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Success With Jewelry
104 - Laryssa and Liz Chat About Holiday Promotions For Jewelry Brands
00:15:16
Welcome to the Success With Jewelry podcast, hosted by Laryssa Wirstiuk and Liz Kantner, two experts passionate about helping independent jewelry artists thrive. Welcome to episode #104. We’ll be diving into holiday promotions for jewelry brands -...
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- [00:00]
A
Welcome to the Success With Jewelry Podcast where we invite you inside our conversations about business success and marketing for jewelry designers and entrepreneurs.
- [00:09]
B
We're Larissa and Liz, jewelry marketing experts with a combined 16 years of experience and proven track records in helping jewelry brands meet their goals. When you listen to or watch this podcast, you get an intimate and exclusive peek behind the curtain of all the things you wish you could know about earning success in this industry.
- [00:28]
A
Welcome to episode 104 of the Success With Jewelry Podcast. In this episode, we'll be diving into holiday promotions, how to plan them, and what you can do to make them a success. If you're considering running a sale during the upcoming season, we've got some insights to help you maximize your efforts. Stick around for the bonus content where we'll share even more tips on creating a promotion that truly connects and drives results. To get access to exclusive content as well as direct access to me and Larissa, sign up by visiting success with jewelry.com hey Larissa, let's get into it.
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B
This is a very hot topic right now.
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A
It's a hot topic. I. My DMs are filled, filled with people asking me if they should do a Black Friday sale or not.
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B
Yeah, I know. Same with emails, client meetings. It's like every day, all day, we're talking about Black Friday.
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A
And also, can you believe it's like, we're in October. We're in.
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B
I know. I have no idea what happened to this year.
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A
I don't know what happened. I don't know what happened to September. I don't know how we got here. Because typically you would think about this stuff in advance. Like, advance of now. Like, it's good that you're thinking about it now for sure, but you kind of want to think about what promotions you're going to run. And I know, like, you need to be a little dynamic and you need to switch things up, but you really want to, like, have a game plan at the beginning of the year of what promotions you want to do.
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B
Yeah, I know we encourage it, but I get it. I mean, we even said probably back in August or something, like, start thinking about your holiday promotions. But when it's like 90 degrees outside and you know, you're sitting on the beach or whatever, that's the last thing you want to be thinking about.
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A
I think it's tough, too, because I know people have had weird sales years. So you might be thinking, like, how do I really push this, like last quarter? And how do I really get the sales going? I don't know the answer of if you should do a Black Friday promotion or not. I mean, getting into, like, the importance of holiday promotions because you do want to build some excitement around holiday. We've talked about this, like, being. What did. What have we been saying? Like, fun and festive. Yeah, fun and festive. Like, that's important. But a percentage off isn't necessarily going to be the answer. But, you know, you want to think about it because you do want to drive revenue during this time of year. And having some sort of promotion can be a way to, like, create excitement and really push that forward.
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B
Yeah. And people are already in a shopping mood. The intent is there, unfortunately. And a lot of them kind of expect discounts to some extent. I mean, I don't know. But they're looking for them if they can find them. And so meet your customer where they are if it makes sense for you.
- [03:12]
A
Definitely. So, like, some of the key dates we're. We're thinking about now, like, I mean, a lot of people asking about Black Friday, there's also, which I always love a small business Saturday because. Because I think that people really do want to support small businesses. And then you have Cyber Monday. The issue with this weekend that we're talking about here is that it is so people are inundated. And not only that, it's a Thanksgiving weekend. Most people have Thanksgiving off, most people have Black Friday off. Most people are spending time with their family or traveling that weekend. And I think just because of the volume of sales that are happening and then also this, like, opportunity to kind of step away from work or like, be with family and things like that really does lead to disconnect with your audience. Like, people not seeing what you're doing.
- [04:01]
B
Oh, yeah. I mean, I, I'm remembering back the past two Black Friday weekends. Like, it's so overwhelming, all the emails and, like, SMS marketing and everything. And I'm just like, I don't want to think about shopping anymore. It's awful.
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A
I. I sign up for several. I have several sms, like, marketing, like, companies that send me marketing, and they're. They're brands. I love their brands. I signed up for that for. But like, sometimes those texts come through at like, the most inopportune moments and, or like times when, like, you're really not shopping. Like, for, for example, like, we're just going through Hurricane Helene here in Asheville and it's like getting like these text messages. Like right now, it's like, not what I want, you know, that's like, not where I'm at Like, I'm not shopping for things and stuff. So where am I going with that?
