SPEAKER_00
Ready to break free from algorithms, vanity PR and money sucking ads? My name is Larissa Worstiek and I've learned in seven years of jewelry marketing that content is the crown jewel. My agency Joy Joya takes a holistic approach leading with laser focused storytelling, impactful content creation, and strategic content distribution. This method has worked for the solopreneur as well as the multi-million dollar company and now I'm sharing the same systems and tactics with you.

Here's to standing out in the sea of sparkle. Welcome to episode 251. It's the grand finale of the jewelry marketing jumpstart journey.

Can you believe it all started back with episode 225 in mid-January of this year? Time flies when we're having fun, right? But no worries, my gem loving friends. This podcast is not going anywhere. We're just wrapping up this one incredible chapter, the six month season of pure marketing magic.

So let's take a moment to walk down memory lane and do a quick recap of all the glittering gems we've uncovered together during the jewelry marketing jumpstart program. Hold on tight. In this episode, I've got a sparkling lineup of new content and adventures awaiting you.

I'll be spilling the diamonds on what's coming up next, so you won't want to miss that. And our regular fan favorite segments, the Dazzling case study, the gold mine, plus the hottest news articles in jewelry and marketing today, because staying in the loop is always a worthy goal. And I want you to remember that access to the free jewelry marketing jumpstart program is wrapping up Friday, August 4th.

Everyone who signs up before that ends will continue to have access to the PDF worksheet downloads. But once that date arrives, I'm closing off new signups. So if you want to sign up for that podcast guided program and get all the worksheets from the beginning of the year, visit joyjoya.

com slash jump while you still can. But before we get to the solid gold, I'd like to take a moment to remind you that this podcast has both audio and video, so you can either listen on your favorite podcast platform or watch on YouTube by searching Joy Joya. You can always support the podcast for free by taking the time not only to subscribe, but also to leave a rating and review on Apple podcasts.

I love to read reviews. They just give me so much insight into what you all are getting from the podcast. They motivate me to continue providing so much value to you, and they also remind me I'm not just talking into the void that there's actually people on the other side of this podcast.

Speaking of podcasts, did you know I also co-host another one with jewelry marketer Liz Cantner? It's called Success with Jewelry. We've already released 45 free episodes everywhere you listen to podcasts as well as on YouTube. And we also have an insider community where we share extended episodes, hands-on guidance, and a plethora of resources.

To learn more about that, visit successwithjewelry.com. Okay, my sparklers, let's get into the last episode for jewelry marketing jumpstart. Again, for everything from this year, you can sign up at joyjoya.

com slash jump. And as I mentioned, I'm closing signups on Friday, August 4th. So first I just want to recap what jewelry marketing jumpstart was all about and what my original purpose and goal was.

So the main reason why I wanted to launch this, and this was an idea I had back toward the end of 2022, like maybe in October and November when I first came up with this concept, I really decided that I wanted to share the joyjoya method or approach to jewelry marketing. So before this program started this year, if you were a listener or viewer of this podcast in 2022 or even before that, the format was like a mix of interviews with people from the jewelry industry with other marketing experts, as well as me, interspersed with those interviews covering a lot of different topics in jewelry marketing. But honestly, even though I did like that format, it didn't feel quite cohesive to me.

I felt it didn't fully represent what I wanted to share with you. And I needed to kind of rethink my intention and come into 2023 with like a new version of the podcast. I know it was probably entertaining the interviews, I'm sure were helpful.

But again, I think it lacked that constructive and positive impact that I had in mind. And also over that time, especially through 2022, I've been working with clients and realized that even with joyjoya, with my agency, me and my team have developed a more universal process to help clients level up marketing. And even though each client is so different, I began to realize that there really is a process that we follow.

There are a lot of principles and activities and tasks that we do for each client. So I thought, hey, why not kind of guide all of you, sparklers who listen to this podcast, through that same valuable approach, and also as just a challenging exercise for me to think through how I could adapt that work I do with clients and make it DIY-able, basically. And I did also have another realization.

It hit me at some point in 2022 that, hey, this is my space. This is a platform that I've built. I take it really seriously.

I put a lot of time and thought into it. So I wanted to be way more intentional about what I put out there in the world for the jewelry industry. Hosting and producing this podcast is no small feat.

