Blogging for jewelers and metalsmiths made easy! (and for those interested in jewelry and gemstones)

The most trusted way for Jewelers, Artists, Craftsmen & Metalsmiths to discover state-of-the-art products and services has fundamentally changed. Word-of-mouth has become a Metalsmith’s most efficient way of learning about new products and services. (Personally, I am much more likely to try a new product or service if it is recommended by a fellow Artist than by reading marketing-hype in a product brochure. I avoid months of trial & error by following the advice of my more experienced peers.)

Recent studies have shown that sales resulting from direct Social Networking, have increased 37% in the last 6 months.

Social Networking has excellerated word-of-mouth testimonials to phenomenal proportions. If I need help with a particular problem and post a query in The Orchid Forum, public responses from my peers will not only be read by me, but potentially by thousands of others, on the internet, who are interested in the same topic. When I talk about something favorably in The Orchid Forum I’m potentially reaching thousands or even hundreds of thousands of viewers. And that’s just through my single, humble post.

How can a Company, who provides products and services valuable to the Gem and Jewelry Manufacturing Community, benefit from Social Networking such as the daily Orchid Digest or Ganoksin.com Blogs?

LISTEN to what the Jewelry Manufacturing Social Community, Ganoksin.com Members, are saying in their daily Blogs and posts on the Orchid Digest. Read their Blogs about the products and services they are using. Is your product/service better? More economical? Easier to use? Identify the “pain points” of Jewlers & Metalsmiths, and provide solutions to their problems. Your message will spread like wild-fire through The Orchid Community. As a Social Community, Ganoksin.com contains a wealth of information that blows traditional marketing out of the water. By monitoring The Orchid Community posts and Ganoksin Blogs, you will learn what products/services the jewelry manufacturing community needs, and how to reach them.

How can you contribute to this specific Jewelry-Related Social Community?

Contribute valuable articles that provide solutions to the Orchid Community pain-points. Social Networking is about Community. And communities thrive when experts-in-their-field contribute valuable infromation. Orchid Members love to offer meaningful information to their peers who are looking for solutions to their problems. It’s a feel-good kind of thing that’s incredibly effective. If you have products/services that are relevant to the life-blood of Metalsmiths, Jewelers & Craftsmen, you can monitor their “pain points” on this Social Network and offer technical solutions to the entire Community. Your techical expertise will be evaluated and discussed.

It’s all about Sharing. You can share your content in The Orchid Community Forum through sponsored Text Ads in the daily Orchid Digest. Orchid Community Members, of course, will decide if they like what you have to offer enough to pass it on to others, but once that decision is made, you are reaching thousands of others through a trusted Social Network.

How can you be sure that your message is not only absorbed, but embraced, passed along, and viewed as valuable? Contribute technical articles and Join the Ganoksin.com community by Sponsoring ads on Ganoksin.com and in The Orchid daily Digest. You will be heard!

Feel free to contact us if you would like more information on how to support The Ganoksin Social Network of Metalsmiths through Sponsored ads on Ganoksin.com.

Virginia L. Vivier

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I’ve been doing a lot of research on how to generate sales in this crummy economy and one of my favorite “expert” sources is Bill Stoller’s eZine (http://www.publicityinsider.com). I happened upon a gem (no pun intended) from one of his newsletters. His point was to give away as much “free stuff” as you can, to build a prospect list even in times when sales are down.

“You will make far more money, and have a much more stable business, if you create lots of targeted, high value, zero cost (free) virtual goodies to give away to your visitors in exchange for their name and e-mail address, than if you don’t.

In an environment in which customers are scarce, having a list of active buyers is as good as (some might argue today, better than) money in the bank. Building targeted lists of prospects and buyers will build you a real business.”

So the moral of his story Folks is, to offer “free stuff” and make list-building the center of your strategy. According to Bil’s eZine, It’s a tried and trusted approach.

Here’s another “gem” from Bill’s eZine:

“You only learn who has been swimming naked when the tide goes out.” - Warren Buffet (I just love that one!)

According to Bill’s eZine, “the tide is going out and websites that provide value will do very well. Others who’ve depended on the unusual liquidity situation to cover their inefficiencies and the deficiency of their offerings, will have to make do with the leftovers.”

So, to all you nice folks out there In jewelry related fields… Please share with us what “give-away” strategies have worked well for you?

Virginia L. Vivier

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Do you have a favorite website that used to be commercial free? And then, BAM! one day it was covered with annoying strobe-light flashing banners that drove you crazy? I do. I used to love checking in at Weather.com until it became a feeding frenzy of particularly annoying banners. Now, I only go there if I absolutely have to.

