In order to drive traffic and increase sales, jewelers need to understand branding and buzz. Being effective at one often leads to the other.

1. What’s in a brand?

Are the Kardashians a brand? The American Marketing Association defines a brand as “a name, term, design, symbol, or any other feature that identifies one seller’s good or service as distinct from those of other sellers.” If we were to consider a brand to deliver a set of expectations, memories, stories and relationships . . . there may be something to the notion.

A brand’s value is based on how much more people will pay for it. Kim Kardashian sold the rights to her wedding for nearly $18 million. Her 72 day marriage made her more than $10,000 per hour. Armani paid $25,000 for a single tweet by Kim and drew 40,000 site visitors in an hour. But the Kardashian brand is more than just Kim. In fact, the entire family is busy with a wide array of endorsements and products and that just creates more buzz for the brand.

There are elements of design in every brand and the Kardashians do leverage fashion design and style with their unique lifestyle image. Their brand uses all of the family members to appeal to different demographics while developing loyal audiences through fandom. Love them or not . . . the Kardashians do understand how buzz can help build a brand. 

2. How can your store use buzz marketing to get people taking about your brand this holiday season?

Make sure that your brand promise is something that sales associates can effectively present to differentiate your store and offerings. Ask customers to mention their shopping experiences to their family and friends. Nearly everyone can come up with about 200 contacts. Just imagine the possibilities of getting loyal customers to create buzz for your store, brand, and product offerings.

Create buzz by offering discounts on future purchases for customers who refer your store to new customers. Make sure you offer extra business cards to loyal customers and ask them to pass along your card. The best time to ask for referrals is immediately after the customer agrees to buy. That’s when customers are at their emotional peak. Having loyal customers refer your store to their family and friends creates the most desirable buzz of all.

JCK