Of course, I have a team helping me on the client side with client work and I work with people in my business. But when it comes to this podcast, it's pretty much all me. I handle everything on my own from planning, idea generating, researching, scripting, hosting, uploading, promoting, all the things.

I have to say my fiance, Jordan, helps by editing audio and video. But besides that, it's all me. And with all of that stuff happening, that amounts to five to six hours a week that I'm putting into the podcast.

And you know what? When you're putting that much time into something on top of already the full-time business that you're running, I need to love it. It needs to be meaningful for me. It needs to be fully aligned.

I'm super passionate, as you can tell, about delivering the content, about educating you. And so Jewelry Marketing Jumpstart was a way for me to retake ownership of the concept and make it speak to what I really want to be communicating. So whether you've been following along since January or even before that or whether you're new to the podcast, I really think we've had an amazing journey from January to now.

It's kind of like a roller coaster ride through all the essential steps to set a rock solid foundation for jewelry marketing success. We kicked off this adventure in January by building a dazzling brand identity, honing our storytelling skills. From there, we went deep into the powerful realm of content marketing, both what it is and how to harness its magic.

Next we explored audience personas and competitive analysis, and hopefully you all learned that understanding your audience, keeping a close eye on the competition, are both game changers in this glittering world. But we did not stop there. We ventured into the realm of metrics and goal setting, both super vital elements to measure and achieve your marketing dreams.

We unleashed the secrets of crafting an effective content plan, and we also got into SEO, which I have to admit is a topic that is very hard to distill to beginners. But I think my goal was to frame it for you in the lens of content. So we learned about SEO.

We also learned about content distribution through social media and through email. I told you it was a wild ride, and I hope my hope is that you've been following along and learning a lot, or at least digesting as much as you can as we go. I would say it was a transformative journey, and I hope that you're all able to carry your newfound insights into the future of your jewelry business.

Also the feedback for the program has been super heartwarming. Heartwarming. And encouraging to me.

You wouldn't believe the flood of positivity that I've gotten through Instagram, DMs, personal emails, and even real life chats that I have with people. And I'm so grateful for that support and feedback and love. I would say one of the most rewarding parts of having this podcast, and especially about doing this program, is hearing people are actually following along, but also that they are deciding to take this journey at their own pace.

So I don't expect everyone to keep up with my weekly pace. That's just the cadence that I've decided I want for the podcast. But I know that life is busy.

So I like hearing that people catch up on the content when they can, or even make a note to revisit it when it makes more sense for them. And I wish for each of you, even if you haven't been following along with the jewelry marketing jumpstart program, that if you sign up, you'll still have access to those worksheets. Work on them when you have time.

Maybe summer is a better time for you. You have more space to think. You're gearing up toward holiday planning.

Those gems of knowledge will continue to be relevant. They're not just for January through July. So reflecting on my own over the past six months, I was really curious to know what were some of the most popular episodes of the jewelry marketing jumpstart program.

And it kind of caught me off guard. I was definitely in for a surprise when I looked at the metrics. On YouTube, the crowned gem was none other than a beginner's guide to SEO for jewelry marketing content, and yes, it seems like SEO still remains a mysterious quest for many out there.

It's a topic that a lot of people are curious about. I feel like it's shrouded in mystery in a way. So hopefully that illuminated it a little bit for you.

And then on the audio side, the sparkling winner was episode 227, which was be a better storyteller for your jewelry business. And I mean, that part doesn't surprise me. I think storytelling, especially since the jewelry industry is so rooted in emotion and in story, while there's so much opportunity there to tell a story in some ways, I think that makes it more difficult because it's like, where do you begin? And how do you really differentiate yourself in the marketplace? So that was definitely a popular episode that I hope you revisit and take some of the advice to heart.

And if those two topics struck a chord with you, then I am thrilled to hear that. I love shedding light on these more tricky subjects and try to make them accessible even for a beginner jewelry business owner. And then of course, I just had to personally reflect on the past six months.

And for that, I want to tell you something about commitment. For people that know me, I am, they would know that I am 100% all in when I say I'm going to do something, I see through it to the end. That's probably the tourists in me.

I'm extremely stubborn about being committed to things. I would say, except for those rare times, if I'm sick, then okay, there's nothing I can do about that. Actually when I planned, when I originally planned the schedule for the Jumpstart program, the whole thing was shifted a week earlier and was starting in, was scheduled to end sooner, but I actually got COVID.

