TechnologyJul 21, 2020
Creative Connecting: Selling in a Virtual WorldColumnistsOct 20, 2020
Creative Connecting: Video in a Virtual World
Duvall O’Steen and Jen Cullen Williams share tips for getting creative with video on Instagram, Zoom, email and more.
Duvall O’Steen, left, and Jen Cullen Williams are independent communications strategists and senior consultants for the Luxury Brand Group. They can be reached at DuvallOsteenNYC@gmail.com and Jen@JenCullenWilliams.com.
In the new normal of virtual connecting, video content is becoming more important for engaging consumers and converting browsers into buyers.
Luckily, technology has advanced in ways that make it easier than ever to produce your own video content.
Luckily, technology has advanced in ways that make it easier than ever to produce your own video content.
Here are some creative ways to use video to get more of your customers’ attention and drive more sales.
Social Media—Especially Instagram
The primary reason for jewelers to use video on social media is that video can create a 360-degree view of a piece of jewelry, allowing the viewer to see more of the design, its clasp and its craftsmanship.
It serves as the next best thing to handling the piece of jewelry and trying it on during an in-person shopping experience.
Also, it is critical to show the product being worn whenever possible, making it easier for your customer to gauge the size and scale of the piece, like, for example, how
long a pair of earrings are.
If you use a product-only video on social media, be sure to offer an additional image of the piece being worn.
Video also gives you the opportunity to tell stories.
In the jewelry industry, we are not selling product as much as we are selling an emotional experience—the feel-good factor of fine jewelry. That emotional quality is easier to convey with video, partly because a video engages both sight and sound.
According to the latest “Instagram Engagement Report for 2020” by Hubspot and Mention, across all industries, videos achieve slightly lower engagement than still photos.
However, jewelers can and should continue to feature video; just be sure to also include still product photos.
For example, use Instagram’s carousel feature, which allows you to post multiple pieces of media. You can start with a gorgeous product photo in the first slide, then include a video showing the piece worn in the second.
Or, simply post a variety of content, mixing posts of product shots and videos.
Another way to make your video more engaging is to use text in the first few seconds.
Instagram Reels and TikTok offer easy editing tools to help you add headline style text. This gives the viewer an instant idea of what the video is about and stops the scroll long enough to grab their interest.
Have your most charming team member experiment with making short videos on a smartphone showing the best ways to wear a
Editors' Picks
Sponsored by
piece of jewelry, talking about the design inspiration or the designer, and/or explaining why the piece makes a good gift, self-splurge or “revenge spend” purchase.
Short little snippets work well for Reels or TikTok. Maybe a team member wears both a citrine and a topaz ring, showing them off while saying, “November has two birthstones, citrine and topaz. Which do you like best?”
Retailers that carry designer brands can also request short video clips from the designers themselves, giving the customer a chance to meet the designer behind the brand without waiting for a trunk show.
Many retailers are also using Instagram Live to have chats with designers about their pieces in the store or showing behind-the-scenes content, like the arrival of new jewelry.
Be sure to record and save all the video content you produce because you can also post it on your YouTube channel, Facebook business page and Instagram Story Highlights.
YouTube content improves your SEO, so use keywords and tags in describing the videos when posting to your YouTube channel.
For higher quality videos on a budget, consider affordable tools like the Gem Lightbox by Picup Media, which helps you create jewelry images and videos that sell.
This all-encompassing lightbox creates high-res photos and beautiful 360-degree videos that can be used on any of your social media channels.
Zoom and Virtual Events
As we all head to Zoom for our online meetings, team calls and virtual events, remember that you can record them.
First, be sure to alert people they are being recorded and always ask permission, especially when giving virtual product presentations. You can also change your Zoom settings to automatically alert attendees when the event is being recorded.
If customers wish to remain anonymous, they can turn off their video during the product presentation.
Save such videos for potential future use, like when another customer requests a similar style.
If you are holding a virtual event with a designer doing a personal appearance on Zoom, if you record it, you can share that video to a customer who missed the event.
You can also show limited edition trunk show pieces or “sold” items to customers who may be looking for something similar, and then place a special order with your vendor.
Also, virtual presentations can be great sales training tools for new employees.
Remember to abide by the video best practices (lights, sets, eyeline of camera, etc.), as outlined in our previous article, “Selling in a Virtual World.”
Websites
Video content can also make your website more engaging, potentially holding customers on your site longer and decreasing your bounce time (the amount of time before a customer leaves your website).
