Jewelry Business Guru by Cindy Edelstein

JewelryBizGuru Blog has moved to CindyEdelstein.com

Finally! I've got a new look, a new name and a new blog at www.CindyEdelstein.com. I'm so excited!

Expect a lot more content and please don't be shy to comment or ask questions on the new site. CindyEdelstein.com offers a lot more information on the rest of our projects and events, too. So much to share! I hope you join me there.

 

Facebook, Twitter boost online sales

Social media is starting to make inroads in business. So glad to hear some stats that back up the feeling we who have embraced the digital phenomenon have experienced.

I've discovered a lot of new things via other people's posts. The ultimate tell-a-friend network really works. I trust my friends -- I even trust the friends of my friends.

This holiday season is the first chance for most retailers to test the selling power of Facebook and Twitter, and one early survey shows the strategy is working, reports the San Francisco Chronicle.

A survey conducted Friday through Monday showed that 28 percent of shoppers who have started buying gifts were influenced by social media, according to a report from the research firm comScore Inc. of Reston, Va.

Read more:  Facebook, Twitter boost online sales.

Twitip.com – Twitter Tips By Seasoned Twitter Users To Help You Get Started

Tim Lenahan of Makeuseof.com points out some great content on a favorite website of  mine, too, Twitip.com. Where you can learn all things twitter.

"I remember when I started learning how to Twitter.  My first reaction was “What in the world is the use of this waste of time?”  Twitter was confusing, a waste of time, and without a point.  It wasn’t until I decided I was going to finally sit down and figure it out that I actually began to “get it,” wrote Tim.

"The point is, Twitter can be quite the tool to get your proverbial head around.  When things are tough, it’s nice to have a little help.  It’s for that reason that a blog like Twitip.com comes in handy.  Twitip.com shares tips about how to Twitter.  In fact, that’s what the name means: Twit-tip."

Visit the article to find out all the tips Tim recommends.

Twitip.com – Twitter Tips By Seasoned Twitter Users To Help You Get Started.

Forrester Expecting Online Holiday Sales to Increase 8%

While overall retail sales are expected to remain flat or down slightly this holiday shopping season, Forrester Research predicts online retail sales in the U.S. will reach $44.7 billion. That’s an 8% increase over the 2008 holiday shopping season, reports MultichannelMerchant.com.

Forrester defines the holiday shopping season as the months of November and December.

“Despite the lingering effects of the recession, the online space remains the retail industry’s growth engine,” Sucharita Mulpuru, vice president/principal analyst for Forrester Research, said in a release. “What’s different this holiday from past years is that online retailers will manage to the bottom line, which will change some of the tactics they have employed in the past.”

According to the new Forrester report, “U.S. Online Holiday Retail Forecast, 2009,” online retailers will strive to balance consumer demand this holiday with profitability. Retailers will cut down on automatic free shipping and institute price thresholds to qualify for free shipping, the report says.

Customer engagement is also a priority this holiday: Expect to see online retailers deploy more cross-channel customer service options and advanced merchandising software. This technology will provide more product information and enhanced social networking tools that will enable consumers to share purchase decisions with friends.

“Tighter offline inventories may benefit the online channel as consumers go to the Web looking for products — and prices — they can’t find in stores this holiday,” Mulpuru said. “Online retailers will be ready for them with a special focus this year on engagement and service.”

15 Reasons Why Consumers Will Leave Your eCommerce Site

How often do you visit a website and find something cute or useful you'd like to buy? And after some clicking you change your mind?

Ever wonder what you (or your web designer) did on your site that has people not go all the way?

Here's a great checklist of reasons why folks do not complete their buying process; from odd linguistics to complicated systems there's a lot of ways to turn off someone who finds something they like on your site.

http://www.practicalecommerce.com/articles/1350-Conversion-15-Reasons-Why-Consumers-Will-Leave-Your-eCommerce-Site.

The Science of Retweets on Twitter | Brian Solis - PR 2.0

I gotta say, I love the retweet. It gives me the chance to share some bon mot or great article with one click. I love that!

Are you following me on twitter? Just click here: http://twitter.com/JewelryBizGuru

Here's what I retweeted today:

One of the most actively discussed aspects of Twitter is the art and science of retweets. Retweets, in my opinion, are one of the most sincere forms of recognition and validation, empowering users to pay it forward through the recognition of noteworthy content. According to Dan, retweets also serve as the foundation for assessing the qualities of viral content, “You don’t spread ideas just because they are “good;” you spread them because of some other trigger or set of triggers has been pulled in your brain. We can now compare millions of viral ideas to uncover the building blocks of contagiousness.”
The Science of Retweets on Twitter | Brian Solis - PR 2.0.