So those plans at the beginning of the year had to be put on hold for a week and messed up my schedule. But overall, I did the calculations. It was 28 weeks staying committed to this one theme of a plan that I had devised like back in December.

It is not a walk in the park to stick to a theme. This was something I talked about in the previous episode that marketing can be super effective when you commit to something, when you really see a theme through to the end. I was not under any illusions that this would be easy, but I think when you are committing to something in your own business, whether it's a theme or a message, whatever that is, you have to work even harder to set yourself up for success.

And that is more around planning than the actual execution. I think the hard part was not recording every week. The hard part was being one step ahead of the game and anticipating challenges I might have maybe unanticipated edits to the schedule, how would I deal with those things? How could I get myself ahead of the calendar? So it's more about being prepared than about actually sitting down and doing it, even though that's important too.

So staying ahead of the game for me, that was my best tool. I could then avoid that annoying feeling of scrambling last minute. And I think in business, especially in marketing, you have to give yourself gifts.

You have to think about how your future self is going to feel about committing to something in your business and then make things easier for yourself so that you can be prepared, so that things are less stressful, so that you don't have to figure things out at the last minute. You really need to set yourself up for success. And that's one thing I definitely learned from doing the program.

Now I want to tease some really exciting plans and changes for the upcoming, I guess you could say season of the podcast. This is something I'm super excited about and I hope you are too. So on Sunday, August 6th, with the episode that comes out on that day, we're kicking off the first episode of the new format of the podcast.

And I think this is going to be a really captivating and unique journey. So here's the deal. You may have heard, I selected a fantastic jewelry brand to be the recipient of the Joy Joy jewelry marketing grant.

I know you're curious who that is, but no peeking just yet. I'll be revealing the brand's identity during that first episode. So definitely mark your calendars for that.

However, I have already started working with this brand. We've already been actually recording episodes. And I think this is going to be a ride that you won't want to miss.

So for the next six months, we'll all be following this jewelry brand on their marketing journey from where they are right now to where Joy Joya is hoping to take them through January of next year. And along the way, you'll also get this inside look at the process, at the insights, at how we support this brand on how we're going to transform things. So you're going to kind of get like a peek behind the curtain.

I'm beyond thrilled for this adventure. I just know you're going to love it too. So clear your schedule and join me and this brand on a journey starting August 6th.

And lastly, before we get into the case study, I just really want to express my gratitude to you all, my sparklers. As I reflect on jewelry marketing jumpstart, my heart really overflows with so much gratitude for each and every one of you, your unwavering support, your enthusiasm, your dedication. All of those things make this journey more meaningful for me.

And they also inspire me to keep going, to try new things, and because of your presence and engagement, I would say that has helped this podcast flourish. So we're all in it together. We're diving into the intricate world of jewelry marketing.

We're uncovering those sparkling insights. We're demystifying the challenges. And I'm just so grateful that you put trust in me to be your marketing guide.

That's it for now. Go to JoyJoya.com slash jump to get all 26 worksheets from this year.

Remember you can only sign up until Friday, August 4th, and then access will be closed. So today's case study is about Claire's, the mall jewelry brand that everyone knows for piercing basically. And I saw an article about them that said they're introducing a new image and attitude for their industry leading piercing business.

So I think sometimes as a brand, you really have to go back to your roots. And as I talk about so much on this podcast, leaning to what your customers know and love best about you rather than into some agenda that you're trying to push on them. And I think that the former, the leaning in, is exactly what Claire's is doing with this refresh.

This new approach. So you probably know they're a well established global fashion and accessories brand known for ear piercing. They are reinventing their piercing division with the re with the introduction of pierced by Claire's.

So this relaunch aims to rejuvenate the brand's piercing identity with a fresh and vibrant outlook, appealing to both existing and new generations. The CEO Ryan Varro says the piercing service has always facilitated a deep connection with customers and the new pierced by Claire's rebrand will fortify this bond that they have with customers. So this includes a new modern logo, vibrant, vibrant branding, and even a digital character named Pierce who brings life to this joy of the experience of getting pierced and shopping at Claire's.

And then in an effort to further entice customers, Claire's is launching a free earrings for a year campaign for those who choose to get pierced at the stores. Alongside this, there's also like the experiential aspect of it. So they're really encouraging customers to express themselves.

