SPEAKER_00
Ready to break free from algorithms, vanity, PR, and money-sucking ads? My name's 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 277. Today I'm diving into the topic of when marketing actually works.

Sometimes marketing seems like such a big mystery. Is it all about posting on social media, sending out emails? Is there a magical formula for boosting sales? And when exactly does marketing start to show results? If you're fairly new to the jewelry industry or to the business world in general, these might be some of the burning questions on your mind and that makes it really tough to see how marketing could genuinely benefit your business. And then also what signs indicate that it is hitting its mark.

So in this episode, I'm going to unpack what effective marketing can really look like for you and what it means for marketing to truly work. I think you might find my insights surprising, but hopefully in the best possible way because I'm going to be letting you in on some behind the scenes of what it looks like for our clients when we've uncovered a way for their marketing to really do what it can do best. 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 Podcast. All right, let's get into today's episode, My Sparklers. So before we start, I'm going to be honest with you, even though I love marketing, there's one aspect of it that I kind of hate.

And that's the fact that there's no crystal ball in marketing, even though it would be so nice to be able to predict the future to no results before they happen to kind of know what the marketing is going to do. But there's just no way to know that. And it's so frustrating.

And unfortunately, I have the tough job of telling people that the work of marketing needs to be done, but at the same time, there's no guarantee on what the outcome will be. Yes, the more you do marketing and the more consistent you are with marketing, the better you and I or whoever's helping you can get at making educated guesses about what will happen. But still, there's never any ironclad guarantee of what the results will look like.

And that's a really tough thing for me to say, especially to small business owners who don't have the luxury of unlimited time and unlimited money. It's like, wait, Larissa, you're trying to tell me that I have to invest in this, but there's no way for us to know what's going to happen. Yes, that's unfortunately true.

It kind of makes marketers sound like a bit of a scam artist, doesn't it? But here's the thing, the unknown is kind of just the risk that you take in general when you go into business. You can do all the right things, every single thing. You can go to expensive, fancy business school.

You can copy exactly a template of how someone else built a successful business in your exact industry. You can hire the best, the brightest, the most talented and smartest people, but you still have so many variables working against you, like the economy, changing consumer preferences, trends, available technologies, your margins. Look, literally so many things you can't control.

And the same goes for marketing. You don't know what will come of it due to so many outside factors, but the reality is that you have to do it because without marketing, you won't have audience acquisition, you won't have customer relationship building, and without those things, you will be standing still without any forward progress. So that's really the first truth you need to know about marketing.

And now that you know the truth, you have two choices. One, you can spin your wheels trying to do it yourself without any guidance or support, or two, you can invest in marketing sooner rather than later to have direction strategy and quick learnings so that you can adapt and not waste time and move forward as efficiently as possible. So now that I got that out of the way, I want to talk about what does marketing look like when it works? Here's a spoiler alert.

Works means so many different things. And anyone who tells you that there's one way to make marketing work, I would not believe that person because not only does it mean so many different things, but it looks so many different ways depending on the stage of business that that business is at. And I want to help you understand that by giving you some examples.

So the other thing is marketing that works doesn't always mean you can attribute sales to it, although you may be able to in the future. Again, it really depends on the business's stage of growth and so many other factors. So I'm going to give you some like scenarios of businesses.

They're like general descriptions of clients I've had but kind of telling you like the kind of marketing that works for them and what that really means because again, it's going to look so different. So let's pretend we have a client, they've never really found that consistency or cohesiveness in their marketing. So they don't have a unified content calendar.

They don't regularly send emails. They're not posting consistently on social media. For that kind of client, marketing that works means unifying all the pieces together along with their production calendar along with their goals to really just focus on building consistency into the plan.

And that means basically training their audience also to expect more consistency. And then the thing that works is being able to see how does the audience respond to these changes. So the goal here is not necessarily to make sales, although that could be a really nice side effect of these updates.

The goal instead at this stage of business is to level up from the disjointedness, from the inconsistency to finding balance and cohesiveness. And this will work for a period until we learn about the patterns and behaviors. And we really get comfortable with this new cadence of marketing that we've put together with a client.

From there, then we can go to the next level. We can think about the next thing that's going to make marketing quote unquote work once they level up in scale. But for where the client is at their stage, this is a marketing that works for that client.

So another example, let's have a client that has accidentally found some really great success in their business and they've grown like super quickly, but almost unintentionally, like they're not even sure how they suddenly got so many sales. They don't know what's working. They don't know at this point how they can kind of like replicate their success and even invest more into the thing that will have the most impact and continue helping them grow their business.

So for this kind of client, marketing that works means first figuring out what is actually making that positive impact on the revenue. What is the thing that got them to where they are, even if it's accidentally. So that means auditing their marketing, looking at all the data, cutting out the marketing channels that aren't really contributing to the success of the business, leaning into the marketing that is working and potentially thinking through that strategy.

And it could also mean doing some cleanup. So for example, if email marketing is the thing that is contributing the most to the business, then it's worth looking at the email list, cleaning it up, segmenting it, looking for more ways to build that list. And the future of what marketing that works for this business might mean eventually adding in some new things to try or leaning in even further into the thing that is bringing them success.

