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Success With Jewelry
108 - Laryssa and Liz Chat About The Importance of Planning
00:14:45
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 #108. We're discussing the importance of planning and tips for...
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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.
- [00:10]
B
We're Larissa and Liz, jewelry marketing experts with the combined 16 years of experience in jewelry marketing and proven track records and 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.
- [00:29]
A
Welcome to episode 108. Today we're going to discuss the importance of planning and tips for effectively doing it. Stick around for the bonus content where we'll share some challenges designers face when planning and how to overcome them. Hey, Larissa, let's get into it.
- [00:46]
B
Oh, it's our favorite topic.
- [00:48]
A
It's our favorite topic. I know this is something that I've been hearing from designers. I do quarterly chats with Stay Gold members, and I just keep hearing, like, oh, I want to plan, but I'm not planning or I'm struggling to plan. And I think that it's just such an important thing for designers to prioritize.
- [01:07]
B
Yeah. And before we start recording, we're talking about. Okay, this episode's coming out. What did we say December? I don't remember.
- [01:15]
A
I don't remember either. Like, the last. Either right before Thanksgiving or December. Yes.
- [01:21]
B
Okay. Regardless, January will be here so soon. And I was just talking about on one of my podcast episodes recently, I kind of check out, like, in December. I mean, I'm still doing client work, we're still plugging away, but I'm, like, in holiday mode. I don't want to think about January. And so if I don't start thinking about it now, November, whatever, January is going to come and I'm not going to have a clue what's going on.
- [01:50]
A
Yes. And that is the tricky thing about having Q4 being, like, one of the busiest times of the year because, like, it really does, like, you kind of, like, feel catapulted into the new year, and that's challenging. Which, by the way, this is, like, totally off topic, but is it too early to put up a Christmas tree or holiday decoration?
- [02:12]
B
One of my team members, she November 1st, she came in to our slack and was like, merry Christmas. Because she just loves Christmas. She starts. She's decorating, and it's kind of fun to have that, like, energy in the virtual room.
- [02:29]
A
That is fun. I might put up my tree this weekend just because, I mean, Thanksgiving is so late this year, which I think is challenging for, like, everyone who's, like, waiting for that Black Friday sale or waiting till after that, or, you know, figuring out how to promote this time of year. But anyway, I think I might put it up early just because, you know, if you wait till after Thanksgiving, then you only have, like, 30 days of holiday cheer.
- [02:53]
B
Totally. It's getting chilly out, too. Well, you said it was, like, 80 degrees by.
- [02:58]
A
I know. Halloween was, like, people were wearing tank.
- [03:01]
B
Tops, so we got way off topic. But basically, we should always be thinking ahead.
- [03:10]
A
Yes, we should. And, you know, we'll get into kind of what challenges designers were sharing that, like, you know, they're facing when it comes to planning. But I think one of them, you know, is balancing it. Balancing planning ahead with, like, doing the things in the now. But the thing is about planning is that the more you plan ahead, the less you'll be doing those things in tandem. Right. So if you had planned your holiday content kind of when we first started talking about it or earlier this year, then you wouldn't be in the zone of, like, okay, well, I have to do these things and plan for next year. You'll have had it planned already, the email scheduled, the post written, and then you could be planning for the new year on top of, like, you know, all the other to dos that you have right now, rather than, like, planning in the moment, planning ahead, and doing all the to dos on your list.
- [04:03]
B
Yes, that's been coming up a lot in client meetings with us. I mean, our biggest goal on our end is to try to get people, like, set for holiday back in, like, September. As you can imagine, that did not happen for pretty much everyone. But it came up on a client meeting, like, a week or two ago where we got into January, and I was like, yes, this is where we should be right now. We should not be talking about November right now.
