← Success With Jewelry
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- [00:00]
A
Welcome to the Success With Jewelry Podcast. Your go to source for real conversations about business marketing and what it actually takes to succeed as a jewelry brand Today.
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I'm Larissa, the strategist, systems queen and the one who finds joy in turning big marketing challenges into step by step plans that actually work. Email marketing and generating revenue through it is the specialty of my agency, Joy
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A
Joya and I am Liz, your creative compass and advocate for designers doing things differently. I live for brilliant brand storytelling, beautiful visuals, and helping designers confidently show up and shine. I founded the Stay Gold Collective to create community and support for independent jewelry brands.
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Together, we bring you two decades of jewelry marketing experience and on this podcast, we're pulling back the curtain on everything we've learned. Whether you're just starting out or scaling to your next big milestone, you'll get honest insights, helpful tips, and maybe a few giggles along the way.
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A
This is episode 169. Mother's Day is one of the biggest jewelry holidays of the year. And the brands that win at it are the ones who plan ahead and speak to the emotion behind the purchase. Today, we're breaking down exactly how to market your jewelry for Mother's Day. From messaging to timing, to what actually converts and for insiders. Stay tuned. After the episode, we're digging deeper and sharing more ideas, including how we plan for the holiday. Let's get into it.
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B
Time to plan for Mother's Day, huh?
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A
Yeah, I mean, we are behind a little bit.
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B
I don't know.
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A
Yeah, but it is a big jewelry holiday, isn't it?
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B
For some of my clients, it's one of their biggest jewelry holidays. I mean, besides Black Friday. Lead up to that, I think it's another opportunity during the year to make a large number of sales. I mean, obviously it depends on your brand. I think one thing I've heard a lot is like, oh, I don't think Mother's Day is like right for my business. But maybe they've never really tried to do a real marketing push with an ample amount of lead up. And so how do you really know then?
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A
Yeah, if you haven't really tried it? And I think, I think a lot of brands kind of shy away from like going hard on a holiday. You know, you kind of hear that a lot with Valentine's Day too, which is another big jewelry holiday when people are really buying. And I think that there's this resistance to kind of leaning in. And it doesn't mean you have to do it the way that other big brands are doing it. You could do it in your own way as something to kind of keep in mind. You don't have to do it like everyone else.
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B
That's so true. And I know that from personal experience because most of our clients are doing Mother's Day promos or marketing, but we're approaching each one in a totally different way that is unique to the brand. So I know that that's really possible to do.
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A
I think when I think about Mother's Day promotions, I think about, like, K Jewelers, and I think it was Kay Jewelers, and I think it was like, last year or the year before, but they always kind of do some sort of marketing push. But it was like a kid talking about why they wanted to get their mom that, like, heart. That, like, you know, Kay Jeweler's heart necklace. And it was, you know, it was. It was fine. It was a fine campaign. But what I took away from that is, like, really them leaning into, like, the emotional side of it and the emotional side of why we wear jewelry and why we give jewelry. And until I became a mom, I didn't really understand, like, the significance of, like, you're wearing your kids birthstones or, like, I didn't think I'd be somebody who wanted to do that or like. Or things like that. But I am someone who wants to do that, so. So there is, like, a really emotional side to it that you can. You can talk about.
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B
I was randomly thinking about that yesterday, just in adornment in general, and how when you want to, like, identify with or commemorate something that you, like, keep with you on a daily basis, you kind of only have two options. Jewelry or, like, a tattoo, basically. So that's true. You could get your mom a tattoo or you could get her jewelry. Get her jewelry.
- [04:21]
A
And my mom would probably be only okay with jewelry. I don't think she would get a tattoo. But you're. You're totally right. And it's like, beyond just like, because I have a kid, I also think about. This is, like, a little morbid. I. But I think about my dogs and, like, after they pass, like, taking their fur and like, putting it in a locket or Rachel Quinn does, like, a little, like, orb where you can put. Where she'll put, like, ashes in it. And it's like a beautiful charm pendant. Anyway, I think about that too, like, wanting to commemorate. My dogs are very old. Otherwise I wouldn't be thinking about this.
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B
But Liz, you're so morbid.
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A
But how, like, in, like, you know, Victorian era and like, antique jewelry, like, morning jewelry was a total thing. This has Taken kind of a morbid turn talking about Mother's Day. But just like deeper meaning in jewelry is important. And it is, you know, a lot of the reason why people buy things is to tell their story and to hold a piece of something important with them.
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B
Definitely. And some types of jewelry, you don't have to know persons like size or, you know, preferences that would be limiting for giving other types of gifts. Like earrings if they have pierced ears fit everyone.