They have this thing called an ear print feature, which allows customers to design their unique ear style and that in that way they are empowering individuals to celebrate their uniqueness. Also even with the piercing specialists, they're having new attire, they're hosting pop up piercing events, there's going to be new merchandise in stores. And this is definitely a way to appeal to Gen Z and the launch comes very strategically as back to school season is coming.

I would say the key takeaway for jewelry business owners like you is that the brand's really creative approach in reinventing a traditional service that they've been known for for many years with the integrated marketing strategies, with the engaging digital platforms really presents a way to capture attention for current customers who already know about the piercing and potential customers who've maybe been looking for a place to get pierced. I think this approach could really serve as a model for how jewelry businesses can reimagine their offerings in a way that resonates with younger digitally inclined audiences. What do you think about that? Did you ever get an ear piercing at Claire's? Side note, I did read the FAQs on the Claire Piercing website and they're still using the same single cartridge process, which is interesting to me because I think that's one thing that has turned people away from getting pierced at Claire's as opposed to a place that uses like needles, but that's a whole other conversation.

It all just has a new look, right? Let me know in a podcast review or YouTube comment. Okay, let's get into the gold mine. If you're new to this podcast, the gold mine is a segment where I get a little more personal and talk in a more intimate way about topics like mindset, success, entrepreneurship, etc.

So for today's gold mine segment, I actually have a question for you. When's the last time you ran an experiment in your jewelry business? And the reason I'm bringing this up is because I want to, as a marketer, give a reminder that experiments are not just for scientists. They're not just reserved for the lab.

They're definitely vital for our businesses as well, especially in the dynamic world of jewelry, of e-commerce, of retail. Growth and innovation come from daring to try something different. And just, I mean, everything I've talked about in this episode, looking back on my own journey, the jewelry marketing jumpstart that I recently wrapped, that was for me a huge experiment.

I had this seat of an idea. It was a complete departure from my previous format. My idea was to share useful resources alongside the podcast.

I definitely did not have a perfect vision. I kind of just jumped in with the best plan that I could come up with knowing what I knew at the time. And the thrill of the unknown made it exciting.

It reinvigorated the passion that I have for the podcast and for sharing helpful information. And what it also gave me, apart from a fresh direction for my business and marketing, was, and this is the most important part for you all, a better understanding of my listeners and viewers. And also giving you new ways to get involved so I can see what really resonates with you.

And that's why experimentation is so important with you. It gives you new opportunities to connect with your customers, to see them, to hear them in a new way, and to understand what resonates with them. And now I'm gearing up for another experiment where I'm going to be doing the inside scoop on my marketing work with the jewelry brand that won the grant.

Again, totally uncharted waters. I've never come across another podcast with this format before, but that's the fun part. That is what is going to help me better understand you all and what resonates with you or doesn't resonate with you.

So why am I sharing all of this? I promise there's a point. I want to get you thinking about your own experiments in your business. Maybe it's shaking up your marketing strategy, posting new types of content on Instagram, adding new forms of storytelling to your website, embarking on a unique campaign.

Every experiment that you do is a step toward understanding your business and your customers better. But I do want to be clear. Taking an experiment doesn't mean just taking a blind leap off of a cliff.

There's often a misconception that trying new things in business equates to wild, uncontrolled risk. And I think that's why people are hesitant to do it. But we are not talking about wild, uncontrolled risk here.

In science, an experiment is conducted in a really controlled environment. It's carefully controlled. It involves thoughtful planning, calculated risks, a clear intention of what is hoping to be achieved or learned.

So think of an experiment more as a guided journey into the unknown rather than a total freefall. It's like crossing a river, but then you have stepping stones. So you're not just trudging through the water or putting yourself in danger.

You may not be entirely sure of how things are going to turn out or even how the experiment will unfold. But the intent and the control and the plan should kind of give you comfort that you are moving in a direction that makes sense with a goal behind it so that you can innovate and learn something new. I'm sure you know the jewelry industry is always changing and evolving.

So we all need to be out there trying new things, understanding the changes, making them work for us. So I would like to encourage you to step out of your comfort zone, embrace the unknown, try an experiment, set a goal to try an experiment, and then see the experiment not as a potential way to fail or to not get what you want but actually as an opportunity to learn and grow. What do you think about that? Does it resonate with you? Let me know in a YouTube comment or podcast review.

