SPEAKER_01
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 273. In this episode, I want to discuss effective email marketing design strategies tailored specifically for jewelry brands.
When we hear the word graphic design or the design aspect of digital materials, it's really common for most people to associate that with aesthetics and making things look pretty. But here's the thing you have to kind of shift in your thinking about graphic design when it's in the context of email marketing. In email marketing, the design is less about making the email look pretty and more about designing it in a way that ensures successful email delivery, along with clear and swift keyword, swift, very fast, very quick presentation of the essential information.
The primary goal with email marketing design is not only to secure your place in the recipients inbox, but also to effectively communicate all the crucial details. According to a 2022 study by Litmus, the average time people spend on an email is just nine seconds. And actually, 30% of people who look at emails look at them for less than two seconds.
So knowing that information, in essence, your email design needs to make a significant impact within the first two seconds of viewing. Later in this episode, I'll also be chatting with Hillary from Hillary Fink Jewelry, who we've been spotlighting as a jewelry brand case study. This is actually our last episode with Hillary as a guest.
If you've enjoyed hearing the interviews from Hillary and would like more designer interviews in the future, let me know in a YouTube comment or a podcast review. And if you're new to this series with Hillary and you haven't been following along, I suggest going back to episode 252 so that you can hear her journey from the beginning. But before we get into that conversation, I want to discuss the constraints of email marketing design and explain why it's not really feasible or advisable to treat your emails as pieces of art.
Also, I'll delve into the current best practices for email marketing design in 2024 and other topics related to the look of your email marketing campaigns. 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 support the podcast for free by taking the time not only to subscribe, but also to leave a rating and review on Apple Podcasts.
It is the last call for applying to Joy Joya's 2024 name your price, Emerging Jewelry Brand Incubator. So if you're an emerging independent jewelry brand looking for that strategic digital marketing support, but you're worried you cannot fit that into your marketing budget right now, this may be the opportunity for you. Just 10 brands will have this chance to name their price.
For professional marketing services from Joy Joya, we're determined to make marketing support more accessible. There's no catch. This is a real thing.
If you want to get all the information and find the application, visit jewelrybrandincubator.com. That links in the show notes as well. But act quickly because from the day that this episode goes live, there will only be a few more days left to apply.
Applications close Wednesday, January 31st. Okay, let's get into today's episode, My Sparklers. This one's all about email marketing design to ensure your emails get delivered, opened, and clicked on.
Notice that I said clicked on instead of red because you don't actually want people to read your email campaigns. The email should really be scannable and interesting enough to peak someone's curiosity so that ultimately they click through to your website where they can look at your products, add them to their carts, and make a purchase. So first things first, I want to cover the constraints of email marketing design.
So you can really understand that an email marketing campaign is not the same as like a blank canvas. You can't really just unleash all your creativity on it. There are certain constraints and boundaries within which you have to work.
And I've spoken to some jewelry entrepreneurs who really get frustrated because they want their emails to look as beautiful and stylish as other elements of their brand, like their e-commerce website, their packaging, or their social media feeds and photography. And I totally get that. I'm all about making your brand look as good as possible.
But the reality is that making beautiful emails is actually going to backfire on you. So you have to keep that at the forefront of your mind. And here is why these are two things you need to know if you're sending email marketing campaigns in 2024.
Remember these two things. OK, number one, not all email inboxes are created equal. And number two, the recipients are viewing your email on many different kinds of devices and browsers.
So you have a lot of things working against your favor. All of these unknown variables in regard to who's viewing your email makes creating an email that looks universally good, very challenging. So even though something might look beautiful to you on your screen when you are making it in your email provider, it can actually look like a complete mess and or not even load correctly on another person's device.
So all your efforts in making a beautiful design will unfortunately be wasted. And you have to kind of just assume that's going to happen again, because there are so many unknown variables. The other thing is with the different email clients and settings that can really impact how your emails are seen and perceived by your subscribers.
So there's image blocking, which can lead to your emails appearing blank, maybe improper scaling for mobile devices. There's also varying support for HTML elements, meaning your emails will just not look the same. Some people use dark mode, for example, on their phones.