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A
You know, a pendant is always nice or like a, a charm that's meaningful. Those are really lovely gifts. And I think that's something that's a bit different about Mother's Day now or like kind of any jewelry buying holiday is that there are this, like, there are these self purchasers too. So I think in the past they've, you know, marketing's been targeted to like a partner buying something for, you know, person versus now. I think that Mother's Day is also an opportunity to just kind of showcase, you know, customizable pieces in your collection for those self purchasers, those moms who want to buy themselves something. I've bought myself a couple of aquamarine pieces because that's Milo's birthstone. And I have other ideas of jewelry that I'd like to own. But anyway, yeah, I've, I've bought it for myself. So that's someone that's like kind of something to think about too. So even though we're a few weeks away from Mother's Day and you might be thinking like, oh, well, all my audience is self purchasers, like, I don't think I have a partner coming in
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B
and buying a piece.
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A
Although you probably do have some of that. But you can think about how like the whole marketing campaign kind of is just telling the story and like highlighting these pieces in your collection that might be great gifts or meaningful pieces that someone could buy for themselves.
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B
Absolutely. Yeah. I like that, I like that take on it. And I think it's one that it's like forgotten. Is available to business owners to use.
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A
And I think like, with promotions in general around holidays, there is this kind of like, if you're like resistant to like, oh, I don't want to like lean too hard into this thing. Like one, it's a cool thing to try if you think you have that audience because it's an event to talk about. It's like a way to push sales in a way that's like aligned with like what people are thinking about. But it's also an opportunity to like, again, like highlight a portion of your Collection in a way that feels like, again, aligned with what people are thinking about. Mm.
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B
I was following.
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A
You know, it's like a lot of times designers are like, I don't know what to say, or I don't know what to promote, or like, I feel like I have nothing to say. Like, use this if you have a customizable piece that features birthstones or something that can be engraved or something that feels meaningful or lockets or things like that. Like, those are the perfect pieces to consider promoting. Now.
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B
I like that you said use this. Hallmark holidays are a thing for a reason because they give these like predictable touch points throughout the year for, like, businesses to be able to merchandise promote in a new way.
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A
Mm. So in terms of timing, I'd love for you to share how far in advance you typically start planning and like, but also like, when would you like, ideally start promoting?
- [08:42]
B
Yeah, I mean, ideally this is something maybe you start thinking about like around or after Valentine's Day. I think. I think actually this is like a good tip in general because a lot of the biggest selling holidays throughout the year are like kind of evenly spaced out. Not exactly, but like there are intervals of time and it's like, well, right after one ends, like start thinking already at that point about the next one. Like, for example, after Mother's Day, start thinking already about like any summer promotions, whether that's like a Fourth of July or other general like summer celebrations. So I think that can kind of help people get in the right mindset just about thinking ahead. But in terms of when to start promoting, I mean, I think that's a hard question to answer. Generally. I think it depends so much on like how you are going to approach it. Like what angle are you taking on it? Are you selling to a self purchaser who might be purchasing more like last minute, or are you selling to someone who's like planning a meaningful gift? So that depends so much on the timing. But I think one general broad takeaway for everyone is don't just say it once and expect something to come of that. You're gonna have to say it four, five, six times. And so what duration do you feel comfortable like saying that within? Do you want to say it like all within a few days? Do you want to spread that out over a couple weeks? I think right now, like, so when Liz and I are recording this, it's April 9th. We're not going full force with Mother's Day marketing right now with our clients, but. But we are starting to plant seeds in some of the communications that we're
- [10:53]
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doing
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even just talking about gifting, like, in general, like, kind of bringing up that gifting idea into the marketing so that when we do get closer, it's not like a shocking transition that we're going into.
- [11:10]
A
And I think something else to really think about is, do you have any deadlines? Like, are there deadlines if things minimized and things like that?
- [11:17]
B
Yeah, of course. Thank you for reminding me of that. That's something that's also another thing to just like, lean into. Honestly, it sounds kind of boring maybe to. To have to, like, do an email about your shipping downloading. But in a way, I think it's helpful because it gives you these markers of things and reasons that you need to be reaching out. So, like, use that to your advantage.
- [11:46]
A
Definitely. And like, giving that information is so helpful. And like, coming back to the idea that sales is a service, you are helping someone understand when they need to order by, if they're trying to give a gift. And that's really good information. And it does drive me nuts when I'm trying to find something on a website and I cannot figure it out. So having all the information present it and repeat it and somewhere somebody could go back to is really, really helpful.
- [12:15]
B
Yeah, like, my. I really like promoting the cutoff for, like, if you have free shipping up to a certain amount, but then after that, well, you're gonna have to pay express or whatever. Like, people don't like to pay for shipping, I feel, unless they absolutely have to. So that in itself is a really good motivator to get someone, like, shopping.
- [12:39]
A
Definitely. And so thinking about what products to feature or how to choose, or, like, are you with your clients putting together, like, little collections or talking through the products that make the most sense or just generally promoting their brands?