Well, that’s what happens when Marketing folks find websites that are attractive to a huge group of people. “Aha,” they say, “this is a good place to display our message!” And they are happy to pay for the privilege.

Some companies use banner ads specifically for “branding” to keep their name out there - everywhere possible, in fact - so you are constantly reminded about them. Some companies use banners to promote special offers that drive you to their website. BUT, many banner placements are experiencing lower click-through rates due to “banner blindness” in the viewing eyes of the general public. See? We CAN ignore those pesky ads and make Marketing Folks pay attention! Hah!

So now what? Should companies quit using banner ads? “Hardly!” according to a panel of Marketing Specialists from Microsoft who claim that “banner ad blindness is a good thing.” Their point was that banner ads need a new approach in order to grab your attention. (Have you seen the comical Microsoft ads featuring Bill Gates and Seinfeld? And, recall the BIG DEAL about Super Bowl ads!)

New marketing research shows that banner ads that “personally interact” with the viewer work! And, the climbing click-through rates prove it.

“So,” you ask, “how do I get a ton of viewers to click-on my banner ad?” In a nutshell, if you want to run a banner ad to get your message across, design it to “involve the viewer.” For example, one banner ad that was particularly successful, challenged the viewer by asking a question,
“Do All Blue Fraggle Widgets Turn Green At Night? True or False?” (You get the idea.)

And sure enough, the viewer is challenged to interact and will click on the answer to see if he is right. Immediately he is greeted by a very interesting landing page that praises him for knowing the correct answer and offers him a deal he can’t refuse. He feels all warm and fuzzy about this product and has personally responded to this cleverly designed “interactive banner.”

The average viewer wants to know, “What’s in it for ME?” and “How can you solve my pain-points?” So, if you can appeal to the viewer one-on-one, on a very personal level, they will respond to your banner and generate a much higher percentage of click-throughs to your site.

What are some examples of banner ads that you find appealing? Or, annoying? I personally am offended by strobe-light ads and immediately leave the site if they are present.

If you are in a jewelry-related field and are considering a banner ad on Ganoksin.com, but have no idea where to start, please feel free to give me a call (or email) and I will be happy to help you with suggestions on ways to design your own banner.

Clever banner ads DO generate traffic to your website!

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When was the last time you examined your website from the point of view of a First-Time-Viewer? It’s so easy for all of us to take our websites for granted, thinking they are working 24/7 as our silent Sales force.

Do you want to keep your website user-friendly for the First-Time-Viewer? Here are 5 (free) tips.

1.) Invite a neighbor, or someone from an office down the hall (someone who knows nothing about your business), to sit in front of a computer and quickly navigate through your website without any prompting from you. Stand behind them and watch how they navigate through the site. Then, ask them to tell you what your business does? Did they immediately “get” what you do from the information on the HomePage? Or, did they have to search further to figure it out?

2.) Does your website HomePage speak to the First-Time-Viewer “personally?” In my experience, as I open a HomePage for the first time, little questions pop in my head - “What’s in it for ME?” “Why should I buy from this company?” “What do they offer that I can’t get elsewhere?”

If the site contains chest pounding words like: “Best in the World,” “Award Winning,” or “Greatest Thing Since Sliced Bread,” (you know the drill), I click on the “BACK” button. I want specifics! WHY should I buy from you? What VALUE proposition do you offer me? Speak to me on a personal level. Don’t just scream how great you Think you are!

3.) Is everything up-to-date? It always bugs me when I open a site’s News and Events section with the “latest” Press Release dated 2005. Or, the bottom of each webpage says ” last updated: 11/5/07.” Hello — Is anybody home?

4.) Make sure your Shopping Cart works for everyone. I purchase a lot of stuff online and hate it when they don’t include specific Shipping Information. I have to fill in a different address if it is going to be shipped via Fed Ex or UPS. If it is shipped via US Postal Service, then I need to know. If I don’t see the info I need, then I will buy somewhere else.

5.) Test the credit card submission page. I have experienced many sites that don’t accept my zip code or address the first time. I have to play detective and try to figure out how they want it entered, even though I have entered it correctly, it comes back as an “invalid address.” That always drives me to someone else’s site to buy. Especially if their Customer Service office is closed and no one answers the phone!

When was the last time you took a look at YOUR website from the eyes of a First-Time-Viewer?

And, as a First-Time-Viewer, what’s your Pet Peeve about websites with Shopping Carts?

Virginia L. Vivier

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