10 things you can do for your jewellery business whilst in lockdown!
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These really are unprecedented times, and no one knows exactly what each new day will hold. It is normal to feel upset, disappointed and some level of grief and fear as a business owner but that isn’t the end of the story…
Despite this world crisis, there are still many things we can do to build ourselves up. When reframed, this could actually be just the thing you need to really make progress, refocus and think creatively about how your business can thrive now and in the future.
Here are 10 great things you can do for your jewellery business whilst we are in this phase of distancing ourselves socially. Coronavirus will not beat us!
Ok, so sales might be down and daily life is changing for a while, but there are a lot of things to keep us busy in our jewellery business, so let me give you a few ideas and show you why it ain’t so bad being home after all!
No 1. - Prep for Christmas
One of your busiest and best selling times in the year!
It may seem a while away but it’s really not! Christmas is prime time for selling as a jeweller and so it’s always worth investing in.
So why not get start getting ready by:
Taking lots of gorgeous festive photos of your jewellery ready for sharing on social media or for uploading to your website
Creating a Christmas gift guide with lots of great ideas for different recipients
If you haven’t done so already, plan and book in your Christmas markets/shows and then spend some creative time thinking about your stand/display
Designing your Christmas emails so that they are ready to go out - this will be a great time saver nearer the time!
No. 2 - Work on your website
There’s always plenty of general housekeeping to do on your website right? But it is often something that sits on the back burner when there’s too much other stuff going on!
So, perhaps you could:
Take a look at your homepage, can you update or refresh your hero images or best selling products? It’s a good idea to try and keep your homepage fresh, interesting and up to date. You could make a bank of templates to use throughout the year, valentines, mothers day, easter, summer, autumn, Christmas and January sales etc.
Have you created any sizing guides yet? If not, now might be a good time to design some helpful information on sizing to enhance your customers shopping experience online.
Are your T&C’s up to date? What about all of your delivery, returns and exchange policies?
Perhaps you could spend some time creating a new look-book. These are often quite a big project but well worth spending the time on if you can. Aspirational images of your jewellery on are a model are always a good selling tool. (This is a lovely creative project to do too!)
No. 3 - Launch or work on your email marketing
I’m pretty sure most of you would admit that email marketing is always at the bottom of your list - hands up who’s guilty!? It can feel very time consuming but email marketing is also one of the best tools you have for selling online - so now is a great time to invest a bit of spare time in it!
If you haven’t even got a mailing list, spend sometime looking into the different platforms out there to see which one you feel comfortable with. I use Mailchimp (it’s a very popular one) which has lots of functionality and tools for building some great email campaigns. There are plenty of other options though, website providers such as Squarespace also now provide a mailing list service.
If you’ve already got a mailing list, perhaps you could look at slightly more advanced strategies like setting up an ‘Abandon Cart’ email to remind customers of something they might have left in their basket. This is a great tool for helping with conversions online, but often something people don’t manage to get set up.
No. 4 - Get making!
Why not just spend some time indulging in some making and experimenting? There is nothing better than having time for being creative without any pressure, the more time you give yourself, the more you get out of it. It’s a great opportunity to develop your signature style and find out what you’re good at. Perhaps it might lead to a brand new collection which you can launch later in the year!
Plus if you’re stuck for inspiration we have lots of great fun and FREE online classes and tutorials at Jewellers Academy (check out our Youtube Channel and blog pages) to help fire up your creative juices and develop your making skills!
We have also launched a Makers Membership option, to get access to over 25 professional online jewellery making courses from just £29 here >
No. 5 - Get social and spend some time on Instagram developing your reach!
This is a great one if you’re a little tied up looking after the children and perhaps have less time than you did before as the kids aren’t at school or nursery. So grab the time when you can - breakfast/lunch/dinner, or whilst the kids are playing on their own for a bit, and get on Instagram doing the following activities to help grow your following and reach:
Get involved with your community, commenting, liking and chatting
Post your beautiful jewellery daily - something you should be doing anyway, but perhaps now you can make sure it happens!
Explore different hashtags and follow new threads
Research and reach out to influencers to see if you can grow your following
No. 6 - Strategise and spend time mapping out your businesses plans
Are you mostly flying by the seat of your pants when it comes to your business? Then why not spend this extra time strategising your business and thinking about how you can grow your business.
We have a selection of free resources and paid for courses at Jewellers Academy to help you on your way. Why don’t you start with our free guide on how to grow your business? Click here to download
No. 7 - Read some jewellery books
Nothing better than immersing yourself in a book and escaping! Why not feed your imagination and get inspired by reading some wonderful jewellery books. Some of my favourites are:
No. 8 - Learn something new!
How about setting yourself a little challenge and sign up to learning something completely new? Soldering? Stone setting? Metal Clay? Or wax carving? Choose from our great selection of online courses or become a member and get access to all of them!
No. 9 - Have a spring clean in the studio
Here’s something that probably never gets any attention, your studio or workshop! So why not spend a little time having a clean, perhaps reorganising your tools (buy a pegboard!) or tidying up the paperwork.
What else could you do to make it a more inspiring space? Add some art? Or have a little move around to see if another way works better? Perhaps give it a lick of paint - add a splash of colour! Spend a little time making your space inspiring to be in.
No. 10 - Challenge yourself and join the Jewellers Academy Mastermind!
Invest in your future and join the Jewellers Academy Mastermind - change your outlook, build your skills and stay accountable. This is an exclusive coaching programme for a select group of jewellers ready to take their business to the next level. if you want to find out more come and book a call with me here: https://www.jewellersacademy.com/mastermind
You’re invited to the Jewellers Retreat
All around the world we are experiencing unprecedented events.
If you are on lockdown and feeling isolated
If you are anxious about yourself, your family and your business
If you feel like you've lost your creative mojo
Please know that you are not alone.
If you are feeling any or all of this then we would love to invite you to our very special FREE Jewellers Retreat.
When? Tuesday 14th - Thursday 16th April 2020, 7.30-9.30pm BST daily
Where? Online. Because, lockdown
We will have sessions in yoga for jewellers, finding your calm and much more. Click the button below to find out more and join now for free.
We can’t wait to welcome you.
