming but truly the only successful medium other than one small niche neighborhood magazine we’ve been in for about five years. — Andrea Riso, Talisman Collection, El Dorado Hills, CA

No: 61%

• I’m too old. Younger employees are much more in tune and better at taking care of these. Know your limitations and/or strong points, right …?? — Tom R. Nelson, Nelson Jewelry, Spencer, IA
• We have a company create the posts, and we review them before they are posted. — Paul Reiniger, Reiniger Jewelers, Swansea, IL
• I have Tiffany from Keep Me Connected doing most of my posts. — Sue Parker, Nyman Jewelers, Excanaba, MI
• I have an ad agency handle for me. They are more consistent, strategic and effective. — Dan Levinson, Ellis Jewelers, Concord, NC
• My assistant and I do it equally, but she more lately as it’s quite the job! — Laura Kitsos, Gem Jewelry Boutique, Oak Park, IL
• I used to do all of this, but I realized the importance of this job, so a few years back I hired an employee just for this position. I am very pleased I did; our website and social media are our best forms of advertising by far. — Stephenie Bjorkman, Sami Fine Jewelry, Fountain Hills, AZ
• I have an independent contractor on site who takes my instructions and strategies and implements them with graphics and text. — John Carom, Abby’s Gold & Gems, Uniontown, PA
• I did handle this for many years personally and enjoyed it. Last year, I delegated this task to another person because there just wasn’t enough time to do it well and still accomplish everything else. Now that I don’t handle it, I find that I don’t miss it much. — Jon Walp, Long Jewelers, Virginia Beach, VA
• This is beyond my skill set. The maintenance level alone for it to be intriguing and foster interactive engagement is a time vampire for me. After trying to do it all, I found hiring it out was just smarter for managing my more financially productive workload. — Denise Oros, Linnea Jewelers, La Grange, IL
• We use a service to provide day to day posting, They do a good job of freeing us from the tyranny of social media content creation. When the muse strikes, posts from us always get more attention. — Mark Clodius, Clodius & Co. Jewelers, Rockford, IL
• For one, it takes up the time I could be spending working on the business. Second, I’ve found asking the women in my store to come up with post ideas gets more engagement from self-purchasers. They know what women want to see! — Kyle Bullock, Bullock’s Jewelry, Roswell, NM
• I make the majority of them, but I do have one of the other sales associates helping out. Together we make a good team, and it helps in creating a more well-rounded social media presence. — Becky Bettencourt, Blue River Diamonds, Peabody, MA