When it comes to marketing your products, knowledge about your customer is absolutely key. You can throw thousands of pounds at an all-singing, all-dancing marketing campaign but if it is not creating loyal customers, it is all a wasted effort, not to mention, a waste of money.
This is where using SmartMPOS as a tool to really get to know your customer comes into its own. The data you collect on your customers, their likes and dislikes and their buying habits can all help you piece together a profile of your customers. This information can then be translated into an effective marketing campaign that not only attracts customers but ensures they keep coming back.
We have tapped into the knowledge and wisdom of some of the leading marketing experts working within the the international jewellery sector to come up with some top tips for attracting and keeping customers.
First, Laurel Mintz, the CEO of Elevate My Brand has this to say: “Your first step should be to establish the target audience to be marketed to, the goals for marketing to them, and what differentiates each audience (if there are multiple or layered audiences).
“Ask yourself, ‘Who are you trying to include in your community, why are they part of your target demo, and what is their value as consumers?’ Next determine what sets you apart—are you fine jewelry for the average millennial, eco-friendly crystals for social good, luxury pet accessories for the trendy traveler, you get the picture. Now comes the fun part—content. Establish a brand voice, create “the look,” have a photo shoot, engage with your consumers, and build your content library.”
Drew Cerullo, founder of Better Profit Growth added his own thoughts: “The DeBeers Company famously turned diamonds into the valuable and sought-after rock they are today, and how they did it is very telling regarding how we should market jewellry to men or women.
“De Beers came up with the phrase, ‘A diamond is forever,’ but used it differently for men and women. Women had to be convinced that the diamond is THE ritualised representation of love, commitment, and marriage. Men, on the other hand, simply wanted to know what it was “worth.” To men, DeBeers asked: “How can you make two months’ salary last forever?” The obvious answer was—buy her a diamond. Because a diamond is forever.
“The truth revealed in their research is that men viewed gifts to their wives as an investment in their relationship. Women viewed it as a symbol of their love and confidence in their man’s commitment. This is a handy piece of knowledge to remember when you’re writing sales copy to either men or women for your jewelry store.”
Adam Holtrop is the Executive Creative Director at Made Agency. He is concerned with capturing the percentage of people who show an interest in your product but are not then wooed into becoming loyal customers.
“A lot of attention is given to attracting new customers,” says Holtrop. “But many neglect converting those who showed interested but didn’t convert. Collecting email addresses of customers who walk into your physical store is important. Similarly, those who visit your online store can be tempted to leave their email addresses in exchange for future value.
“Remarketing can be used to target banners towards customers who visited your online store and left without purchasing. Setting up remarketing banners can be tricky. Google works hard to help, and it’s worth spending some time investigating. Then setup seasonal remarketing campaigns.”
Finally, one of the benefits of the SmartMPOS system is the way it helps staff to provide a great customer service. Nancy Friedman, the eponymous customer service expert at NancyFriedman.com says: “Good customer service can really build a store’s reputation. When a consumer is making a sizeable purchase, be it a diamond engagement ring or a gold bracelet, they want to get the best product for the best price. But they also expect the salesperson to not only be knowledgeable, but to provide superior customer service. Eighty-seven percent of customers share good experiences with others, and 88 percent are influenced by online customer service reviews when making a buying decision.”
Friedman’s advice includes: greeting the customer with a smile; make the customer feel valued; suggest items that are within their spending range; explain how you follow through after a sale , for example, if they change their mind or has a problem.
If the customer service you provide can put the shopper at ease so that they are comfortable enough to trust you, not only with their jewelry investment, but also with your ability to help them with their purchasing decisions, then you are well on the way to recruiting another loyal customer.
And, importantly, providing excellent customer service will increase the chances that the customer will not only continue to give your store new business, but will recommend you to family and friends.