Prestige Promenade pearls and sweets
Issue link: http://www.epageflip.net/i/899713
50 www.thejewelrybook.com and co-owner of Greenwich St. Jewelers in New York City. Since her team enjoys hearing shop- pers' proposal stories—shared when they accept post-engagement invitations to the store for cham- pagne toasts—she thought others might, too, and started writing them up for the store's blog. "People love being featured and will often share them with friends, families, and social-media com- munities," explains Gandia about the effort that helps personalize her brand and gain access to pro- spective clients in an uncontrived manner. For sure, user-generated content strengthens client bonds while making them brand ambassadors, all of which is good for building relationships. "That is always good for business," Gandia says. Severine Ferrari, editor in chief of Engage- ment101.com, has been sharing real-world proposal stories for 10 years on her editorial platform because of audience demands and their powers of persuasion. "These are the best refer- rals—couples who are inspired by others they can identify with," she says. One caveat: use geograph- ically connected tags, such as #miamijewelrystore, so shoppers can fi nd nearby stores. V IDEO STARS Finally, videos of real-life proposals may be more work than other tactics, but they can also have greater impact. Consider Michael Neylon, president of Master Jewelers in Indianapolis, who started a store YouTube channel to showcase real-world proposals. A professional videographer helps persuade couples—not just store shoppers—to go on camera and tell their love stories in under-fi ve-minute clips. Naturally, Neylon wants to focus only on his own clients, but he knows it's hard to fi nd ones willing to share intimate narratives. Videoed stories that go online, however tedious the task of securing them, garner a payoff of thousands of views. And though return on investment can be tricky to calculate, Neylon learned the true power of those videos at the late September wedding of a couple who bought rings from him. "The groom told me what sealed the deal for him buying a ring with us was those videos," Neylon recollected. "He said he watched those videos and they gave him ideas of how he wanted to pro- pose. He thought they were the coolest thing." T E C H N O L O GY R E P O R T S O C I A L M E D I A "People love being featured and will often share them with friends, families, and social-media communities." Tacori