Columnists

Creative Connecting: AI Tools and Tips for Social Media

ColumnistsMar 26, 2024

Creative Connecting: AI Tools and Tips for Social Media

Jen Cullen Williams and Duvall O’Steen explore how jewelers can save time and money by using AI to analyze engagement and create content.

National Jeweler columnists Duvall O’Steen and Jen Cullen Williams
Duvall O’Steen, left, and Jen Cullen Williams are independent communications strategists and senior consultants for the Luxury Brand Group. They can be reached at DuvallOsteenNYC@gmail.com or Jen@JenCullenWilliams.com.
With all the buzz about artificial intelligence (AI) lately, the Creative Connecting team has gotten curious about how jewelers specifically can best utilize AI tools and how they can incorporate AI into their social media and email marketing campaigns.

We talked to the experts and discovered some fun AI tools and tips for jewelers, many of which can save both time and money.

Laryssa Wirstiuk, founder of the jewelry digital marketing agency and the podcast Joy Joya, encourages all of her jewelry clients to begin exploring AI.

“AI technology is evolving rapidly, so it’s important to at least be paying attention to what’s out there, even if you haven’t yet fully embraced it in your business. You don’t want to get left behind and suddenly realize that you could have been taking advantage of some amazing tools all along.”

AI for Market Research
One huge benefit of AI is its access to broad sources of data, making it ideal for market research.

Many jewelers cannot afford the costly fees associated with traditional market research, opting instead for trial-and-error marketing strategies.

AI offers particularly strong tools for market research, giving you and your marketing team real-time data that can help you strategize more effectively.

Dewey Taylor, creative director at Loudr-A Bottom Line Agency (formerly Bottom Line Marketing), recommends a variety of AI tools to his jewelry clients, each of which can enhance your social media presence and make it a more effective marketing tool for your business.

He recommends both sentiment analysis and customer insight tools.

“Sentiment analysis tools like Brandwatch will monitor your audience reactions, gauge the sentiment for your brand, and adjust marketing messaging accordingly to enhance your jewelry brand’s public perception,” Taylor said.

“Similarly, AI analytics tools such as Sprout Social or Socialbakers (Emplifi) will analyze customer behavior, preferences, and engagement patterns on your social media platforms to help you tailor jewelry marketing campaigns more effectively.”

For example, if particular types of posts perform better for your brand, e.g., Instagram Reels vs. image carousels or interactive question/dialogue-oriented posts vs. educational content, such AI tools will track that for you so that you can better plan future content.

If certain types of questions or comments appear regularly in your engagement, AI tools can also note that, giving you specific advice related to what your customers want you to feature, more or less.

For example, if price requests are the most common comment, your team can consider the policy for sharing more price information in future posts.   

Taylor also suggests using AI trend analysis on Pinterest and predictive analytics on Instagram.

“Jewelers can also use AI tools like Tailwind to analyze user behavior, identify trending jewelry styles, and generate data-driven insights that will inform future content creation and marketing strategies on the Pinterest platform,” he said. 

“Similarly, you can leverage AI predictive analytics to forecast jewelry trends, analyze audience engagement metrics, and optimize content strategies for increased visibility and performance on Instagram.”

Using AI tools to predict what jewelry styles Pinterest users will be searching obviously can help you post more of that type of jewelry to gain more attention, interest, and ultimately sales.

On Instagram, the entire jewelry industry struggles with the always changing algorithm. AI predictive analytics tools can take some of the mystery out of Instagram marketing.

AI for Social Media Content Creation
One of the biggest benefits of AI for jewelers lies in its ability to help create beautiful content for social media platforms without expensive budget line items for things like photo shoots, video crews, and professional model usage fees.

Esther Ligthart,  jewelry blogger, consultant, and the journalist behind Bizzita.com, said she uses AI regularly to help create content for her own social media platforms. 

“AI is now a feature in both Canva and Grammarly. I use ChatGPT with the Canva app to create content in bulk (only available in the premium version of Canva). In 10 minutes, I can create 50 or more posts for my social media. I also use AI for accuracy and efficiency because I write in different languages.”

As another example, Wirstiuk recommends using AI to insert photos of your jewelry on interesting backgrounds. 

AI video tools can also turn static jewelry images into engaging short videos or Reels. Instagram has automated tools that can turn your story highlights into a reel, for example. 

With proper prompts, AI can also transform your jewelry catalog images into fun or trending memes. 

For example, with the recent “Mob Wife” jewelry trend, AI might take a chunky gold chain photo and add text such as, “Mob Wife must-have” or “You talkin’ to me?? #mobwife.”

