Tell Me a Story

Customers want a story!

We live in a time where people can purchase jewelry anywhere--big box stores, department stores and online. With so many choices it's important to make your handmade jewelry stand out to gain customers and repeat business. One of the best (and easiest) ways to set your jewelry-making business apart is by telling a story.

Think about why you buy jewelry. What influenced your last jewelry purchase?

Jewelry purchases are an emotional decision based on how a person feels. By wearing a specific piece, they have an emotional connection to it. Jewelry offers a way for people to differentiate themselves and feel special. It's all about sentimental value, expressing individuality, feeling good about one's self and being stylish. Your customers are seeking an emotional message with their jewelry purchases.

So, how do you connect with customers on this emotional level? It's all about telling a story. And the good news is that every jewelry-maker has a powerful story to tell. Some of the ways you can set yourself apart with a story include supporting charities, using signature affirmations and words of encouragement in your creations, making jewelry with spiritual and metaphysical meanings, religious jewelry, personalizing designs, incorporating vintage pieces and producing eco-friendly and sustainable designs.

Make it Personal

Customers want to know where you live, why you started making jewelry and what drives you. For example, are you a single mom that decided to work from home on a farm while you help care for your parents? Do you make jewelry to help you relax? Did you discover jewelry-making during a difficult time in life? Are you creating jewelry to help support a cause that's near and dear to your heart? Share who you are and why you make jewelry, so customers know the story behind the brand.

Charities

Many artists align themselves with charities that mean something to them and offer their customers the ability to help support the cause and learn about why it's important. You can donate a percentage of purchases that go to support a meaningful cause. This way when customers get compliments on your jewelry, they can also share how they are helping to feed children in need or whatever the cause may be.

The key is to be transparent and honest. Allow customers to relate to your story and background. You can share your story online, through face-to-face conversations and in descriptions of your jewelry pieces. Paint the picture of who you are and why your jewelry holds special meaning to you.

Talk About Your Design Process

Talk about why you design your pieces and what they mean to you. Are you selecting specific gemstones based on metaphysical properties? Do certain stones or metals speak to you? Do they represent something special to you? Sharing the story of your creative journey allows customers to emotionally connect with your jewelry.

Take customers on the journey of your design process to personally connect with them. Do you create in a home workshop, your kitchen table, an office space? Do you have a dog or a cat as an assistant? Kids that like to help? Relatable stories about your life and work make you and your brand more memorable.

Customer relationships are created by sharing your process, how you found the materials, why you chose the metals you used and any other information on how the design was made. For example, did you travel somewhere to find some of the pieces, were you influenced by a faraway place or vacation, do you use locally-sourced materials, did something inspire you to choose certain stones or is there a vintage or upcycled element to the design? Every design process is unique and sharing it with customers can help build perceived value and increase their emotional connection with your handmade designs.

Their Own Story to Tell

Customers will love sharing your story in their own words as they wear or gift your jewelry.

Affirmations and Words of Encouragement

People are naturally drawn to words of affirmation that offer emotional support or encouragement and pieces that offer spiritual meaning. Many jewelry purchases are used as gifts to share words of encouragement, joy and happiness through jewelry.

Spiritual and Metaphysical Meanings

Sharing the meaning and metaphysical properties of stones in your jewelry can help your designs connect with customers. Easily discover the metaphysical properties of gemstones and add additional meaning when marketing jewelry by using Fire Mountain Gems and Beads' Gem Notes. For example, amethyst can be used to support intuition and spiritual balance, rose quartz is known as the universal stone of love and tourmaline can help promote self-confidence. Customers can share this when people notice their jewelry and feel good about their purchase.

Religious Symbols

Connect with customers by offering religious-themed jewelry. For example, cross pendant jewelry, St. Christopher necklaces, rosaries and Star of David designs for beautiful meaning.

Personalization

Offer sentimental value for customers through personalization and customized jewelry. Examples include stamping letters, names, words or phrases into jewelry designs. Let customers create their own color schemes and choose stones that are meaningful to them. We're seeing Morse code jewelry, birthstone creations, astrological themes, longitude/latitude designs, thumbprint jewelry and photos being added to lockets for emotionally driven style.

Vintage/Eco-Friendly

Adding vintage elements and components to jewelry designs gives a OOAK story to designs that customers can connect with. Jewelry businesses can also set themselves apart by using eco-friendly materials and sharing the process.

There's no right or wrong way to tell your story because it's just that… a story. Use the power of storytelling to emotionally connect with customers for jewelry-making success.