- [12:55]
B
Yes, again, it depends a lot on the brand and, like, what we're actually doing. But the client I have where Mother's Day is the biggest, most the biggest deal for them, we're. We're looking at sales data. I mean, we're seeing, like, what did sell in the past, what were the more popular categories or gifts. And we're just leaning into what had worked in the past. So they have tried and true bestsellers specifically for Mother's Day. And I've worked with this client now for two Mother's Day seasons, and we've had to keep it fresh too. Like, we can't just exactly repeat what we did last year. So even though the product mix might be similar, because they are the tried and true bestsellers, we're trying to think, well, what is a fresh, new way we can present this? Because a lot of their customer base is probably the same, and so we have to think of, like, new angles, even if it's the same product that we're talking about. Yeah.
- [14:03]
A
I think that it is nice to have the sales data and have done promotions, like, every year, but I think that sometimes brands get stuck in that kind of same storytelling year after year. So I. I like that you're saying, like, thinking about how to, like, freshen it up at that same time, though. Like, I love, like, a consistent kind of thing that people can come to expect. Like, for a while, Marla Aaron was giving away silver heart locks to single moms around this time of year, I believe. And I kind of loved that. That kind of tradition of that. And then there's this other brand, Ellie Lee, and she is doing, like, a little giveaway for Mother's Day that she kind of started promoting already, where she has these, like, sweet little seed packet charms. And she did the giveaway last year, too. And in. In promoting this current running giveaway, she was like, here's the winner from last year. And I thought that was really sweet.
- [14:59]
B
Yeah, consistency can work, too. Again, it's so. It's hard for me to give, like, do this. Yeah. Because it's so different for everyone, and you really have to find, like, your own footprint of how you want to approach it.
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A
We did a hot seat in the Stakewell Collective this week, and I used to do them all the time, and then I took a bit of a break. But, uh, it's where, like, a designer, like, shows their website or shows their Instagram, and we, like, all give feedback as a community, as a group. And I was just thinking as you were talking, I was like, we could bring people on here and talk specifically about their brand and their strategy.
- [15:42]
B
That could. That would be fun. People might be shy about it.
- [15:48]
A
Yeah. Um, it's a very vulnerable thing to do. Like, obviously, this is a podcast versus, like, a closed community, but it could be interesting because, you know, we're always giving out really general advice, of course, and, like, talking about experiences and things that have resonated and all of that. But, you know, when you're really talking through someone's challenges, it could be helpful. More specific.
- [16:11]
B
Absolutely. Yeah. Because it's so different. I mean, and to what I said, I'm talking about, you know, leveraging past sales data. But what if you've never done a Mother's Day push before? Like, you wouldn't have that so, like, that advice doesn't apply to you.
- [16:29]
A
Right. And, like, answer. I'm like, looking at some of these questions I wrote and thinking, like, if we're all kind of doing the same things, it's not going to resonate. You need to know your audience, you need to know your brand, and you need to know what really, like, touches them or connects with them.
- [16:46]
B
Yeah. And whether, for example, some brands do sales, some brands don't, some have some kind of, like, gift with purchase or giveaway, like what you're talking about. So it's really individual. But I think what applies to all is you can't just say it once and be like, oh, Mother's Day is coming. Buy something. And that's the whole thing. Like, that for sure is not good advice for any. Anyone.
- [17:16]
A
Yeah. And I think the other big takeaway from this is just like, to tap into the emotional side of jewelry just in an honest and authentic way. Like, maybe tell like, a personal story about pieces that you wear or tell, like, the story of why you designed a particular piece and, like, the meaning behind it. That goes a long way for when somebody's thinking about gift giving and gift giving in a way that's special, like,
- [17:40]
B
for mothers, because it also empowers the gift giver with a story that then they can share, like, whatever. Like, say you're buying a gift for your mom and you were moved by whatever story you saw on the website or on the Instagram. And then when you give the gift, you could be like, hey, mom, like, this is what it meant to me. Like, this is what I thought was cool about it. And now you're empowering someone to, like, feel good and happy and have a good memory. And that's like, you can't buy that. You know, I mean, you can buy it, but also it's kind of priceless.
- [18:24]
A
Yes, I completely agree. Any final thoughts about promoting for Mother's Day before we go talk to insiders?
- [18:32]
B
I think that you also need to take, like, a multi channel approach too. So in addition, I do, saying more than once, like, in your email, have a banner on your website, have like a collection or a gift guide on your website, talk about it on your Instagram. Like, it needs to also come in from different angles in terms of the marketing.
- [18:57]
A
I completely agree. You want it aligned across all of your channels.
- [19:01]
B
Yes, definitely.
- [19:03]
A
All right. Are you planning to promote your brand for Mother's Day? Let us know. Visit successwithjewelry.com and if you love the podcast, we'd love to hear from you. You send us a message or leave us a review. Thanks for being part of our community.