SourcingAug 12, 2025
Gemfields Sells Fabergé for $50MAcquired by a tech investor, the historic brand will continue to focus on jewelry, accessories, and timepieces.
TechnologyJul 30, 2019
The PR Adviser: Turning Staff into Influencers, Part II
Lilian Raji gives a lesson on hashtags in her latest column on influencer marketing. #Readit.
Lilian Raji is a strategic communications and PR adviser who helps companies understand their marketing problems, then designs and executes strategies to solve them.
Hello dear readers! It’s been weeks since Vegas. I hope you’re well-tanned from doing absolutely nothing in the sun. Or, at the very least, have bodies made supple by daily massages and nightly mojitos as you recuperate from the shows.
It’s time to pick up where we last left off in our influencer marketing focus.
We were in the process of creating an elite, super-engineered, influencer warrior named Anastasia who influences exclusively for you. Let’s continue!
Q. Dear Lilian,
Rather than paying influencers to help promote our business, how can I turn my staff into influencers?
Signed,
Keeping the Bacon at Home
A. When we last rendezvous-ed here on National Jeweler, your homework assignment was to grab a free copy of my Influencer Marketing Toolkit, and use the workbook “The Creative Brief” to help brainstorm Anastasia’s content strategy.
In your strategy development, did you include how you can involve your customers? If not, tsk, tsk, tsk.
The most important rule in sales, marketing or PR is that it’s never about you.
Buying is about the customer.
Whenever a customer buys from your Anastasia, she’ll ask the happy customer to do a joint selfie showing off the latest purchase. This gets posted and tagged on Instagram, where yours and the customer’s followers can see.
For gift purchases, encourage the customer to share pictures or video of the recipient receiving that gift, especially if it’s an engagement ring like this Royal Asscher-cut stone set in a twisted split shank.
When the picture or video arrives, onto Instagram it goes with a humble-brag post about Anastasia’s involvement.
Including real, live, happy customers on your Anastasia’s Instagram is the most authentic thing you can do. And never forget—authenticity is the gateway to influence.
Now, say several weeks have passed with Anastasia diligently posting alluring content, yet she’s barely cracking 2,000 followers. What gives?
With all the hours she’s putting in, surely she should have 100,000 followers by now, right?
Wrong. And don’t call me Shirley.
Herein lies the challenge of becoming an influencer.
How long have you known the name Kim Kardashian? A year? Four years? A decade?
Would you be surprised to know “Keeping Up with the Kardashians” first aired in 2007?
Yeah, it’s been that long. Let’s take a moment to acknowledge just how hard Kris Jenner has worked to keep her family relevant all these years.
“Don’t buy followers because those followers are often bots that don’t have
credit cards, or limbs to wear your jewelry.”
But back to Anastasia and her slow-growing follower count. Above everything else, it takes time to grow a significant following. Be neither impatient nor ashamed at the slow growth.
Instead, be ecstatic about every single follower Anastasia earns. Those followers are there because they want to know what Anastasia will post next.
That kind of desire is what carries you from the doorstep of authenticity to the bright lights of influence.
You’ll be tempted to try and take shortcuts. Don’t.
Don’t buy followers because those followers are often bots that don’t have credit cards, or limbs to wear your jewelry. Bought followers also hamper your authenticity when people question why none of your 1 million followers ever offer thoughtful comments on your posts.
Don’t engage software that tricks thousands of real people into following you by first following them. Those new followers, however human, aren’t interested in your recommendations. They’re following you out of a social media etiquette to follow back those who follow them.
To increase genuine followers, always include hashtags in your posts. This is a hashtag: #.
Hashtags tell Instagram how to categorize your post and make it easier for those following that category to see your post in their feed. Just make sure the hashtags you use are those people would search for.
I have a client who took to hashtags like Elizabeth Taylor took to jewels. He was so enamored with hash-tagging that he would hashtag his wife’s unique name and random things like #pots and #table.
Please don’t do that. Hashtags have a very specific marketing purpose. Use them wisely.
Nonetheless, don’t be afraid to apply conceptual thinking in selecting your hashtags.
Take a look at this Phillip Gavriel post. I love the lifestyle shot showing off those rings. They’ve used the perfect applicable hashtags (#jewelryaddict, #jewelrygram, #bling, etc.), but let’s think abstractly.
How about #fridaynightout? Having been used 184K times, a post with this hashtag is likely to show up in more feeds.
Also, #datenight! With 15.5 million previous uses, this one’s a no-brainer, especially with the lifestyle angle Phillip Gavriel has chosen for the picture.