And again, that will make your email look much different than it looks for you when you're designing it. So email testing is really crucial to catch as many issues as possible. And I'll say more about that in just a little bit.
So what are the best practices for email marketing design in 2024? Again, let's remember that graphic design doesn't only have to be beautiful. It can actually have many goals beyond aesthetics. It can make information easier to digest.
It can help people with limitations experience your information. And it can help information be more efficiently delivered and more action oriented. So when you're designing your emails, I don't want you to completely abandon the idea that your emails should look nice.
But looking nice is way less important than all those other things I just mentioned. So you're going to want to prioritize usability over aesthetics in your emails. Emphasize the call to action.
Make the message clear with a visual hierarchy. And by visual hierarchy, I mean that it's very easy for the eye to follow where you want someone to look. So you're kind of guiding the eye through the email.
Make it easy to digest no matter what device or email inbox and think about subscribers who may have special things enabled on their devices like dark mode. You also want to minimize your designs. And this is kind of the hardest pill to swallow.
The biggest mistake that I see when I'm looking at email campaigns, there's a tendency to want to put all the things in an email when really you want to keep it simple. One short digestible message per email. And when you're deciding between verbose or concise, I want you to opt for brevity.
So include only the essential details in your email. Maybe infuse a touch of personality with a brief phrase or two and then finish it. If you find yourself wanting to put more than that in your email or say more than that, it's time to rethink the whole thing.
Rethink the focus or have a place on your website for that information and use the email to link to it. You also want to think about responsive design and responsive design means it looks similar or the same on any size browser or device. So it kind of expands and adjusts based on the browser or device.
So keep the call to action high up in the email without someone having to scroll. Spread out the links to consider people who just scan emails. Make sure buttons are really obvious and high contrast and make sure everything's easy to click even on a small mobile device screen.
And to kind of keep things easier for you in general, you want to have almost like a modular design system or templates that you just use over and over for your email so that you can kind of like mix and match pieces of the emails. And that way you're not reinventing the email the email every time. You don't have to like rethink through all of these things.
You can kind of optimize it once and then just reuse the same template that will also help you with brand consistency and ensure that you're sticking to the best practices as much as possible. All right. So earlier in this episode, I mentioned the word testing.
Let me say a little bit more about that. So you never ever ever ever ever ever want to schedule or send an email campaign without testing it first. Even if you're just sending the test to yourself, that's better than not testing it at all.
So most email platforms like Clavio, like MailChimp, they have in platform testing so you can show a preview while you're there designing the email. And then you can also send yourself a test that goes to your email inbox. And you really want to do both.
And in that test or in those tests, you want to check all the links, proofread the copy. Also, if you have multiple email addresses on like different email services like Gmail versus whatever other email address, maybe a work email, send it to many different email addresses and test it in all of those inboxes and on as many devices as you have available. So look at it on your iPad, on your smartphone, on your other tablet, whatever on your computer, on your laptop.
I guarantee you it will look different some way and you will notice those differences. It's pretty much impossible to completely remove all those differences. The goal is to kind of minimize anything that won't load, that looks broken, that causes confusion, that obscures your calls to action.
And if you have friends who are willing to help you out or team members that you work with, send them tests to you and ask them if there's anything that looks weird to them or that surprises them about the email. Because you may not even be seeing it yourself, even in the tests that you send. It's pretty hard in email marketing to account for all the possible quirks that could happen, but you can really do your best to minimize those unwanted surprises.
I also want to mention some resources too. If you're a solopreneur without an email marketing team and all of this feels overwhelming for you, I suggest to kind of start just being a student of email marketing. And I don't mean you have to take a course or anything.
But what I really believe is that you can't effectively market anything if you're not aware of how other companies and other brands are marketing themselves. Because that's how you get ideas. You start to see trends and patterns.
You start to understand even from a business owner and consumer perspective, like what's annoying to you, what do you like or admire? So to be a student of email marketing, I want you to sign up for emails from a few different brands, both small and large. And look at those emails both on your mobile device and desktop to see how they display. A lot of people are resistant to this because they're like, I don't shop online.
I don't do this. I don't do that. I just want you to look at the emails.
