SOCIAL MEDIA IS constantly changing. What works today, won’t work tomorrow. To stay competitive in the jewelry industry, your digital marketing strategy needs to evolve. If you keep doing what you’re doing, your business will eventually plateau or even fail.
Here are 5 top social media trends you need to prepare for in 2022. Get ready to boost your business!
1. Paid advertising will continue to grow.
If you’re not currently running paid social media ads as part of your digital marketing strategy, you need to strongly consider it. All of the major social networks have been aggressively cutting their reach over time and showing organic content less and less. This means your audience (which you’ve worked so hard to build-up) isn’t seeing your message.
In a recent study of marketers, 43% of respondents said that the decline of organic reach was their biggest challenge on social media. You may have noticed this yourself. Over time, your posts aren’t getting the attention that they used to. All of your hard work creating content goes to waste.
If social media is your main source of traffic to your jewelry website, you need to start advertising now to stay in front of your audience and attract new business.
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2. Social selling will dominate in the months ahead.
Consumers are spending more time online and less time with traditional media. Selling through print magazines, newspapers and television has declined in importance. What’s taken its place are the rise of paid “influencers” and recommendations on social media from friends and family.
People trust referrals more than they trust ads. They want to see and learn about engagement rings and styles before they walk into a jewelry store. Word-of-mouth marketing is the most powerful force to grow your business.
In 2022, consider working with influencers that are well known in your area. You’ll get more traction from a “local celebrity” that people know than you ever will from a larger outsider. Don’t overpay for eyeballs outside your area.
3. Live streaming will improve your consumer engagement.
If you consider the evolution of content on the Internet when it started it was just text, then images, then video, and now live streaming on social media. With slick ads and everyone posing for that perfect selfie, people want raw and unfiltered organic content that’s real! That’s what gains traction in the algorithm and gets attention. Social media networks actually prefer live streaming to static images and video.
Many businesses have already used live streaming to great success. It’s time that your jewelry business does too! You can host live events, show new styles and collections, or simply answer questions from your audience. The possibilities are only limited by your imagination!
Any good reason to “go live” from your store, is an opportunity for you to engage and connect with jewelry lovers in your area. Live streaming keeps your social media channels fresh and engaging, which makes people want to follow you more and share your streams with their friends and family.
4. Making it easier to communicate will become more important.
It’s always been crucial to have multiple channels of communication open for your business, but with the pandemic, it’s become an absolute necessity. People’s shopping habits have changed. Whereas, in the past, people were comfortable to walk-in and shop or communicate in person, it’s been replaced by online shopping which means you need to adapt.
A website, contact number, and email are a given and every jewelry business has them, but you need to respond quickly to any inquiries that come in. This also goes to any direct messages or questions within social media comments you receive. Consumers are impatient and if they don’t get a reply back from you quickly, the competition is only a click away.
As part of your digital marketing strategy, you also need to consider text-messaging as a communication option. You can use a business Whatsapp account or a regular cell phone number. Dedicate this as your texting-only channel. Many younger consumers (especially Generations X, Y and Millennials) prefer texting to phone calls and even emails! One advantage of having a texting option is that you differentiate yourself from every other jeweler who’s stuck in their old, antiquated ways. How cool is that?
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5. User-generated content (UCG) will increase.
One of the biggest and best opportunities jewelers have for fresh ideas comes from their own audience. User-generated content (UCG) on social media has been growing over time and is a fun, engaging and natural way to excite your customer base. It lends tremendous credibility to your jewelry business when you have consumers posting about you and the jewelry they bought at your store! There’s no better testimonial than someone’s real-life personal experience that’s shared with friends and family.
One of the best ways to encourage user-generated content is to use and encourage a #hashtag for your store. Display it prominently on your website, social media, and in store’s signage. You can even run a contest once a month to anyone who posts about their jewelry purchase or engagement ring proposal and tags you!
Many larger brands have been employing user-generated content as part of their digital marketing strategy for years. They know it helps them connect to their audience and how powerful it is!
In conclusion, to be successful in your jewelry business you need to be able to look ahead. Many small, independent retailers were caught off-guard with the rise of online shopping and the aggressiveness of bigger competitors. With less overhead and more selection, many larger e-commerce sites were able to dominate the jewelry market.
As an trusted local jeweler, you can make your smaller size your secret advantage. By being “small” this also makes you nimble, quick, and agile. This mean that you can adapt quickly and change your marketing strategy before the new year. Take advantage of these 5 top social media trends for 2022 and ride the wave to prosperity.