- [04:34]
A
Definitely. I, you know, I think it's easier when you're a marketing department in a company, because I've been that before, and we were always, like, planning ahead for the new year in, like, October. And, you know, all of the, like, holiday stuff was already planned. And I think that it's hard when you're, like, wearing all of the hats. I think that that's where it gets really challenging. Like, you're doing all of the things and you have to, like, plan ahead. I think it's also hard to, like, prioritize. And we've talked about this before, like, working on your business versus in your business and, like, taking that time to step back and think more big picture. Um, so why is planning important a Couple reasons, and I think you know these things, but let's just outline them real quick. One is it will save you time in the long run. Even though it feels like a heavy lift up front, once you do it, it will save you so much time. It also ensures a very cohesive message, and it helps you stay consistent, which is how you're going to break through all that noise out there.
- [05:29]
B
It helps you be more creative, too, because when you have Runway, you can have a little bit more fun. You can try something new. You can implement something you haven't tried before. That's just not possible when you're doing stuff last minute.
- [05:42]
A
Definitely. So a few tips to help you with this is, like, the first thing is, like, always get clear on your goals and your messaging. The clearer you are on those things, the easier everything else will be. And I know we've said this a hundred times before, but, like, I feel like the more we say it, the more likely it is to stick into everyone's brain. But get clear on your goals and your messaging. Also, this is a quote I saw on Instagram recently that I really liked. People connect with the what when they know the why. So if you are clear on your why and you're sharing that right. How good is that quote? It's so good when you know your why and are super clear on it and sharing it consistently. Other people are people out there. Your audience, your. Your. Your fans. They're going to want to purchase your product.
- [06:34]
B
I love that we need an Instagram post about that.
- [06:38]
A
We do. I have to find the credit. I have it saved, but we'll share it on Instagram and I'll credit where I heard that.
- [06:45]
B
One thing I want to add to that, too. It kind of ties into what you just said, but getting clear also on the experience that you want your customers to have. Like, how do you want them to feel? What do you want them to think when they, like, engage with you? And that will also help guide everything you do.
- [07:06]
A
That is so true.
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B
I just.
- [07:07]
A
We just did a great chat with Becky from the Pers, the blogger behind Diamonds in the Library in Stay Gold Collective, and we were talking about copywriting, and she was like, get really clear on, like, the feeling you want your brand to have. Like, the feeling how you want people to feel when they read your writing. And I thought that was really interesting. And it aligns exactly with what you said. Like, how you want people to feel when they're engaging with your brand.
- [07:33]
B
Yeah. Do you want them to have fun? Do you want them to feel aspirational. I don't know. There's so many ways people can feel. Probably not sad. You don't. Probably don't want people to feel sad, though.
- [07:47]
A
No, definitely not. Also, I think that, I mean, I find the easiest way for me to plan for both myself and my clients. And, like, I don't know how people do it otherwise, but think big picture first and like, big picture general bullet points. I think that I. I would guess where people get stopped up. Although this is not something I listed to chat about in the bonus episode. But I guess where people get stopped up is like, oh, I have to plan, you know, my first quarter for next year. Oh, my gosh, I'm paralyzed with fear. I don't know where to start kind of thing. But if you get a blank piece of paper or an open Google Doc and you just start writing bullet points, here's what I want to focus on in January. Here's what I want to focus on in February. Here's what I want to focus on in March. And then drill down from. It becomes much, much simpler.
- [08:33]
B
Even if you use, like, key dates and holidays, like, let's say you're like, I don't know anything about January, but maybe you want to do something for Valentine's Day. You can even just work backwards from there. I mean, giving yourself a month plus of Runway to work up to that is not the worst thing ever.
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A
Right. And then, like, there's also so many things that you can talk about in January, like New Year, new jewels, you know?
- [08:58]
B
Yeah.
- [08:58]
A
Like, if you do any kind of, like, repurposing of people's, like, old jewelry, like, you know, now's a great time to, like, go in your jewelry box and, like, find pieces you want to redesign. Make sure you wear them. Like, that's a good time to, like, refresh. Refresh your jewelry box.
- [09:14]
B
Refresh. Didn't get what you wanted for the holidays winter style. You got cabin fever. Like, there's so many fun things in January.
- [09:27]
A
Yeah. So just like, having those little, like, brainstorms, like, with just like, generally for each month, and then you can get really specific from there. I think another thing that is tough and I find this about myself, like, working for myself alone in my office and, like, only my dogs to talk to is that, like, you can't have this kind of brainstorm sesh. So, you know, write. Write some ideas. And always feel free to, like, shoot us a DM and say, like, here are some ideas for my post. What do you think? I'm always Excited to do that.