This is for think of it as like a learning experience. So what do you like? What's annoying to you? Does something seem to be broken? What feelings do you have about the email? What actions does it inspire you to take or maybe not take? How much time are you spending reading the email? Do you just immediately want to delete it? Take mental notes. And then I really suggest creating a free account on milled.
com, M-I-L-L-E-D.com. And that is basically an email marketing database where you can follow brands that you admire. If you don't want to sign up for a bunch of emails, you can just go there.
Follow brands. You can save emails there that you love for inspiration and guidance. And I think that's honestly the best way to learn.
So what do you think about that? Are you surprised to learn about all of these quirks and nuances of email marketing? Do you need support? We are a little bit obsessed with email marketing here at Joy Joya. So don't hesitate to reach out if you have questions. In our upcoming conversation with Hillary, we're chatting with her about what it means to cultivate a signature style as a jewelry designer and how that can help with your marketing, including your email marketing.
And then after the interview in the goldmine segment, I'll chat more about signature style and its importance. Hey, Hillary, thanks for joining me today. I cannot believe this is our last recording.
It's gone so quickly.
SPEAKER_00
I know it really has gone fast, but it's been a lot of fun.
SPEAKER_01
So about, I don't know, two months ago, maybe we did an interview about your captured collection. But I do want to talk about it again, but more from the perspective that it's become like your signature design perspective. I think a lot of customers, when they see your captured pieces, they can immediately associate it back to you.
And I want to talk about this because I think a lot of designers struggle with coming up with that look that's so signature to them that it can enhance their marketing for customers to kind of associate a design back to the actual designer. So that's really what I want to talk about today. And I want to start by asking you, how long did it take you to find this signature style?
SPEAKER_00
Well, it wasn't really something I was trying to do. It came across kind of accidentally years ago when I was trying to set irregularly shaped things like seashells or, you know, funky beach stones, I would find. And when I started making jewelry again after a long break, I just remember one day in my studio, I was like, oh, right, I remember I used to set seashells.
And, oh, right, I used to do that thing with the crossbar. And I thought, oh, I bet that would look really nice with gemstones. And it just kind of started happening.
And I thought it looked really good with gemstones. And so it just kind of transitioned over to using gemstones just as a way for me to use gemstones because I really had not used gemstones before.
SPEAKER_01
Have you ever felt a need or desire to kind of like depart from that or try something completely different? Or do you feel pretty committed to this perspective that you have in your work?
SPEAKER_00
I feel committed to it. I like it. I think it's fun.
It's it can be a challenging way to set, especially with how I'm setting faceted stones now. It's definitely a little bit more challenging in terms of getting the measurements on the front and the back cracked. That's that's the challenge with the captured setting.
Some people kind of wonder why certain studs cost what they are. You know, like it's just a stud and it's like, well, I have to measure that, you know, everything really technically to get that crossbar to fit. Right. Anyway, it takes it takes longer to do that. And I can see myself doing, you know, regular bezel settings or something, mixing it up over time.
But I like the captured setting.
SPEAKER_01
Yeah. And I like what you said that it is challenging because that probably is the thing that kind of keeps you intrigued by it. And I hear a lot of designers, especially if they're like frustrated in their business or things aren't working for them like they hope or they have a slow period of time.
The urge is to just like try something completely different. But it sounds like for you, it's an ongoing like interest and challenge just to keep like figuring out this design that you've created. Mm hmm.
For sure.
SPEAKER_00
And there's I mean, just like with all gemstones, there's a million different ways to design. So things can be added to the to the design. I can be doing multiple stones.
There's just there's so many ways to get creative with setting stones.
SPEAKER_01
That's so true. Have you ever been influenced or are you continue continually influenced by other forms of art?
SPEAKER_00
I'm definitely influenced by architecture. I really like brutalist architecture a lot. And I also like Art Deco design, which I think is fairly evident in some of my pieces.
And I really love modernist the modernist period or just modern art, I suppose. Just simple, clean lines, minimalist type of art. I also really like Dadaist art.
And in the past, I've been like, I wonder if the crossbar is kind of like the Dada setting. It's kind of like it's kind of the anti setting, you know. So it's it's not really that exact of a translation.
But yeah, there's a lot of different types of art that I'm influenced by. I love going to art museums and just walking around the city. You always see really cool buildings and things like that.
