Selling on Instagram: A Q&A with Industry Expert Katerina Perez

brand to have content that catches the eye and sparks interest, as well as key features like shoppable tags in stories, retargeting campaigns, shipping calculator, etc., that make it easy to shop.

Jewelers must also constantly review their Instagram account through the eyes of their followers, who are also their potential clients.

Q: What is a consumer expecting from an IG shopping experience?

KP: When it comes to jewelry, first a potential client wants to get to know the brand through Instagram. Only after they have been following for a while and started trusting it will they be ready to buy. This is when they want a fast purchase and headache-free delivery, as well as a responsive person running the account who can answer all their questions within minutes, or at least within a few hours.

Q: How can businesses define their audience to better target core customers on Instagram?

KP: This is actually one of the things I work on with those who attend my course, “How to Sell Jewellery on Instagram.” I am going to give you a small abstract from the course.

When defining your target audience, don’t think in broad terms like, “I want to attract women who love jewelry.” That will not help you narrow down your visual and verbal communication.

Be more specific. Think of your ideal client’s age, location, marital status, work and hobbies, where they like to travel to, which events they like to attend, how much time is spent on Instagram, what do they do on it, do they follow any bloggers, etc. Put yourself in their shoes, imagine their world and what they might be looking for on Instagram.

Once you have a clear picture of your target customer, you can offer your followers the type of content that would correspond to their specific needs.

A fashionista who wears jewelry to complete her look will not bother reading long posts about historical jewelry, right? But she would be super-keen to know about the hot trends in jewelry or how to style your collections.

To have a long-lasting relationship with your audience and win their loyalty, you need to showcase through your content that you understand what they desire and that you have exactly what they want.

Think: Why would people want to follow a jeweler on Instagram? What would they expect? To see pretty pictures? Learn about jewelry? Find their dream jewel or buy a gift for someone?

Put yourself in the shoes of a client and give them what they might want before they even ask!

Q: Outside of direct sales, are there any other advantages of setting up Instagram shopping?

KP: The main thing to remember that Instagram is first and foremost a platform where people go to socialize and find entertainment. That’s why the ability to sell jewelry is really a bonus.

The real advantages a brand may receive are getting quality requests and leads, as well as making new contacts and finding business connections and potential clients.

With over 1 billion-plus active monthly users, Instagram recommends businesses take these three steps to find ways to leverage shoppable content.

1) Make content actionable
2) Own your brand voice
3) Plan ahead

Remember to always be mindful of Federal Trade Commission disclosure guidelines when posting product for sale on Instagram. The Jewelers Vigilance Committee has a clear, easy and downloadable guide on its website.

Lastly, remember that at the end of the day, you are selling emotion, not a product. Jewelry is a precious container of the emotions that we hold dear—mementos of self-worth, a memorable occasion or a loved one.

So be sure to add the romance.

Pair your beautiful hero product shot or video with a caption that speaks to it greater emotional value.

Use the swipe to feature to show the product being worn for context as it relates to size.

And make sure any lifestyle images reflect your core brand values and look like your target customer so that they can see themselves in your ads.

Interested in setting up your Instagram shopping experience? Visit Instagram’s business page for more information.

Ready to enhance your Instagram selling strategy? Consider participating in “How to Sell Jewellery on Instagram,” Katerina’s six-week online course.

National Jeweler readers can receive a 15 percent early-bird discount for the gold and platinum levels by emailing education@katerinaperez.com and using “NationalJeweler” as code word.

Duvall O’Steen and Jen Cullen Williams are two independent communications strategists and senior consultants for the agency Luxury Brand Group. They can be reached at DuvallOsteenNYC@gmail.com and Jen@JenCullenWilliams.com.