I’m pretty sure Instagram users looking for style inspiration on #datenight or a #fridaynightout would love to know about these Phillip Gavriel rings. They’ll also want to see more jewelry recommendations from Phillip Gavriel by following the account.
Having a strong hashtag strategy is just one of many ways to increase followers. There are so many more things you can do. But, alas, we’re out of time!
Get your free copy of my Influencer Marketing Toolkit, and return to your content strategy drawing board. Use the worksheets in “The Creative Brief” to come up with additional abstract hashtags.
When we meet again next month, we’ll conclude Anastasia’s journey of becoming an elite influencer as we delve deeper into strategies to increase her/your followers.
In the meantime, my calendar is open to you should you need tips before then.
Lilian Raji is a strategic communications and PR adviser who helps companies understand their marketing problems, then designs and executes strategies to solve them. Learn more at LilianRaji.com. Submit questions for Lilian to answer here and connect with her on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest.
Instead, be ecstatic about every single follower Anastasia earns. Those followers are there because they want to know what Anastasia will post next.
That kind of desire is what carries you from the doorstep of authenticity to the bright lights of influence.
You’ll be tempted to try and take shortcuts. Don’t.
Don’t buy followers because those followers are often bots that don’t have credit cards, or limbs to wear your jewelry. Bought followers also hamper your authenticity when people question why none of your 1 million followers ever offer thoughtful comments on your posts.
Don’t engage software that tricks thousands of real people into following you by first following them. Those new followers, however human, aren’t interested in your recommendations. They’re following you out of a social media etiquette to follow back those who follow them.
To increase genuine followers, always include hashtags in your posts. This is a hashtag: #.
Hashtags tell Instagram how to categorize your post and make it easier for those following that category to see your post in their feed. Just make sure the hashtags you use are those people would search for.
I have a client who took to hashtags like Elizabeth Taylor took to jewels. He was so enamored with hash-tagging that he would hashtag his wife’s unique name and random things like #pots and #table.
Please don’t do that. Hashtags have a very specific marketing purpose. Use them wisely.
Nonetheless, don’t be afraid to apply conceptual thinking in selecting your hashtags.
Take a look at this Phillip Gavriel post. I love the lifestyle shot showing off those rings. They’ve used the perfect applicable hashtags (#jewelryaddict, #jewelrygram, #bling, etc.), but let’s think abstractly.
How about #fridaynightout? Having been used 184K times, a post with this hashtag is likely to show up in more feeds.
Also, #datenight! With 15.5 million previous uses, this one’s a no-brainer, especially with the lifestyle angle Phillip Gavriel has chosen for the picture.
I’m pretty sure Instagram users looking for style inspiration on #datenight or a #fridaynightout would love to know about these Phillip Gavriel rings. They’ll also want to see more jewelry recommendations from Phillip Gavriel by following the account.
Having a strong hashtag strategy is just one of many ways to increase followers. There are so many more things you can do. But, alas, we’re out of time!
Get your free copy of my Influencer Marketing Toolkit, and return to your content strategy drawing board. Use the worksheets in “The Creative Brief” to come up with additional abstract hashtags.
When we meet again next month, we’ll conclude Anastasia’s journey of becoming an elite influencer as we delve deeper into strategies to increase her/your followers.
In the meantime, my calendar is open to you should you need tips before then.
Lilian Raji is a strategic communications and PR adviser who helps companies understand their marketing problems, then designs and executes strategies to solve them. Learn more at LilianRaji.com. Submit questions for Lilian to answer here and connect with her on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest.
More on Technology
The Latest
Policies & IssuesAug 12, 2025
Higher Tariff on Chinese Imports Paused for 90 Days, Trump SaysPresident Donald Trump issued an executive order extending the pause on higher tariffs to November as negotiations with China continue.
CollectionsAug 12, 2025
Jacquie Aiche’s New Collection Harnesses the Energy of the ThunderbirdThe “Thunderbird Slab” collection features a thunderbird motif as a symbol of power, protection, and boundless possibility.
Brought to you by
Taking the Moment Head On: How Rio Grande Champions the Present & Future of Fine JewelryAs a leading global jewelry supplier, Rio Grande is rapidly expanding and developing new solutions to meet the needs of jewelers worldwide.
ColumnistsAug 12, 2025
Creative Connecting: How to Take a Better HeadshotColumnists Jen Cullen Williams and Duvall O’Steen share tips on how to elevate your professional image.
