How many times have you experienced a customer looking for a diamond that said s/he first researched diamonds online? These are the people who come in asking for specific diamond characteristics without any real firsthand knowledge of diamonds.
Recently Ron Samuelson created a video that depicts the exact situation. We've included a link to his video at the bottom of this Nugget.
Unfortunately, the average consumer doesn't know any better. If a jewelry store sells diamonds, they probably have details about the 4Cs listed on their website. The customers don't learn any more than you tell them, and they naturally gravitate toward the best color, best clarity, best cut... until they see the price.
We suggest a new approach to 4Cs educational content for your website. Break each C down on a single page. Explain what it is and make sure to include the typical educational information that would be found on large sites like BlueNile.com. People will search for that typical wording, so you need it for simple search engine optimization.
However, you then need to explain each C in your own words. You need to explain how each of your diamonds is hand-selected for its quality.
But don't just say:
"We hand-select for their brilliance."
Instead say:
"Yes, we sell SI1 diamonds, and they have horrible inclusion if you look at it from the side. But when mounted in a ring, you will never see the inclusion, and it will be as brilliant as any VVS diamond."
This is what you would explain to a live person in your store, so why not say it online?
Educational content is important for your website. But stop perpetuating one of the worst selling techniques in the jewelry industry. Be a maverick and include a different approach. Perhaps you could even have a brochure printed to give out the next time someone comes in with a printout from BlueNile, or worse, their iPhone with the BlueNile app.
Have a look at Ron's video that we mentioned above: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-m0mRA-I6kU