SPEAKER_01
Oh, yes, that's so true. Cities can be very inspiring with architecture. Yeah. So recently, you've introduced new variations on captured into the mix. Like you just launched a faceted stone collection.
So how does that make you feel like continuing to evolve this style and kind of push the boundaries with it?
SPEAKER_00
It's exciting. It opens up a whole new layer for me. You know, faceted stones are just gorgeous.
I mean, I love Capuchon's, but I have to say going shopping for faceted stones was oh my gosh. I think I said like, oh, like, you know, 900 times when this woman that I was working with kept pulling out trays. I was just like, oh, just the sparkle is so great.
I love working with them and I'll still work with Capuchon's and other things. But I'm excited to continue on with faceted stones. It just makes the pieces more expensive.
I think that's the one thing that I'm a little like, hmm, I hope this goes over well with my clientele. I think they're really gorgeous. And I know that my clientele also thinks they're gorgeous.
It's just a matter of will they spend more?
SPEAKER_01
That's so true. I do know a lot of designers too. I mean, obviously making the most opulent, beautiful things often that requires more money spent on materials and you don't want to neglect your current audience.
But I think with you, it's been an evolution and a buildup to that. Like you've kind of taken your your collectors on this journey of like more intricacy, like new materials and things like that.
SPEAKER_00
And I'm hoping what it does is it shows it just adds another price point. So people might say, oh, if I want something really, really special, I can get that from Hillary Fink, jewelry. And if I want something that's a little bit more, I don't know if economical is the right word, but you know, not as expensive.
That can also be there.
SPEAKER_01
Yeah. Yes, definitely. So how would you say that having this signature style kind of sets you apart from other designers or people who are in like competitive price points with you?
SPEAKER_00
Well, as far as I know, there's no one that sets stones the way that I set stones. Um, clients have sent me pictures on Instagram. They're like, Hey, this game crosses person in there copying your style.
And so, I mean, that hasn't happened for like a year or two. And I've had to get in touch with that person and be like, um, that's just a blatant copy. But I mean, I just I think it's just that no one's setting stones that way.
So it's that's just the thing that sets it apart. Just straight and simple with with the crossbar. Yeah.
SPEAKER_01
I meant to ask you about that too, about like the copycats, if that's something you encounter and it sounds like you have and is it really anything I was worried about?
SPEAKER_00
It was, uh, you know, I mean, honestly, the couple of times that it has happened, it's people that are just starting out or haven't been doing it for very long, I suppose. And, you know, I was very nice when I reached out to them and just let them know, like you need to find the whole point of art is to find your own style and express yourself differently from others. And you shouldn't copy other people's work.
Like you just straight and simple. You just shouldn't copy people's work. And, you know, we're all influenced by things and there's so much that is, um, maybe, you know, generated ideas that you can see little influences here and there.
But straight up copying is just, it's just not cool.
SPEAKER_01
No, it's definitely not. Well, it seems like with you, there's a technical element that you've mastered by doing it for so long. And I feel like it would be hard for someone to copy it unless they literally spent years like working on it the same way you have.
SPEAKER_00
Yeah. It just takes careful measurement. And I don't always get it right.
I mean, the other thing that's nice about this is that you can tell that the pieces are made by hand because sometimes I mean, I try as hard as I possibly can to get that crossbar on straight. But, you know, sometimes the drill moves like a half millimeter and you're like, oh, you know, but then I'm like, well, you know what, that just kind of that makes it see it. You can see that it's made by a human, you know, my hand is in every piece.
So if they're never going to be perfect, I don't ever really want a piece to be perfect just because I'm not striving for perfection. But they are, they can be challenging to set, especially the faceted stones. That's a whole other thing with having to, you know, measure from the you're making basically making two settings and measuring from the back and the front.
And maybe that's how people do it with with prong settings. I don't know. I've, I've never gotten into prong settings.
So maybe this is not as hard as I think it is.
SPEAKER_01
Yeah, definitely. So moving forward, how do you imagine yourself like continuing to find inspiration and keeping things fresh for yourself?
