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Rules of Engagement, Part Two: Social Media in Action | November 14, 2010 (0 comments)
In the October 17 edition, The Centurion asked some leading industry experts for tips about how luxury jewelers can incorporate social media into their marketing strategy. In Part Two of this series, The Centurion goes into the trenches to see it in action. (Part One of the series can be accessed here.)
Merrick, NY—In his landmark book The Tipping Point, sociologist and author Malcolm Gladwell identifies various groups of people who are influential in creating trends. Whether they’re “mavens,” i.e. possessing superior knowledge of subjects like fashion or technology, or “connectors,” i.e. those who help spread the word about what’s new and exciting, there are certain people whose opinions influence the purchasing behavior of others.
Who, then, are today’s influencers? And how can a luxury jeweler become an influencer in his or her community?
“Influencers are anyone who tweets,” says Carol Brodie, a former luxury marketing executive and current creator of the “Rarities” line of affordable luxury jewelry on TV’s Home Shopping Network. While her HSN collection is so-called affordable luxury targeting consumers who have more taste than money, Brodie cut her teeth in the uber-rarified world of Harry Winston. Consumers—especially women—want a personal connection and approachable glamour they can relate to, she says.
Brodie is an ardent user of social media—at 6 a.m. she posts on Facebook what she’s planning to wear that day, jewelry-wise, and at 6 p.m. checks in with HSN’s sales department to see if anything she posted was sold that day. More often than not, it did.
“We get a ton of people coming in that say they saw our Facebook post—some we know and some we have no clue who they are,” says Ann Mangini of Rafinity, an upscale fashion-forward jeweler in Santa Monica, CA. “They don't comment; they voyeur. I think that's a lot of social media—just checking things out.
“We update Rafinity frequently to simply remind people we’re there, to keep the word Rafinity in front of them. Remember ‘mailers’ of the bygone era?” she says.
Brian Reid Alter of Alter’s Gem Jewelry in Beaumont, TX, ties his business and personal pages together on Facebook, and ties that to Twitter, so that when he tweets or posts to one, it appears in both. (Indeed, a host of social media applications, or “apps” exist, Facebook and Twitter lead for business use. Facebook, especially, allows users to consolidate all elements of their social presence into one self-curated location.)
Alter initially tried to divide his business and personal posts but they kind of overlap, he says. Social media is just that—social—and if people get too much business they won’t “friend” you.
“My rule is relevance. I can post something about my kids, and people who have kids can relate. Maybe not everything I post is relevant to everyone who reads [my page] but it is relevant to my community or customers.
Brian Reid Alter ties his personal and professional posts together:
“Lately, we’ve been posting a lot about the price of gold, and people tell me they read the latest news on my page. We also post about events. For example, one we had last week, we put it out there, and got five or six responses from people who couldn’t make it but they told us why they couldn’t come.”
Alter tries to post once a day, and when people respond to his posts, he makes it a point to respond to them—personally, not publicly.
Mangini posts new products and special sales, and to alert clients of celebrity events, awards shows, parties, or TV shows featuring the store. For example, "Private Chefs of Beverly Hills" which filmed a jewelry-themed show in her home, which will be shown on November 16.
“We’ll post about that!” she says. “And sometimes we post silly things as we are rather irreverent.”
Irreverence is in keeping with the spirit of Rafinity, which keeps a sense of whimsy and fun about high-end jewelry. But can social media cross the line from being engaging to being, well, just TMI?
“Luxury has always distinguished itself through both exclusivity and a carefully crafted brand message, which can be a challenge in the world of social media,” says Michael Schechter of New York-based Honora.
But while luxury jewelers should take customers behind the curtain, they need to be careful, says Schechter. Traditional jewelers may want to focus on conversation, but luxury brands may want to take a half-measure by creating content that encourages the customer to engage, but not necessarily interact, he says. Luxury jewelers want to be careful when encouraging a full-blown conversation with the brand.
“This may run counter to the spirit of social [media], but will go a long way towards keeping some level of an exclusive air. For luxury, it is an opportunity to unite those who are passionate about the brand rather than the traditional jeweler who should be looking to engage in a dialog directly with those customers.”
Daniel Gordon of Samuel Gordon Jewelers in Oklahoma City, OK, says if it’s not used appropriately, social media actually can be very damaging to a luxury brand.
“The scary part is most people, unless something is highly offensive, will not call you out publicly. That's scary having no feedback when you are completely annoying, embarrassing, and disrupting your potential customers. They will just go away and find the brand more interruptive than before they entered the public social web communication world.”