Chris Mazurk, owner of digital marketing agency Mazloy, advises: “We work with our clients to make sure they’re using their video content in as many different places as possible.
“For example, with a single video we help our clients appear on social media, in podcasts, and we’ll even turn the video transcript into a blog post to make sure the content appears in Google searches. Without that last step, your video is much less likely to be found in search engines.”
Special attention must be paid to load times, though.
The longer it takes a video to load on your homepage, the higher the bounce rate. Be sure to keep your website videos short, engaging and in moderate resolution like 720p (as opposed to hi-res of 1080p).
Mazloy suggests embedding YouTube and Vimeo video links on your website. Both automatically optimize your video content for the viewer’s bandwidth.
“Also, the viewer can manually override the optimization settings so it’s the best of both worlds,” says Mazurk. “On top of that, you get the added benefit of appearing on the third most popular search engine in the world (YouTube).”
Email Marketing
According to research by CampaignMonitor.com, adding video to your email marketing can improve your open rate by 6 percent and click-through rate by 65 percent, but just be sure that you also include the word “video” in the subject line.
E-blasts are a very effective way to keep in touch with your best customers. Adding video messaging to your email marketing content improves the performance and helps you build better relationships by putting a face behind the brand, making you and your staff more human and, therefore, more interesting to your customers.
Experts in video messaging, like those at BombBomb.com, suggest that videos in your email marketing are a good way to showcase your expertise, announce special
events, create buzz around new collections or special offers.
Jewelers can send short video messages to VIP customers or personalized invitations to holiday shopping events, trunk shows and/or virtual events. It adds a personal touch and allows the customer to see the owner’s face or the designer’s atelier.
Personal shoppers and sales associates can also use video messaging to create buzz with their best customers when new brands or new products launch in the store.
If you have a known collector of a certain brand or product category, like pearls for example, you can reach out to those customers when that brand updates its assortment in your store or when new styles are available.
“I really love sending sales emails with video,” says Mazurk. “The statistics show that the message you send sticks better when it is sent with video. For example, I use Soapbox to record myself walking through a client’s proposal and then I embed that video in the email I send to my client.
“I’ve seen a dramatic increase in my close rate since I started doing that. There are other great tools, like Vidyard, that are perfect for this as well.”
Always remember to include a call to action.
CTAs help you convert video watchers into active engagers on your social media or to website traffic if coming from an e-blast.
Also remember SEO. Be sure to incorporate keywords when posting your videos to YouTube.
Sprout Social has some terrific tips for getting more use out of the videos you create by splitting, shortening and transforming the video content.
“Whether that’s a graphic quote, still photos, teaser clips, or GIFs, spinning your video into additional creative assets extends the life of your video and squeezes as much value from that one video as possible,” says Sprout Social’s Lauren Cover.
With all the free or cost-effective tools and technology available these days, jewelers can now use video more effectively to boost sales in this virtual world.
Video allows sharing so much more about the special stones, precious metals and beautiful craftsmanship that make jewelry a treasured part of our lives.
Remember to focus on emotion and storytelling, and to show the pieces being worn.
TechnologyJun 16, 2020
Creative Connecting: Hashtag Hacks
More on Columnists
The Latest
Supplier BulletinAug 13, 2026
Your Piece Could Be the One Editors Talk AboutSponsored by American Gem Trade Association
FinancialsAug 13, 2026
Pandora’s ‘Talisman’ Collection Shines, Lab-Grown Diamond Sales FallIn the United States, second-quarter sales were flat amid soft consumer sentiment and lower in-store traffic.
AuctionsAug 13, 2026
This Gold Cadbury ‘Conundrum’ Egg Set a World Auction RecordThe 22-karat gold egg, sold at Batemans Auctioneers in the U.K., was part of a 1980s treasure hunt ad campaign for Cadbury Creme Eggs.
Brought to you by
Why More Jewelry Retailers Are Hosting Turnkey Estate Buying EventsRetailers are seeking new ways to attract customers, increase traffic, and create revenue – Estate buying events are a popular solution.
SourcingAug 13, 2026
2,488-Carat Diamond, Largest Found in Botswana, Has a New Owner Lucara Diamond Corp., which recovered the “Motswedi” diamond from the Karowe mine, sold the stone for an undisclosed amount.
Weekly QuizAug 07, 2026
This Week’s QuizTest your jewelry news knowledge by answering these questions.