I'd love to know your thoughts. Okay, let's get into the news roundup where I share three relevant articles related to jewelry or marketing. The first one comes from social media today and it's called Instagram ads improved reels template option to provide creative inspiration.

So this is kind of exciting. I know Instagram is always launching new things, but they are providing users with an improved template browser process for reels, which will really allow users like you to search reels templates and you can do that in categories like recommended, trending, and anything you've previously saved. And for reels, this will really centralize the use of templates and encourage you to participate in key trends and formats and also just make the process of creating reels a lot easier.

Instagram also plans to enhance the template editing process with new elements to streamline the creation flow and those updates would be automatic edition of audio, clip numbers, clip duration, other effects and texts. And despite some automated features, all the templates will be fully customizable. So you will have the power to kind of make them work for your business.

Of course, despite the ease and convenience of templates, Instagram is still encouraging users to consider their own unique approaches and formats so that they can stand out and quickly grab attention. At the end of the day, it's all about engagement. So my main takeaway is while templates are helpful for quick ideas, innovating and finding new angles related to your product, it's really important to use these templates as a tool to make them work for your business rather than just blindly following trends.

The next article comes from Retail Dive and it's called Zales Rocks Box Partner on Jewelery Rental. So Signet Jewelers, which owns Zales, they launched a new fine jewelry rental program called Zales Rocks Box Fine Jewelery Rental Program because they also own Rocks Box, which originally started as a rental program. So this new offering provides affordable fine jewelry options for special occasions and weddings and it's available by appointment at select sale stores and 50 markets so shoppers can browse an assortment of jewelry online ahead of their appointment through a digital lookbook and then come to the store prepared to make their rental selections guided by a sales associate.

This partnership is a first for Signet and as part of the company's strategy to evolve personalized shopping experiences for its customers while also expanding its offerings beyond traditional mall based stores. So my main takeaway from this news is that for small business owners in the jewelry industry to just be aware of this increasing shift toward rental models and how that impacts a business's I guess presence and popularity with customers, I would say Signet Jewelers strategy of launching a jewelry rental program and acquiring digital platforms definitely signals this changing landscape in the industry and it suggests that maybe exploring thinking about being aware of these like non-traditional ways of purchasing, of renting, of interacting with jewelry, just knowing about them and thinking through your own method of talking to customers, of having relationships with customers could help stay competitive and appeal to these evolving consumer preferences. And then the last article comes from GQ and it's called Can Mystery Boxes Save Fashion Retail.

So okay, this article is about a fashion brand, so it's not directly about jewelry, but it does introduce a concept that may be jewelry, may be interesting to jewelry businesses. So Essex and that's spelled E-S-S-X is a new 7,000 square foot fashion boutique in New York's Lower East Side. It's aiming to break into the market for advanced contemporary designer goods.

They're planning to differentiate themselves by the concept of mystery boxes, which you may have heard of before. They're basically packages of overstock and end of season designer goods and then they're sold at a discount. These boxes could potentially have a value of up to $1,000, but they're sold for say like $398.

So the reason they're doing this is to avoid having a sale section, which we know for like luxury retail, not so desirable, kind of devalues the brand image. So instead, Essex is selling these boxes tailored to customer sizes and brand preferences whenever they want to start seasonal markdowns. So this approach is aiming to maintain focus on the latest collections like, look, here's the full price stuff.

Don't focus on the sale stuff, but also we still need to like move inventory. So this is kind of their solution to that. And just to give you an idea, this store definitely stocks a unique mix of emerging labels alongside established luxury brands, so they are appealing to a more affluent high-end customer.

And the main takeaway I have is this strategy offers a unique solution to managing overstock or end of season goods. It provides an alternative to traditional sales that may compromise the perceived value of the items. And maybe, again, I'm not saying go do this for your brand, but thinking about ways to solve problems, to appeal to customer preferences and needs in unique and innovative ways while managing your inventory effectively could be worth considering.

Always worth thinking outside the box. All right, that's all I got for you today. Did you have any questions about jewelry marketing jumpstart? You can always email me, Larissa, that's L-A-R-Y-S-S-A at JoyJoya.

com. If you love this podcast, please share it with a friend who'd appreciate it. And don't forget to subscribe as well as leave a review on Apple podcasts.

If you're completely new to digital marketing, then you'll want to purchase and read a copy of my book Jewelry Marketing Joy. Visit joyjoya.com slash book for more information.