Everyone's Doing It: Brands Take on Social Media - Media News - WWD.com

For fashion companies, 2009 is turning out to be the year of social media.

"Once reluctant to cede control, brands and retailers from low to high are embracing social media and using it to boost sales and brand awareness. Having a presence on the top five social sites — Twitter, Facebook, MySpace, Flickr and YouTube — is de rigueur. The top luxury fashion brands on Facebook in terms of fans are Gucci, Chanel, Dolce & Gabbana, Ralph Lauren, Coach and Prada (although the Prada page is an unofficial one), according to New York University professor of marketing and Red Envelope founder Scott Galloway. Luxury fashion brands with the most Twitter followers are Vuitton, Tory Burch, Yves Saint Laurent and Christian Dior."

read more:  Everyone's Doing It: Brands Take on Social Media - Media News - WWD.com.

Social media policies from 80+ organizations -- craft yours after reading theirs

Have you thought about what's ok and what's not for your employees to say about you/your company on twitter, facebook, et al? Think they're NOT talking about you?

Read other's policies on Mashable.com and then come up with your own:

One of the key challenges for modern organizations is to define a social media policy. What’s acceptable? What isn’t? And how should you go about creating such a document for your workplace?

read rest of article

Jewelers Should Be Efficient With Your Social Networking

  Budget your time wisely -- or risk being ruled by the internet, says Starr Hall, author of Get Connected: The Social Networking Toolkit for Business, available from Entrepreneur Press.

 In a recent Entrepreneur.com article Hall advises using third party "helper" programs to manage your various social media sites.  For instance, Tweetdeck helps you tie your Twitter updates with your Facebook updates. And Facebook has a little application called Networkedblogs that lets you pull your blog entries into your Facebook page.

 Since you need to use more than one social medium -- but NOT that many more, please! -- these helpers are a great timesaver. And just to remind folks we advise that a blog,  Facebook and Twitter are the only ones you need. And of course, you're sending regular enewsletters via a service like Myemma.com (we're an agency for them and can help you set it all up) is also essential to your marketing plan.

That's all you need to be completely plugged in.

Adding Linkedin is ok if you want a professionals only network, too, and Flickr for photo sharing if that interests you. No more! Don't confuse the issue; those sites suffice.

 Another time saver Hall suggests is not to "e-mail back or talk to every single person that responds to your post or that thanks you online for posting something. The easiest way to stay connected yet not get overwhelmed is to only respond to conversations where the person is asking for an answer, further information, or guidance. If they simply post a thank you, let it be. Another effective way to stay on task with social networking is to set up a response system. One or two days a week, set aside 15 to 20 minutes to respond to your social networking e-mails and posts."

Read the full article here on msnbc.com where the article recently was published.

On Facebook yet? We Just Started a Group so Join Us

So... are you on Facebook? Linkedin? Any social networking sites?

According to recent reports there's more than just kids on these networking sites. A BusinessWeek article entitled "Fogeys Flock to Facebook" says:

Facebook, the online hangout for college kids and recent graduates, is growing up. The site has amassed an audience of 33 million Web users, initially by catering to well-scrubbed kids who use the social network to nudge their friends, share photos, and swap music tips—all while consuming ads from Gen Y brands like Apple, Jeep, and Red Bull.

Lately, an influx of older users—professionals in their 30s and 40s, many in high-tech—is changing the face of Facebook. Among Silicon Valley executives, journalists, and publicists, Facebook has become the place to see and be seen. And it's not just tech. Consulting company Ernst & Young's Facebook network boasts 16,000 members, Citigroup's (C) claims nearly 8,500.

Well, we never want to be at the tail end of a trend so we set up a Facebook network, too!

You can join our Facebook Group, Designer Jewelry Business Savvy,
by going to: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=13070097340

Of course you'll have to join Facebook first but ... why not? Make it all about your business and your designs (not what party you went to or whom you're dating!) and see what you can do with it. Don't expect a lot overnight but hey, you gotta be in it to win it. And this is certainly a forward thinking place to be!

Let's see how big a network we can make of professional jewelry designers seeking to promote their own businesses. Friend me on Facebook, join our group and most importantly......tell your friends. The more people in our Group the more important jewelry designers will look on searches.