But for now, the marketing that works is streamlining the most impactful efforts for them. Here's another example that's totally different. Let's say there's a client who's been in business for decades.

They're successful by any standards with multi millions of dollars in annual revenue. They've figured out how to do all the right things with what they're doing right now. But they want to pivot and potentially reach a new target audience or a new market.

So for this client, even though they've kind of figured out marketing that works, in a lot of ways, this client will be starting from scratch with this new approach. They want to reach a new target audience, a new market. So the marketing that has worked for this client in the past may not and probably will not moving forward, at least with this one new direction.

And the expectations of everyone who works on the marketing and the sales really need to be managed because this is a whole different beast. And when you're trying a new approach, almost the same as with a jewelry business that's starting from scratch with little to no information, it's so hard to predict what the outcomes will be. And the challenge to find the marketing that works with this type of business is that they're already kind of used to success.

They're used to things working. But the real thing that's going to work moving forward is giving it time and patience to come to fruition. And then one more example, let's say we have a mid-sized jewelry business, and they're just looking to diversify their product line.

So this is a business that has a solid customer base, consistent sales. They're not huge, but they've kind of found their stride with their target audience. However, they want to introduce a new collection.

Maybe they're going into like sustainable jewelry or something like that. So marketing that works for them is going to involve educating their current and potential customers about the value and uniqueness of this collection. It can include content marketing strategies like blog posts and videos that highlight the materials, the craftsmanship behind the product, the impact of purchasing these items.

It might involve collaborations or partnerships with other organizations or leveraging like influencers who value sustainability. And the success of this marketing effort and what we will know that it's working will be evaluated through customer feedback, maybe through pre-orders on the engagement of how people are interacting with the content. So not only are we trying to sell a collection with the marketing, but we're also kind of trying to position the brand as a leader and an innovator in this new approach.

And that's going to be the way we get marketing to work. So those are just a few examples of countless examples, countless scenarios of what marketing that works can look like. And again, what works for the business today may need to be reevaluated in six months, in a year, in five years, and it's a constant evolution and exploration that needs to be tied to the business's current stage of growth, again, which is always going to be changing, as well as the goals, which could change occasionally.

And depending on the business's marketing budget, some of these things can also be either accelerated or held back. So again, what works for one business likely won't work for another business, even if they sell similar products at similar price points. I find many of my clients are pretty surprised when they find out that even Joy Joya only services clients in this industry, literally every single one of my clients has their own unique footprint of what's working for them and what we're trying to develop, evolve, work on, and move toward.

And so much of that too depends on their unique group of customers and how they behave. And I'm honestly always surprised by customer behavior because it's always so different and it's like a nuanced thing that you have to learn about each individual business. The customers really dictate so much about how the marketing will perform.

And sometimes we have to learn more from the customers before we can even figure out what to do next. They are truly our best teachers. So I want to talk about specific tactics because that's what I know you really want to know.

So I've given you some general examples and I want to talk about tactics. I think a lot of people out there still don't believe me because I consistently get the feedback that email is dead. But across the board without question, in all the brands I work with and even anecdotally with business owners that I talk to, email is the strongest deliverer deliverer of revenue for them.

It 100% performs above and beyond social media marketing and really anything else if you're an e-commerce business. And not only that, but when you use an email marketing tool like Klaviyo, I promise I'm not a shill for them. I just really like this tool that's directly integrated with your e-commerce shop like one that's on Shopify.

You can pretty closely see what the path to purchase looks like and which emails have the strongest impact on your sales. And the numbers cannot lie. It just performs again and again.

So that's one tactic across the board that I think all brands should be implementing. Obviously, there's going to be different approaches, different goals, different ways to execute on that. It's going to be very individual, but in general, emails very effective.

Some other things I've seen that are working collaborations either with other brands or brand ambassadors and influencers. This is a surefire way to get in front of another person or entity's audience and help you build your own exposure. So short of presenting your jewelry at in-person events very often, I really can't think of another way that will give your brand exposure unless you have tons and tons of money to dump into ads and PR.

And I'm talking high-profile celebrity level PR exposure. But again, just that on its own while it will expose you to a new audience is not going to result in sales. It's going to give you eyeballs on your brand.

And then you still have to do the work of getting them in your inner circle, on your email list, inspiring them to make a purchase, building that relationship over time. Another thing that I'm seeing is really effective as a tactic is live video on social media. So if you do already have an audience, because obviously this isn't going to work in a vacuum without an audience, and you can commit to going live and showing up for that audience regularly, like at least once a week, you'll create an expectation that you're there for your audience.

You are being transparent. You are a vibrant, engaged business. You're making shopping super fun and easy.

This is a great way to build relationships. And if you can find a way to convert those live viewers into email subscribers, even if they don't buy, well, that's even better because then you can continue to build relationships with them over time. But again, as you've probably gleaned from this episode, there are always exceptions.

