At Deep Earth, we have a resource called The Independent Jeweler’s Blueprint: Three Free Strategies to Drive Customers to Your Jewelry Store. This resource serves as a cheat sheet of sorts to help you to implement various strategies that are cost-friendly and can help boost the online presence of your jewelry store. So, let’s take a look at the three key strategies laid out in the resource.
The Power of SEO and Website Optimization
The first strategy, and one of the most powerful of the three, is website optimization coupled with implementing other SEO strategies. The goal of every jewelry store with an online presence is to be visible when a customer searches for jewelry, necklaces, engagement rings, wedding rings, or watches in the area. The best case is to have your jewelry store appear first as an organic search listing.
So, how do you accomplish that?
It really comes down to optimizing the backend of your website. Implementing title tags, H1 headers, and H2 headers is a great place to start. If you are unsure how to do that, a quick Google or YouTube search brings up some great brief tutorials about optimizing your titles and headings. Optimizing these tags ensures that your website is easily searchable.
Now, the best-case scenario is that you invest in a dedicated SEO strategist or an SEO partner that can go through your website and ensure that everything is optimized. However, simply reaching out to your website host and asking them to implement a few key changes can start to move the needle in the right direction.
Optimizing Your Google My Business Listing
The second strategy is to focus on optimizing your Google My Business listing. This will also assist with SEO efforts, and ensure that your store is easily searchable online. You should begin by paying attention to who is posting on your Google My Business listing, who’s leaving reviews, what images are being displayed, and if the correct information is being showcased. It is best to have at least 100 photos on your Google My Business listing. One study found that having over 100 photos leads to 520% increased visibility.
Within your Google My Business page, there is a Google My Business microsite that is a small Google-generated website that you can access to modify your online presence. You want to ensure that it is built properly, updated regularly, and displays all of the correct information regarding your location(s) and hours of operation.
About a year ago, posting regularly on Google My Business became important, as Google rewards increased usage with increased visibility. So, be sure that you are utilizing this platform to its fullest potential.
In addition, you should be responding to all of the customer reviews that are posted, both good and bad. Google wants to see that your business is actively engaging with its customers and is interacting in a genuine way. It is best to refrain from posting generic responses and instead create a response that is tailored to the given review.
Utilizing Social Media to Increase Engagement
The third strategy is utilizing social media. These days, Facebook and Instagram have become pay-to-play platforms; however, there are still a lot of opportunities to generate engagement organically. The best way to generate lots of engagement is through creating enticing stories, great posts, and using high-end photography.
In addition to creating great content, you want to ensure that you are posting on Facebook and Instagram at least once a day. Ultimately, it is best to get to at least two posts a day. However, making one post per day your first milestone is great.
Here is a list of great post ideas:
- Photos of happy customers
- Photos of current events
- Photos of special offers
After posting, keep an eye out for the level of engagement each post generates. Be sure that you are engaging with people in the comments, just like you would do with your Google reviews. This is a great way to start a conversation with your customers.
Your customers want to hear from you. People want to know that you are paying attention to them and that you care about their needs. The best way to do this is to engage with them on social media and ultimately start getting people into your brick-and-mortar store to further develop relationships and build lifelong clientele.
