Why should jewelers be on Instagram?
Instagram is all about the visual, and let’s face it, fine
jewelry is a visual experience. Seeing the fire and brilliance of a well-cut
diamond, or an unusual yet captivating design for the first time, is visual. It
cannot be summarized in 140 characters! Instagram allows me, and the diamond
industry, the opportunity to put stones in front of an appreciative audience in
a way that no other social media platform does. Every facet is visible, as is
every inclusion, so a potential buyer knows what he or she is getting.
Secondly, I think Instagram is segmented in a way that other
social media platforms have been unable to achieve. There are so many diverse
pages, and such a wide offering of quality pages to follow, that those who
choose to follow you have a genuine interest in what you have to show. And no
one enjoys a cluttered Instagram feed. If your interests lean more toward
travel or food or fashion, you will quickly unfollow and shift toward those
pages.
Finally, Instagram has really stepped up its game as far as
its technology is concerned. Its direct-messaging capability is user-friendly
and has generated so many leads for so many of my clients. Its story capability
is giving Snapchat a run for its money, and allows high-end jewelers like
Cartier and Bulgari to share live coverage of events and launches, in real
time.
According to Instagram, there are 700 million monthly users
and 400 million daily users. That’s a large number, when you consider that you
are reaching a targeted audience in your market.
How do you curate the pieces you share with your followers?
I have a simple golden rule that I never break: I only share
pieces that I would personally love to own. That rule determines what I select
to post, and brings an authenticity to my page. If I don’t like something,
regardless of the rarity or the price tag, I won’t photograph it, and I won’t
share it.
When considering what to post, I take a number of factors
into consideration. What have I not shared for a while? A pink diamond? A
necklace? And I try to bring variety to my page. There are many engagement ring
pages that are very successful and popular, but that’s not what The Diamonds
Girl is all about. I love loose diamonds, and jewelry in every shape and form,
and I want to bring that to my audience.
Can you see a trend in terms of your audience’s engagement
with specific posts?
Most definitely. Everyone loves anything from Graff. Or from
Harry Winston. But they also respond well to “smart jewelry,” which is what I
call jewelry that can be worn in more ways than one, or that transforms. For
example, a Glenn Spiro Reveal Ring can be worn closed, or it can be opened to
reveal a magnificent secret stone hidden inside. Many large diamonds today are
placed in settings that can be transformed from a ring to a pendant, allowing
the customer maximum flexibility and multiple ways to wear the same stone. It’s
fascinating to see the strides jewelers have made in this area, and while a
classic, timeless solitaire will never go out of style, my audience is drawn to
the more unusual.
I also see a difference in engagement from followers for
diamond cuts and ring styles. Ring styles have progressed from solitaires to
halos to dropped halos. Fancy cuts are seeing a swing toward cushion-cut
diamonds and emerald-cut stones. And ovals! My followers are loving ovals
lately. While a round diamond will always be effortlessly chic, the fancy cuts
are attracting a lot of attention today, as are fancy color diamonds.
Who are your favorite designers to showcase?
That’s a tough one — there are so many! One of the first
high jewelers to warmly welcome me into its vaults and show me treasures that
defy belief was Moussaieff Jewellers. It remains one of my very favorite
jewelers to this day, and no visit to London would be complete without a visit
to Moussaieff. Another jeweler whose work I adore is Hong Kong-based Forms
Jewellery. They have taken jewelry designs to a whole new art form, using
unusual stones and unique designs. Of course, I adore sharing Graff; its
diamonds are beyond compare.
There is an Italian family-owned jewelry house, Busatti
Milano, that is so incredibly innovative that I can never stop staring [at] —
and sharing — their pieces. One of my favorite Busatti pieces is a
diamond-and-sapphire-covered locket that opens to reveal stars and the moon
inside, and a removable gold telescope that extends and works! It’s the
creativity and the craftsmanship involved in creating pieces like this that
leave me breathless every time.
Lastly, I would be remiss if I did not mention Bayco Jewels.
Renowned for their magnificent colored gemstones, every Bayco piece has the
finest emeralds, sapphires or rubies, and it is thanks to Bayco that I have
developed a passion for these beautiful, richly colored stones.
“The beauty of social media is that you can gain significant
exposure with a very small budget,” says Ellison. “All my pictures are taken by
me personally, using an iPhone, and I use free apps to edit them. Smaller
companies have an opportunity to grow their brand using in-house resources, and
at very little cost.”
Here’s her advice to independent jewelers who want to make
their mark on Instagram:
1. Create your own identity through your pictures. If you
are a more traditional jeweler, let that come out in your posts. Create a sense
of tradition and classic timelessness. If you are an edgier jeweler, don’t be
afraid to embrace that by linking your posts to objects and events that your
target market will relate to — beach days, sports events, nightlife. If you
specialize in engagement rings, include a bridal angle in your posts. Know your
identity as a jeweler, know who your audience is, and make sure your posts
convey that visually.
2. Always use a logo or watermark.The objective is to build your brand and
increase awareness, so you want your photos to be instantly recognizable when
they appear on people’s discover feeds.
3. Use an editing app to enhance your pictures. Don’t
over-edit, but be sure to present the best possible image of the diamond or the
finished piece.
4. Both pictures and videos are popular, so don’t be afraid
to mix it up and use both mediums.
5. Engage and respond to followers. Every follower is a
potential customer, so answer their questions about carat size, etc., and you
will be the jeweler they turn to when they are ready to buy!
Image: Instagram feed of The Diamond GirlArticle from the Rapaport Magazine - August 2017. To subscribe click here.