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B
It's.
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A
Where am I going with this? I don't know. Just like, you have to be sensitive about marketing. You can't like, geotarget everyone or know what everyone's going through. But I think it's something to think about.
- [05:00]
B
Yeah, that's so true to your point. I'm like, oh, you know, maybe they should be geotargeting. But it's. It's pretty hard to do even by, like, area code because I have a New Jersey area code and I'm in California.
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A
So it's tough to know, like, with this is like kind of a segue. But it is tough to know with, like, natural disasters and like, things going on in the world because, like, you also, like, have to keep your business moving. Right? You can't just, like, pause for everything, especially these days. So it's like, you do have to keep moving forward, but, like, also be sensitive, I guess. I don't know. It's a hard balance.
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B
And November is also just. The entire month of November is just a weird time this year.
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A
So, yeah, it's going to be weird. So. So something to really keep in mind. This is not on my key dates outline, but something to keep in mind is we have the election in early November, which everyone should vote. Just putting that out there, please. Side note, side note, please vote early. Voting here actually starts next week. And I'm very excited. I'm going to vote first thing, get it over with, you know, cast my ballot, move forward. But where am I going with this? So we have to be sensitive about that election too, because, I mean, that's another series of text messages, emails and things I've been getting like, you know, it's just a lot. It's just a lot. And so this year in particular, it's kind of like you have to be extra thoughtful about your promotions. But typically I'd recommend, like, if you're wanting to do a promotion around the holiday season, I would not do it simply on those three days, Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, and Cyber Monday. I would extend it. I would give people either more time post that weekend to really, like, see the content. Maybe they catch a glimpse of it during that weekend, but then, you know, they get distracted or they aren't really in the mindset. But, you know, if you give them into the next week, they might have more time to think about it or think about doing it before that. Maybe like post election before Thanksgiving. Like, maybe that's the Sweet spot. Maybe that's when you run a promotion.
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B
Yeah. One more thing to consider in November. It's also Veterans Day, which is another really big sale weekend. And so it's like, where can you fit in where there's not a lot of noise. There's like one week in November where there aren't any like nationwide things happening. I think it's like the 18th is the week, so you might want to think about that.
- [07:26]
A
Yeah, that could be a week to do it. That is actually New York City Jewelry Week, which doesn't necessarily affect like the general consumers out there, but that's going to be. There's going to be a lot of stuff going on there in the jewelry industry. Another idea you could think about is like planning like maybe something for like more last minute shoppers in like early to mid December to do something. And that would be actually a really nice time to do maybe a gift with purchase.
- [07:50]
B
Yeah, I have some clients doing early Black Friday in October, which by the time this episode comes out, it might be too late to like plan for that. Maybe you could put something together but like, I don't know, tie it with Halloween. Amazon freaking does it right now, basically. Like they have their own Black Friday.
- [08:07]
A
Yeah, the prime days. I mean, that's a whole other thing to add into like, you know, people spending on prime days. Oh, it's a lot. It's a lot. But something I saw somewhat Gem Gossip, Danielle from Gem Gossip. I saw her and I've seen other brands do this too. Like if you have an engaged following, ask your customer what they'd prefer. Do they want a discount? She was asking if people wanted a straight percentage off or if they wanted a free charm. And then she showed them what the free charm with the purchase would be. Like a purchase over $500 or something like that. And she did a poll and I think that's a really fun way to do it because then you kind of have a better handle on like what your customer's looking for. You could even ask them like when they'd want a promotion to be happening.
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B
I like that. I think Maya did that. I don't know if she did it around Black Friday, but she recently did a similar poll, like asking her customers what they wanted.
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A
Yeah, I think that's good. And then if you are doing any kind of promotion, whenever you decide to do it, make sure you're promoting it. I think that's like a downfall of a lot of people's promotions. And we have a whole episode about this. But like you really want to make sure. Especially if you're deciding to do a Black Friday sale. Maybe that's what your customer wants. Maybe you've done it every single year forever. And it's like, you know, just part of your game plan. Make sure you're promoting it. Like, send more emails than you feel comfortable with. Put more Instagram posts up than you feel comfortable with. Because you need to make sure people know that it's happening.
- [09:33]
B
Make sure your website says it. Like, have a banner at the top. Give people, like, a heads up if this is your biggest sale of the year. Like, let them know so that they're not waiting for a better sale.
