The jewellery businesses that will thrive this Christmas are the ones that are focusing on sorting out their seasonal marketing now rather than leaving it too late.
Here jewellery copywriter and storytelling consultant at Jewellery Storytelling, Siobhan Maher, shares her top tips for writing successful jewellery copy heading into this Q4.
Get ready for seasonal storytelling and Christmas copy
You don’t need to be told that the season for selling is round the corner, although your attention is probably firmly on product.
But jewellery doesn’t sell itself – and now is the perfect time to start making sure that your copy is as sparkling as the pieces.
This year it is particularly prudent to ensure that your online presence is an effective replacement for face-to-face sales. Seasonal copy is more than a few new taglines for your homepage, and some of that work can begin now…
Establish your story
I preach constantly about how storytelling is now essential to stand out in the market, but there is more. Storytelling makes everything easier.
Your story is the backbone to your marketing strategy – if coming up with content for social media, press or newsletters feels difficult, there’s a good chance your story needs work.
A tight, emotive story outlines your value to press, customer and retailers. Content creation spills naturally from your core themes and stories.
It is true for brand storytelling, and true for seasonal campaigns too.
Decide now what your seasonal story is and the words for every piece of content thereafter will be so much easier to find.
Revive your email newsletter
September is a great month to bring a neglected email newsletter back to life.
Warming up your audience now with plenty of value-driven content will make slipping into their inboxes with seasonal sales emails more natural and effective in the following months.
Consider how your email sign up invites new subscribers in. If the form in your footer or pop-up invites readers in with a boring ‘sign up to the newsletter’, it is time for a change.
First, identify the benefit. What is a subscriber to your newsletter or mailing list going to get? Use a handful of words to tell your customer what they can expect; is it community, offers, behind-the-scenes…
Second, jazz up your verbs. Swap ‘subscribe’ for a welcoming ‘join’ or turn ‘sign up’ into ‘sign me up!’
Consider your brand story and voice. If your story is high end craft, don’t lure people in with discounts or humour. If you use an analogy or theme (e.g. ‘join the club’), carry it throughout the copy.
Work out your discount copy now
Whether you embrace or evade pre- and post-Christmas sales, you’ll need copy.
Opting out of Black Friday is a growing choice, but to avoid disappointed customers you may need to outline your position, always in positive and value-affirming terms.
Those who do discount should avoid the copywriting equivalent of pasting red 50% off banners all over the windows.
Keep your brand voice and tone as consistent as always; only your prices have changed, not your audience or quality. Describe your items with the same reference and romance as you would full price. These aren’t ‘bargains’, they’re an ‘opportunity to own…’
Sales often bring in first-time customers, so use your confirmation and shipping emails to give a taste of what they’ll get if they stick around. Ensure your brand voice and values are reflected throughout every customer touchpoint and invite them to join you behind the scenes at your social media or newsletter.
Ensure new mailing list subscribers stay on the list by preparing engaging content, either as an automated new subscriber series or your regular newsletter. Revisit your brand story, show your studio or share something of your craft or jewellery design process.
Spruce up your product descriptions
There’s a lot riding on product descriptions. Done right they’ll both secure a sale and limit returns, but too often are missing one or both vital parts.
Effective product descriptions should encompass both head and heart. Your customers need facts to make an informed decision, and feelings to fall in love and make the purchase.
Post-Christmas means returns, but you can limit the risk with accurate and detailed descriptions including materials and measurements.
Consider what your customers usually ask or show interest in during face-to-face sales and make sure the same is covered by your descriptions.
Link clearly to your FAQs and consider separate standalone pages for topics you know really matter to your audience such as ethical policy or design and craft.
Product descriptions are vital for getting your customer to picture exactly what a piece of jewellery is going to do for them. Come winter this should explicitly include gifting… and dare we wish for parties?
But don’t leave your customers to make the jump between the use or benefit and how it will make them feel; feeling is what speaks to the heart.
Evoking emotion doesn’t always mean sentiment – how it feels to communicate individuality or just look awesome is completely legitimate.Â
Seasonal storytelling means more than securing sales. The right approach now also helps build your customer base, reinforce your brand story, and just makes everything a little bit easier. Now that’s my kind of Christmas magic.
Siobhan Maher is a jewellery copywriter and storytelling consultant at Jewellery Storytelling.