One thing I love so much about marketing is that I can work with 100 different jewelry brands and literally learn something new and have a new challenge to overcome with each and every one of them. They all have an individual footprint as to what quote unquote works for them with their marketing. And it's really important to have someone advise and guide you if you feel unsure for yourself.

This is something we offer to our clients. You guys, loyal, sparklers, listeners, viewers know that I never do a hard sales pitch on this podcast. So I'm not about to start now.

But I do want to give you some advice that when it comes to marketing that works, if an expert or a course or a program is promising you some kind of outcome without intimately knowing your business and your customers, they're just trying to sell you something and don't know really what marketing is going to work for you. I say this because I see so many business owners out there spinning their wheels and wondering why the support they're getting doesn't feel like it's stopping the chaos or bringing clarity to them. And it's just because it's not tailored for them.

And those so-called experts or core sellers or whoever is just throwing out a bait and hoping something will get caught on the promise of having clarity, fixing their business problems, etc. So no, at the end of the day, that marketing is individual. Marketing is a process of discovery.

And at the same time, marketing is necessary, but always better done with a strategy and with clarity in mind. And I really hope that was useful and that that all made sense to you. Okay, now that we got all that out of the way, let's get into the gold mine.

This is a segment of the podcast where I get personal and share insights on entrepreneurship, mindset, success, growth, and all things business. On this week's gold mine, I want to share some tips for how to be more confident as a business owner. And I want to cover this topic today because I hear and see personally firsthand the criticism that many jewelry entrepreneurs get from disgruntled, even rude customers, even just people who are haters.

I hear from my clients, some of the really nasty client feedback they get, even when 99% of the feedback is good and they're running a great business. There's unfortunately always someone who will be unhappy. I also see it so much on the back end of what I do in marketing through reviews, comments, and more.

And for even the person, the business owner with the toughest skin, this type of negative feedback or even the careless, rude, troll-like comments can really throw off your momentum and mood. And that can chip away at your confidence, at your enthusiasm, and your hope in the future of your business. I think oftentimes many people's first reactions when we see negative feedback is to just get super angry and annoyed in response.

And you immediately just want to write something nasty back or say something nasty back. But there are two things I want you to do instead. So first, take a step and breath back and ask yourself, do I really want to engage with this person? If it is necessary to engage, how can you respond with kindness? So that's the first thing.

And also the second thing, although it may sting and be annoying and maybe triggering to hear or see whatever that person is saying, is there anything you can actually learn from it? Or is there really nothing to be gained? So try to, in a positive way, take something from that interaction so that it's not just 100% negative thing for you. But then even post that interaction, there's also the ongoing self-care required to make sure that these things over time, which are pretty much inevitable, don't chip away at your confidence and get your spirits down. So I want to share those tips also.

And actually, I've gotten a lot of these from a podcast I love called the Confidence Podcast. I'll put the link to it in the show notes if you want to check that out. But one of my favorite ways to kind of build resilience against these things and to build confidence is to do hard things and to always be challenging yourself.

That's one tip that has personally helped me to build confidence over the years, especially since I am the type of person and maybe you are too. My default is to kind of doubt myself. So if something didn't work out, hmm, it must have been my fault or something that I did.

And I tend to give other people the benefit of the doubt and then blame myself, which again, over time, that can eat away at your confidence. But when I really started to push myself to commit to things in my business, even just like my weekly commitment to this podcast, which is not always easy to do, but showing up for it, trying new things that I feel might be a risk or have uncertainty and then pushing myself out of my comfort zone as much as I can handle, I noticed that things in the past that have made me feel imposter syndrome or may have rattled my confidence, they can't rattle me in the same way anymore because I've already shown myself again and again that I show up for me and for my business and I do the hard things. And if there's anyone who's going to point a finger at me, I can tell myself in my head rather than in a mean response that, you know what, I'd like to see them trying to do those hard things too.

It's really easy to be a critic behind a computer screen. But when you're showing up, proving to yourself that you've like almost earned a reputation, you can do the hard things. You have street cred and you can't be rattled.

So I would recommend the same to you. If you find that you sometimes have imposter syndrome, or you don't feel like you're good enough, or where you quote, unquote should be, or if you let negative feedback get under your skin, make some kind of commitment to yourself. Try something you don't think a lot of people would do.

It could be anything, something that might feel doable for you, but would actually look really impressive or hard to other people and constantly look for ways to push yourself out of your comfort zone and then actually follow through as much as you can. It might even be worth having a meeting with yourself every week and asking yourself, how can I push myself out of my comfort zone this week and then make a plan so you actually follow through on that. And the more you can show yourself that you're capable of doing hard and amazing things, honestly, the less anyone can rattle you, the more you feel confident that you can depend on yourself in your business and that you have the control, you'll feel more confident in general.

And if you get negative feedback, sure, take it into consideration. But at the end of the day, you know you're worse and you know the value that you bring to your business and to all the lives you positively impact with your business. What do you think about that? Do you sometimes suffer from lack of confidence in your business? Drop me a message via Instagram DM, leave a review or comment on YouTube.

Let's talk about it. Did 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.