Weekly QuizAug 08, 2025
This Week’s QuizTest your jewelry news knowledge by answering these questions.
CrimeAug 11, 2025
Man Convicted of First-Degree Murder in Death of Colorado JewelerPeter Damian Arguello, a jeweler in the Denver suburb of Wheat Ridge, was found dead inside his store in November 2023.
IndependentsAug 11, 2025
Lisa Bridge to Depart Ben Bridge JewelerThe retailer, owned by Berkshire Hathaway, is becoming part of the Berkshire Hathaway Jewelry Group with Helzberg.
Brought to you by
Investing in the Next Generation of Bench JewelersThe Seymour & Evelyn Holtzman Bench Scholarship from Jewelers of America returns for a second year.
Events & AwardsAug 11, 2025
Bethenny Frankel to Give Keynote at CBG’s Experience ShowThe Continental Buying Group’s 2025 Tampa Experience Show is slated for Sept. 8-10.
EditorsAug 11, 2025
The Colors Expected to Be On-Trend in a Couple YearsAssociate Editor Lauren McLemore recently attended a fabrics trade show where a trend forecaster shared her predictions for summer 2027.
FinancialsAug 08, 2025
Brilliant Earth’s Q2 Sales Up 3% as Engagement Ring Sales RiseThe company raised its full-year sales guidance while noting it has not yet assessed the potential impact of the latest tariff news.
Events & AwardsAug 08, 2025
GJEPC’s Jewellers for Hope Celebrates 10 Years of FundraisingThe organization has raised more than $1.3 million for charity since its inception.
TrendsAug 08, 2025
Piece of the Week: Rahaminov Diamonds’ Bezel BangleThe brand’s latest iteration of a bezel-set diamond bangle features clean lines and a timeless design for a new modern silhouette.
WatchesAug 07, 2025
Bulova’s New Collection Honors Tony BennettThe first watch in the series commemorates his participation in the Civil Rights movement, marching from Selma to Montgomery in 1965.
Lab-GrownAug 07, 2025
Chatham Releases Catalog for Loose Lab-Grown GemstonesThe catalog contains a complete listing of all the loose gemstones in stock, as well as information about the properties of each stone.
Policies & IssuesAug 06, 2025
Tariff on India to Rise to 50%, Trump Says An additional 25 percent tariff has been added to the previously announced 25 percent.
MajorsAug 06, 2025
Claire’s Files for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy AgainThe jewelry and accessories retailer plans to close 18 stores as part of the proceedings.
IndependentsAug 06, 2025
Smith & Son Jewelers to Close 107-Year-Old Location Its Springfield, Massachusetts, store is set to close as owner Andrew Smith heads into retirement.
CollectionsAug 06, 2025
Zahn-Z Swims With Whales in ‘Beluga’ CollectionDesigner Hiba Husayni looked to the whale’s melon shaped-head, blowhole, and fluke for her new chunky gold offerings.
TrendsAug 06, 2025
Paola De Luca to Release Trendbook 2027+She will present the 23rd edition of the trend forecasting book at Vicenzaoro on Sept. 7.
CrimeAug 05, 2025
Report: Suspect Arrested in 1992 Murder of Miami JewelerOmar Roy, 72, was arrested in connection with the murder of jeweler Dionisio Carlos Valladares.
CollectionsAug 05, 2025
Mignon Faget Commemorates 20th Anniversary of Hurricane KatrinaThe New Orleans-based brand’s “Beyond Katrina” jewels honor the communities affected by the storm.
ColumnistsAug 05, 2025
The PR Adviser: Affiliate Marketing Is the Cost of CoverageLilian Raji explains why joining an affiliate network is essential for brands seeking placements in U.S. consumer publications.
Events & AwardsAug 05, 2025
JA Announces Seymour & Evelyn Holtzman Bench Scholarship WinnersThe organization has awarded a total of $42,000 through its scholarship programs this year.
Events & AwardsAug 04, 2025
Gem Awards, David Yurman Introduce $50K Grant for Emerging DesignersThe winner of the inaugural David Yurman Gem Awards Grant will be announced live at the 2026 Gem Awards gala.
TrendsAug 04, 2025
Amanda’s Style File: August’s Bright BaublesAs summer winds down, celebrate the sunny disposition of the month’s birthstones: peridot and spinel.
CrimeAug 04, 2025
‘The Watch King’ Assaulted, Robbed in QueensMoshe Haimoff, a social media personality and 47th Street retailer, was robbed of $559,000 worth of jewelry by men in construction outfits.
