Now that you know that Twitter is a way to introduce your store brand to other Twitter users, you may want to follow some jewelry-specific folks who really “get it.” The jewelry companies discussed below understand how to use Twitter—they talk to followers about personal as well as professional details to get them interested in their brands.
Just as you wouldn’t walk into a party and start selling everyone you meet, don’t go on Twitter and start haphazardly broadcasting your services and sales. The point of social media is to talk to and interact with followers, not just advertise your brand.
Wendy Culpepper is a New York-based jewelry designer with two Twitter accounts, @WendyCulpepper and @WCulpepper. Wendy shares details about making jewelry and hanging out with friends, and relates anecdotes about meeting with photographers. You see some of her personal life as well as the seemingly glamorous life of a jewelry designer, so you feel like you know her.
Retail jeweler Ron Samuelson, owner, Samuelson’s Diamonds, Baltimore, operates @SamuelsonsRocks for the store and @DiamondBuyer as his personal account.
Follow Ron to learn how to seamlessly utilize personal and professional Twitter accounts. For example, Ron talks about music (he’s in a band) on the @DiamondBuyer account, striking up friendships with other Twitterers with similar interests—involving them in what he does professionally. When these new friends need help buying a diamond, they’re likely to call him.
Verragio is a New York-based maker of diamond engagement rings and wedding bands and has the account name @Verragio on Twitter. Verragio tweets fun facts about engagements, such as wedding location ideas, celebrity engagements, and more. Rarely do you see Verragio tweeting about a piece of jewelry for sale, thus positioning itself as the antithesis of a hard-sell bridal manufacturer.
Dan Gordon is the president of Samuel Gordon Jewelers, Oklahoma City, and operates @SamuelGordons for the store and @DanGordon for his personal account.
Dan can teach you how to build a local following—finding people on Twitter who are in your region and getting them into your store. Dan has converted online-only relationships into a network of social media enthusiasts who meet, in real life, in Oklahoma City.
Honora Pearls is also based in New York, and its Twitter account, @Honorapearls, is run by the company’s director of retail marketing, Michael Schechter (@MSchechter).
Michael takes followers behind the scenes for QVC broadcasts and coaches newcomers to the jewelry industry. He helped launch the Gen-Next Jewelers group of up-and-coming industry leaders and engages new members on Twitter.