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A
Yes, that's such a good point. And also, like, that kind of brings up this other point of, like, with the customer experience. Like, make sure your website is prepped, like, smooth checkout, clear product info. Like, I think looking at your product pages. You said this to me too, Larissa. Like, looking at your product pages is one of the best things you can do.
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B
Yeah. Everyone's so focused on why isn't my Instagram converting? Why isn't my email converting? Well, actually, the thing that needs to convert is your product page.
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A
Yes. And also, like, having like, you know, customer support, having a hyperlinked in email address, like, if somebody has any questions, having, like, FAQs or having like, clear return policies, like, clear, like, you know, all of that information. The clearer you are, the easier it will be to make that sale.
- [10:33]
B
Yeah. You know, this is actually a really good use case for chat GPT because you can tell chat GPT, like, I want to be prepared for holiday sales. I'm trying to optimize my product page. Here are all the things I already have on my product page. And you can kind of describe it or you can just do a big copy paste and say, what am I potentially missing? And how can I make this better? And it will tell you.
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A
Yeah, that's great. That's helpful. Chat GPT can be helpful. It can be a tool.
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B
I mean, don't take it with a grain of salt, but it can give you some things that maybe you hadn't considered before.
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A
Definitely. Just make sure you edit or, like, look at it after. And don't just copy and paste. No, but circling back to, like, if you're thinking of a small business Saturday sale, it's such a good thing to, to think about because it kind of has more charm than like the big Black Friday. Like Black Friday. It's like when you know, if somebody's looking for like a drop, like A washer, dryer, like that's where they're looking for those deals sort of thing. But small business Saturday, it's kind of like looking more local. How can I support my local businesses? And like, let me tell you, small businesses, local businesses are just so important. And I think that, like people know that, but sometimes they need to be reminded of all you do for your community. Like that this, these sales are supporting your family. Like, share, like why you're passionate about what you're doing. I think that all could be like, important for a small business Saturday. You know, make sure you're sharing your stories with your customers, try to connect with them. It's also a good opportunity to cross, cross promote with other local businesses or other small businesses that make sense for you to connect with.
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B
Yeah, unfortunately, as a small business, you kind of have to work even harder to get in front of people because everyone, I don't know, I do it too. Like, your default is let me go look for that on Amazon or let me go like whatever your go to website for ordering stuff and you kind of forget about some of these other businesses unless they're like in your local community and you drive by them or like they are really good at marketing. You get an email from them like multiple times a week. You know, it's just easy to not think about those things.
- [12:49]
A
Yeah. And a lot, I find a lot of small businesses aren't telling their story. And I think that's part of it. You know, like, once people are really in your world, like my favorite small businesses, like, I pay very close attention to them, but they've gotten me to that point by sharing their story and me connecting with them and their product. So share your story to get people kind of like in your world. Like, invite them in, tell them what you're about.
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B
Absolutely.
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A
And then the last thing I'll say before we wrap this up is, you know, just, we've said this before, but we need to drive this point home. You need to have consistency across all of your platforms. You need to make sure if you're promoting any kind of promotion, if you have any kind of promotion going on, make sure that's on your website. So when people get to your homepage, they're not confused. They're like, oh, well, I saw this thing in this email and now I can't find it. Um, so make sure everything says the same thing. And also if you're promoting like a percent off, like, try to stay authentic to who you are as a brand and don't just like you know, say like, fifty percent off. Fifty percent off. Fifty percent off. Like, add more to it. Like, share again the story, you know, maybe why you're doing the promotion, why it's important. Like, tell the story of your product, your inspiration behind your design, and just more than just a discount.
- [14:09]
B
There's also logistical things about promotions that people don't always think through. So beyond just deciding, like, what the actual promotion is, then it's like, are you going to do a code or no code? What is the code? Like, what is the day and time it ends? Are you making that clear? Like, that's something a lot of people forget to say that when the sale actually ends, is there any other fine prints? Like, are you excluding certain products from the promotion? Is it only on certain promotions? And I think it's important, important to make all of this crystal clear, not only to, like, create urgency and make sure your customers know, but also it prevents, like, bad customer interactions because someone was confused or they thought a sale was this or that. So, yeah, that's always important as well.
- [14:57]
A
Yes, that's such a good point. Simple and straightforward and communicate it on all of your platforms.
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B
Yeah.
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A
All right, we want to know, are you thinking about doing a holiday promotion? Visit successwithjewelry.com and if you love the podcast, we'd love to hear from you. Send us a message or leave us a review. Thanks for being a part of our community.