“While [AI chatbots] will never replace the ingenuity of humans, they are great for ideas and inspiration and helping the marketing team think outside the box.”— Dewey Taylor, Loudr 

Ligthart also recommends using AI to create social media advertising campaigns. 

“AI creative image generator tools such as Midjourney or the simpler Dall-E help creative artists to create imaginary worlds, scenarios, and, sometimes, mind-blowing art forms. Jewelry designers, brand developers, and jewelry marketing executives might work with AI artists to create unique campaigns for their brand.”

Such campaign creation can save money and time and allow your team to be adaptable to market dynamics. It can also help you stand out in the marketplace, as your ad is likely to be more original and unique than traditional jewelry advertising.

Taylor, of Loudr, recommends using AI for Instagram Stories.

“Jewelers can utilize AI-powered tools like Adobe Sensei or Canva to generate engaging visuals, suggest design elements, and automate the creation of captivating 24-hour stories.”

In addition, Taylor highly recommends using AI content calendars for platforms like LinkedIn or Instagram.

“AI chatbots can help you create content grids with ideas for calendars through advanced prompting,” he said. “While this will never replace the ingenuity of humans, it’s great for ideas and inspiration and helping the marketing team think outside the box.”

AI can also suggest captions for your social media posts.

Cloud Campaign’s Caption AI tool and Grammarly’s writing assistant can help generate better captions for social media. 

If, for example, your buying team has selected eight to 10 specific products to promote in advance of Mother’s Day, AI tools can generate captions with various on-trend mom messaging, as well as the product details about the specific items.

 Related stories will be right here … 

AI for Automated Interactions, Email Marketing, and Social Selling
Another daunting task for many jewelers on social media is keeping up with the comments, questions, and direct messages.

Taylor recommends his clients use chatbots on Facebook and Instagram.

“Integrate AI chatbots such as ManyChat or MobileMonkey (now Customers.Ai) to automate customer interactions, provide instant responses, and offer personalized product recommendations for jewelry inquiries,” he said.

With careful oversight, such tools can be huge time savers and can offer real-time responses to your clients even when the store or office is closed.

Ligthart uses AI in Google to help her be more efficient with email replies as well.

“In Gmail, you’ll find AI responses that could help you get through a pile of emails faster,” she said. 

Many jewelers also regularly use email and SMS marketing to keep in touch with their customers.

According to Wirstiuk, “Email marketing platforms now have AI tools to help you create an email from scratch, including the design and copy.”

This could potentially save both time and money; just make sure to keep your branding consistent with each email blast design.

According to Taylor, AI also can enhance your social selling.

“We recommend our clients implement AI-driven recommendation engines like Barilliance or Nosto to personalize product suggestions, enhance the shopping experience, and boost conversions for jewelry products on social media-linked e-commerce platforms,” he said. 

For example, when a customer sends a DM inquiring about a choker-length pearl necklace, the AI software can offer suggestions from your e-commerce platform.

“It is wise to think of AI like a new employee—it needs training, guidance, and support.”— Jen Cullen Williams & Duvall O’Steen

Importance of Oversight for AI
The use of any AI tools will require careful oversight and training. 

While they do efficiently reduce human labor, these tools do not, and should not, replace human ingenuity. 

It is wise to think of AI like a new employee—it needs training, guidance, and support. 

Using AI chatbots does not mean you never have to visit your DM inbox on Instagram again. Your designated team member should regularly check the conversations, during normal business hours, to gauge the tone, efficacy, and results. Always be ready to step in with human responses when needed.

Wirstiuk warns that you must know your brand identity inside and out and be consistent with it as you draft prompts for ChatGPT and other AI tools. 

“Definitely don’t assume that AI knows best,” she said. “Always review AI output to ensure that it aligns with your brand identity/voice, your audience’s needs, and your goals. AI is an amazing tool, but it’s far from perfect!”

Ligthart offers a similar warning, saying, “Be careful, though. Once you use, for example, ChatGPT, you easily recognize others who have used it and notice that a text might come across as less credible and authentic. 

“The way to go is to give the right prompt and adapt that prompt again and again until you have the best version. I would say that AI has improved my work, but it’s only a tool. It doesn’t take away your own input, knowledge, or authenticity if you use it right.” 

There are many fun new ways to explore AI and let it do some of the heavy lifting for your social media marketing teams. 

Whichever tool you use, keep the above tips in mind and have fun with it, all while staying true to your brand aesthetic. 

Wirstiuk said it best, “No matter what your social media marketing strategy, there’s definitely some kind of AI tool you could be using to enhance your efforts.”

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