Below, one of Samuel Gordon Jewelers' Facebook posts taps into celebrity and ties one of its watch brands to the seasonal time switch.
Where, then, does social media fit into the marketing mix?
“You will be hard pressed to find any luxury brand that has a measurable growth from social media alone,” says Schechter. “It is much more about overall use of the web, including e-commerce, email, social and web apps. That said, Tiffany has been a trailblazer in blending luxury and technology. From their FB presence to their useful and beautiful iPhone app, they just seem to get it.”
Indeed, a number of jewelers have found great success with text-based events such as the Diamond Dash, where participants receive clues via their mobile phones and have to literally go find a diamond ring that’s hidden somewhere in the community. Jewelers such as Lauray’s The Diamond Center in Hot Springs, AR, and Sarah Leonard Fine Jewelers in Westwood, CA, are among those who have hosted the mobile scavenger hunt event recently, with a Ritani ring being the prize from both stores.
View a local newscast of the Lauray’s event here: http://www.katv.com/Global/story.asp?S=13458360, or see the company's YouTube video of the event here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V5MSHNbFjLQ
Lauray's Facebook fans often post on the jeweler's "wall" of their own accord, as seen here:
Sarah Leonard, meanwhile, posted its own Diamond Dash video on its Facebook page, which can be seen here: http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=1611541762249. The jeweler also reminded its followers of a Ritani trunk show, as seen here:
Joanne Teichman of Ylang23 in Dallas reaches out to her fashion-focused clientele not only through Facebook, but also through participation on Polyvore, where fashion lovers can choose looks from a her online gallery of jewelry. Fashion and jewelry lovers also can read about her take on trends and the latest and greatest on her blog on Blogspot.com.
Ylang 23's Facebook posts cross-reference and refer fans to the retailer's other social-media presences.
Brian Alter says he can’t measure any direct sales as a result of his Facebook posts, but he is “still experimenting.” A few new people have come in as a result, so he says if they want to sell their gold or he makes a few sales, at this point he considers it lucky.
Mangini, however, has found Facebook quite useful in managing costs while staying visible. Rafinity has been on Facebook for business for about a year, and Mangini personally for about a year and a half. She’s always done her own PR for the business, and calls Facebook (her preferred social media channel) “a cost-effective grassroots tool” that anyone can use.
“We cut back on everything in late 2008. It’s always a bit hard to track advertising. I feel it’s all good, always. Period. We try everything. The only reason we lend jewelry is to be able to talk about it, right? And to get the stuff in front of people who can afford it!”
Adaptable Ideas: Good Luxury Brand Pages, From Cars to Stereos to Golf Balls
Click on these links to see how luxury brands and retailers in other categories use Facebook to spread the word.
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Berwyn-Doylestown/Keystone-Volvo/42437760804
http://www.facebook.com/bergdorfgoodman
http://www.facebook.com/BangandOlufsenAmerica?ref=ts&v=app_4949752878
http://www.facebook.com/laphroaig
http://www.facebook.com/christianlouboutin
http://www.facebook.com/Callaway?v=wall
See What Your Peers Do:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Santa-Monica-CA/Rafinity/81013068155
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Beaumont-TX/Alters-Gem-Jewelry/98654055734
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Sarah-Leonard-Fine-Jewelers/80594164290
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Hot-Springs-AR/Laurays-The-Diamond-Center/45194019776
http://www.facebook.com/SamuelGordons
http://www.facebook.com/honora?ref=ts
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Tappers/10150150085300714
http://www.facebook.com/CornellsAccount
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Ylang-23/106234999413770
Further reading:
The Fashion Fence: Luxury Brands and their Social Media Strategy is a good overview of the luxury space. http://sashahalima.com/blog/2010/11/the-fashion-fence-luxury-brands-and-their-social-media-strategy/
If you haven’t thought to hit the “save” button on your Facebook pages, this Advertising Age article explains why it’s a good idea to do it NOW. http://adage.com/digital/article?article_id=147012
It’s not just about the number of fans you have on Facebook or followers on Twitter, say the folks at WebProNews. Smaller metrics—such as how often a post is re-tweeted or a coupon code from Twitter is used—are an important part of a larger social media marketing picture. http://www.webpronews.com/topnews/2010/11/11/splitting-up-your-social-strategy-for-better-results
http://www.forbes.com/2010/10/19/burberry-christian-louboutin-technology-social-media.html
http://mashable.com/2010/11/11/online-offline-marketing/
http://mashable.com/2010/11/14/social-media-promotion/
1-800-FLOWERS is the first firm to allow consumers to complete an entire transaction from their Facebook page.Women’s Wear Daily reports here. (Subscription may be required).