- [09:57]
B
Yeah, we're happy to brainstorm. I'm not gonna lie. I use chat GPT for brainstorm too. It's kind of good to just bounce ideas off of and you can refine the conversation as you go. Like, it'll give you some crappy ideas and you'll say, well, I kind of like this one. Can we work with that? And then you go back and forth with it. Yeah.
- [10:17]
A
Also think about, like, what people are talking about. Like, out in, you know, out in the world. Like at preschool drop off today, a mom was telling me, like, I can't believe it's November. And I'm like, I feel like everybody's kind of been saying that to me. But it's like, I wonder if there's like, content idea there. You know, like, think about, you know, what people out in your community are, are talking about. Or like, go have lunch with a friend and like, you know, brainstorm with them and, like, see if there's other people you can chat with.
- [10:46]
B
A lot of people go skiing. There's like opera, ski chic. You know, I'm also looking. Are there any, like, awards shows in January? Golden Globes? I think I'm like, googling it right now.
- [10:59]
A
Yeah. Like, you can put all this stuff on this, like, big brainstorm, like, big picture document and think about what fits with your brand, what aligns with your brand, and. And go from there so you're not like, caught up, like, last minute, like, oh, I forgot the Golden Globes are this weekend. And I have these great earrings that I want to promote as, like, red carpet style.
- [11:17]
B
Yeah. And again, it's not going to be for everyone. Pick what works for you and your customers.
- [11:26]
A
And then I think another thing that's, like, really important to do this time of year, especially as you, like, go to apply for shows again or like, think about, like, having to get things on the books is to look at what worked best for you last year. Like, especially when it comes to events, but also when it comes to content or it comes to, like, you know, emails that you sent that really worked for you. Like, that's why it's so important to report and analyze those reports. But you want to keep leaning into what you see is working.
- [11:56]
B
We do that so much with clients that I've had for more than a year so that we actually have, like, a record. Anytime we're in meetings, we have alongside whatever time of year it is. We look at last year, like, in the meeting, so we can compare. We can also reflect on what Happened last year. Maybe we just do the same thing because it was great. Why reinvent the wheel, you know, so you could save yourself time in that way. Also, I.
- [12:24]
A
When I first started working, you know, like a working career, my mom used to say to me, like, oh, like, jobs always get easier once you anniversary yourself. And I find it's the same thing, like working for myself, like, you know, I started reporting on my own business like two years ago, and like, once I had that full year report, and I'm about to have two years of reporting come this January, it's like, that feels so good because you have something really to look back on. And same with, like, planning and like, you know, if you're just starting your business out and you're like, oh, I'm like, just kind of like, you know, trying to figure out structure at this point. Like, once you anniversary yourself on doing whatever that consistent thing is, like when it comes to planning that you're doing, feel so much better. And you just have to start.
- [13:10]
B
Yeah, every business has cycles, too. The economy cycles, the seasons cycle. Like the year has its own cycles. If you're in your first year of business, everything's going to be kind of scary because you'll never have seen it before. But after year one, year two, year three, all of a sudden you're like, oh, yeah, I got this. This is just a pattern that happens. I'm not worried. Like, it just goes up and down. I.
- [13:39]
A
Yes. And when you do own your own business, you have to create some of that structure. You have to create some of those things that you analyze and look at, and some of those, you know, you have to put on your calendar when you want to sit down and plan and do those, like, you know, marketing meetings. And that feels weird, but once you, like, put that on your calendar or decide what you're going to be doing and like, create structure for yourself, it does become easier.
- [14:08]
B
That's a great use case for like, an accountability buddy, if you can find one. Even in your local community. They don't have to be a jewelry business, but maybe you guys meet once a month and just they want to share some wins, some insights, and that kind of helps keep you on track and makes you feel less alone, too.
- [14:31]
A
So we want to know, do you struggle with planning? 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 the Success with Jewelry community.