Way back on December 2, 2010 I created a long list of action items you could use to achieve a specific goals like attracting mobile customers to your store, getting the attention of the twenty-something generation, and to maintain a long term relationship with your customers.
Today I'm reviewing and revising those lists, and over the next several days I'll take many of the items and explain how you can put them into practice if you have a small budget or a large budget.
These are the most popular internet marketing ideas that I've found, systematized for retail jewelers according to specific categories.
This is a very long post, not so much a "Nugget" as a "Bar of Gold," it was unavoidable and I didn't want to break this up into several posts.
Some of the items below are repeated in each category, and this list is by no means all-inclusive. The items in each list are also not in any particular order since different internet marketing experts will rank them all differently.
To attract new non-mobile customers to your store:
1. Your website needs to be optimized for people, not search engines.
2. Maintain an on-site blog on a regular basis.
3. Set up a Facebook Business Page and use it daily.
4. Set up a Google+ Page and use it daily.
5. Claim your Google+ Local Page and verify your information.
6. Request customers to write online reviews for you through your Google+ Page and Facebook.
7. Purchase Google AdWords Remarketing.
8. Send a weekly or monthly email newsletter.
9. Archive your weekly or monthly newsletters in HTML format on your website.
10. Issue press releases whenever you have an event in your store.
11. Create a Twitter account and tweet on a regular basis.
12. Set up a YouTube Channel and upload new videos regularly.
13. Use Google Analytics to tell you how your website fails, and what needs to be added.
To attract new mobile customers to your store:
1. You need a mobile website, not just one that functions marginally on a smartphone.
2. Claim your Google+ Local Page and verify your information.
3. Create your Foursquare venue and use Foursquare for marketing.
4. Purchase mobile Google AdWords
5. Make posts to your Google+ Page on a regular basis.
6. Create a Twitter account and tweet on a regular basis.
7. Create an Offer for your Facebook Page to attract foot traffic customers to your store.
8. Claim or create your jewelry store's listing on Yelp. Use it.
9. Put logos in your window for any of the social networks where you can be found: Foursquare, Twitter, 10. Facebook, Google+, or Yelp to let foot traffic recognize them.
11. Create a QR code that leads people to an About Us page and put it in your window.
12. Create a QR code that leads people to your Google+ Places page so they can write reviews for you. Put this QR code at your point of sale.
13. Create a QR code for any product or special that is associated with any direct mail, newspaper, or magazine marketing campaign and include the code in your campaign.
To build a new relationship with the local twenty-something generation:
1. Your website needs to be optimized for people, not search engines.
2. You need a mobile website, not just one that functions marginally on a smartphone.
3. Set up a YouTube Channel and upload new videos regularly.
4. Set up a Facebook Business Page and use it daily.
5. Purchase targeted advertising on Facebook.
6. Use your smartphone to make posts to a Tumblr account.
7. Publish a lot of educational content on your website through your onsite blog.
8. Upload product inventory to your website's catalog (selling not required).
9. Link building with other local stores, including trading in-store/window signage.
10. Purchase print ads in local university newspapers, include a QR Code to your website.
11. Create a Twitter account and tweet on a regular basis.
12. Create an opt-in email list as a button on your Facebook Business Page.
13. Create an opt-in email list on your website.
14. Send a weekly or monthly email newsletter.
15. Archive your weekly or monthly newsletters in HTML format on your website.
16. Claim your Google+ Local Page and verify your information.
17. Create an Offer for your Facebook Page to attract foot traffic customers to your store.
18. Claim or create your jewelry store's listing on Yelp. Use it.
19. Put logos in your window for any of the social networks where you can be found: Foursquare, Twitter, Facebook, Google+, or Yelp to let foot traffic recognize them.
20. Create a QR code that leads people to an About Us page and put it in your window.
21. Create a QR code that leads people to your Google+ Places page so they can write reviews for you. Put this QR code at your point of sale.
22. Use Facebook as the primary platform to launch a contest.
To maintain a long-term relationship with customers:
1. Your website needs to be optimized for people, not search engines.
2. Set up a Facebook Business Page and use it daily.
3. Make posts to your Google+ Page on a regular basis
4. Upload product inventory to your website's catalog (selling not required).
5. Link building with other local stores, including trading in-store/window signage.
6. Create a Twitter account and tweet on a regular basis.
7. Claim your Google+ Local Page and verify your information.
8. Maintain an on-site blog on a regular basis.
9. Share every new blog post to your Facebook Business Page, Google+ and Twitter.
10. Create an opt-in email list as a button on your Facebook Business Page.
11. Create an opt-in email list as a button on your Facebook Business Page.
12. Create an opt-in email list on your website.
13. Send a weekly or monthly email newsletter. Include details of what's new in your blog.
14. Archive your weekly or monthly newsletters in HTML format on your website.
15. Use direct mail that includes direct response codes of some type so the customer must visit your website to receive the special offer or invitation.
16. Create a QR code for any product or special that is associated with any direct mail, newspaper, or magazine marketing campaign and include the code in your campaign.
17. Allow your customers to create wish lists on your website.
When you are ready for some type of e-commerce:
1. Need a secure and PCI compliant website with a shopping cart.
2. Need a secure mobile website.
3. Upload product inventory to your website's catalog.
4. Establish a PayPal account for simple BuyNow buttons or PayPal shopping cart integration.
5. Establish a Google Wallet account for shopping cart integration.
6. Establish a merchant account for your website if you are not using PayPal or Google Wallet
7. Your website needs to be optimized for people, not search engines.
8. Purchase Google AdWords for mobile, PC, and remarketing.
9. Link building with other local stores.
10. Link building with any other website if you are selling nationally.
11. Set up a YouTube Channel and upload new videos regularly.
12. Set up a Facebook Business Page and use it daily.
13. Purchase paid advertising on Facebook to a wide audience.
14. Make Facebook and Google+ Updates when you have online special offers.
15. Upload your product inventory into Google's paid product ads.
16. Measure your ROI using Google Analytics.
17. Redesign your website as needed to increase your conversions.
If you want to beat your competition:
1. Do everything listed above.
2. Do one step at a time so you are not overwhelmed.
3. Educate yourself on what's needed to do each action item.
4. Don't do it yourself; oversee the entire process.
As I said above, this is not an exhaustive list. But many of the items on this list we have been researching and tracking first hand for at least 30 months, although a lot of data we have spans back 9 years.
Not every strategy will work in every area. Naturally, if you live in a cell phone dead zone you can simply cross off all the mobile marketing ideas. Touristy areas will have different results than metropolitan areas.
Lastly, if the technology is available, you should start using it sooner rather than later.