CollectionsAug 13, 2026
John Hardy Infuses ‘Icon,’ ‘Heishi’ Collections with ColorThe expanded collections now feature hand-cut gemstones like topaz, tanzanite, chrysoprase, chalcedony, smoky quartz, and fire opal.
Lab-GrownAug 13, 2026
Jean Dousset Opens Third StoreThe lab-grown diamond jewelry brand’s newest boutique is in Westfield Valley Fair in Santa Clara, California.
Brought to you by
Wedding Band Trends 2026: Personalization Takes Center StageColored gemstones, artisan finishes, mixed metals, and meaningful details are shaping demand in bridal jewelry.
SourcingAug 12, 2026
Eshed-Gemstar on the Painstaking Process of Cutting ‘The Legacy Emerald’The gemstone supplier and manufacturer acquired the remarkable 104-gram Zambian emerald at Gemfields’ auction in May.
CrimeAug 12, 2026
Elderly NYC Woman Targeted in Jewelry Swap SchemeTwo suspects offered to trade the woman a “winning” lottery ticket for her jewelry.
SourcingAug 12, 2026
Another Diamond Mine Poised to CloseFinsch has been in business rescue since May, and owner Petra Diamonds said it sees no viable path forward for the mine.
CrimeAug 12, 2026
Jewelry Store Employee Gets 20 Years to Life in Choking Death of BossMichel Patrick DeSalles was sentenced after pleading guilty to the 2017 murder of Omid Gholian, who owned a jewelry store in Manhattan.
MajorsAug 12, 2026
Frederick Goldman Names New SVP of SalesLongtime industry executive Beth Miller has taken on the role.
AuctionsAug 11, 2026
Verdura Unicorn Brooch With Royal Connection Up for Auction The brooch was owned by Virginia Fortune Ryan Ogilvy, who served as a lady of the bedchamber to Queen Elizabeth II for nearly 50 years.
MajorsAug 11, 2026
Signet Jewelers Selects Mattel Exec to Lead Zales, BanterJamie Cygielman will take on the role on Aug. 24.
IndependentsAug 11, 2026
Polly’s Fine Jewelry Co-Owner Richard Moore Dies at 69Moore, Polly’s husband, is remembered as a family man with an easygoing spirit and a love for sports and the outdoors.
Events & AwardsAug 11, 2026
NAJA Announces Lineup For 2026 Fall Virtual ConferenceThe mid-year conference for jewelry and watch appraisers will take place Sept. 5-6 on Zoom.
TechnologyAug 10, 2026
Colorado Jeweler Launches Customization Tool He Built HimselfHonest Hands Ring Co. Founder Benjamin Bosworth shared his thoughts on jewelry technology and why AI can never replace the human element.
MajorsAug 10, 2026
QVC Exits Chapter 11 Bankruptcy, Names New Interim CEOQVC Group President and CEO David Rawlinson is temporarily being replaced by a familiar face, former QVC CEO Mike George.
CollectionsAug 10, 2026
State Property Puts a Ripple in the ‘The Voyager’ CollectionThe brand also added two one-of-a-kind brown diamond pieces to the “Sanssouci” series of its “Gardens” collection.
MajorsAug 10, 2026
And IJO’s 2026 Vendor of the Year Is … Ostbye took home top vendor honors at the Independent Jewelers Organization’s show, held last month in Kentucky.
Supplier BulletinAug 07, 2026
Why More Jewelry Retailers Are Hosting Turnkey Estate Buying EventsSponsored by Stratus Estate Buyers
MajorsAug 07, 2026
Retail Veteran Pam Cloud Appointed President of Blue NileCloud, who will officially join Blue Nile on Monday, spent 26 years at Tiffany & Co. and founded jewelry brand Roseate.
MajorsAug 07, 2026
Pandora Appoints Paulo Garcia as New CFO Garcia will take over from the company’s current CFO, Anders Boyer, who is retiring at the end of November.
MajorsAug 07, 2026
Etsy to Lay Off 12% of WorkforceEtsy CEO Kruti Patel Goyal explained why the company is letting go more than 200 employees as its performance improves.
TrendsAug 07, 2026
Look Ahead with Syna’s Binoculars PendantThe “Star Gazer” pendant, our Piece of the Week, is Syna’s tribute to curiosity and the discovery of something new.
CrimeAug 06, 2026
Lalique Museum to Remain Closed Following $5M HeistMuseum officials are looking to the public to help cover the “exceptional” costs involved in recovering from the July 5 smash-and-grab.