SPEAKER_00
I think it's really all about the gemstones. Just seeking, keeping, keeping looking for more interesting gemstones, more unique gemstones. Things that present a challenge.
And then my clients are like continuously sending me custom requests with really cool stones that they have. I just got one in the past few days. This woman is going to buy a faceted stone from some expert gem cutter and she sent me a picture of the stone and it's really cool.
I was like, wow, I've not seen something like that before. Something like Monsterian or Monsteria. Anyway, just like a little bit different.
And so that helps keep it interesting too. And through custom work, sometimes I'm forced to set something differently than before and then it just awakens new ideas. So that's really nice.
SPEAKER_01
Yeah, I love that. Well, thanks, Hilary. And thank you so much for sharing so much on the podcast over the past few months.
You've been so generous with insights into like your design process and your business. And I know that everyone has been really appreciative of it as well.
SPEAKER_00
Oh, you're so welcome. Thanks for this opportunity. It's been a really, really awesome six months just getting to know my business in different ways.
And it's been great working with you and your team. I've loved it. Thank you.
SPEAKER_01
What did you think about the interview? Are you excited to follow Hilary on this journey? I highly encourage you to check out Hilary's website, HilaryFink.com and follow her on Instagram at HilaryFinkJewelery. Link in the show notes as well.
And let me know in a podcast review or YouTube comment what you think about this new journey. Okay, let's get into the goldmine. Welcome to another edition of the goldmine, a segment where I get personal and share insights on entrepreneurship, mindset, success, growth and all things business.
This week's goldmine is all about having a hero product or best seller. So about a month ago, I came across this really great article on business of fashion and I'll put that link in the show notes. And this article discussed how beauty brands can foster the growth of their hero products.
And so although this article is specifically about the beauty industry, I noticed some really striking and relevant parallels between beauty and the jewelry sector. So in this article, the author said that hero products contribute up to 30% of a beauty brand's revenue. And this phenomenon is also observed in fashion and you can probably think of a few brands yourself where this is true.
So for example, Chanel's iconic 2.55 handbag and Nike's Air Jordan sneakers transformed their respective brands into industry giants. Levi's, the denim brand too, is renowned for the timeless 501 jeans.
So if you're a jewelry brand that wants to identify your hero product, this really involves understanding what resonates with your customers. Identifying a best seller or even an early best seller or something that has a potential to be a best seller. And then maintaining unwavering focus in your marketing efforts, steadfastly believing in the product and consistently conveying its message over a long period of time.
And these hero products should possess the ability to withstand evolving trends or adapt to those trends by introducing various offshoots. There was a really insightful quote in this article and it was, for any product to become beloved, it has to deliver on its promises and transform how customers look and feel about themselves at the same. Time simmer on that for a second, because I feel like the word transform is so important here.
Jewelry when you sell it, when it becomes hero level status product, it's more than just like a pretty beautiful object. It's doing the work of transforming how your customers look and feel about themselves. So for a jewelry brand, the key to really leveraging a hero product that defies trend cycles lies in crafting a timeless narrative around it.
So you're going to be crafting compelling stories that accentuate the products, enduring beauty and quality while emphasizing its versatility and complimenting different fashion styles and occasions. Also harness the power of customer testimonials and reviews that showcase this product's durability, adaptability, timelessness, reinforcing its status as a must have item and a cornerstone of your brand's marketing strategy. Hopefully for many years to come.
If you're relatively new to the industry, it obviously might take some time and evolution to discover that hero product. Often your customer preferences can be surprising. So that makes it really challenging for any brand to plan for a hero product.
They kind of just emerge and surprise you. So as you begin to notice customers gravitating toward a particular product, even in those early stages, start incorporating it into your marketing efforts with confidence and enthusiasm because you're seeing it emerge as a customer favorite. And that's when it can potentially transform into that hero product.
So what are your thoughts? Do you have a best selling product that you believe could be leveraged more effectively? Do you already have a hero product? And are you fully capitalizing on its potential in your marketing strategies? Feel free to drop me a message via Instagram DM, leave a review on the podcast or comment on the YouTube channel. Let's engage in discussion about it. Do you have any questions about today's episode? 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, Jewelery Marketing Joy. Visit JoyJoya.com slash book for more information.