You Don’t Say

equate to them purchasing anything from your store.
If you run contests and promotions (be it on Facebook or through traditional media), they’ll jump on board. After all, a deal is a deal and they are pretty frugal with their money. Post some cute copy on Facebook and they might give you the proverbial thumbs up. This may build your fan base, but it might not build your coffers. And after all, isn’t that the ultimate goal? Think of it as lots of acquaintances, but when push comes to shove, you really only have a few friends.

4. Online is second nature.
The bulk may not be purchasing engagement rings online (yet), but they are looking at lower price points they can order with a quick click. Is your website easy to navigate? Can they search by style, brand and price? Have you developed a site that can easily add a shopping cart? By the way, if you do sell online, do you offer an easy-to-pay service like PayPal? Since this age group is searching for products on a mobile device, is your online experience mobile friendly? Can they easily email the product and share? Post relevant and engaging content on your Facebook page; try not to post more than two to three times per week (annoy and they will hide you from their feed).

5. Although online is second nature, they still want to have a great experience if and when they walk in the door. And they are ready to talk about it.
This group has nothing but options at their fingertips. I know you “think” your store is doing great things, but for this generation we are talking over the top. Take some time to look around your store; look at procedures; look at service offerings and inventory; take a hard look at your staff. Are you sure you can’t do better? When it comes time to buy new product, you better have a fully educated staff to speak about the product. Your sales staff must be prepared to provide sound reasoning; factual information. In other words, really know their stuff. If the experience is great, they will be the first to shout if from the rooftops (or Facebook, Google Reviews, Yelp). Unfortunately, if you don’t meet their expectations, they'll turn to those channels and their posts can be pretty unflattering.

Your media mix.
I alluded to this in my first paragraph--what is the percentage you are spending online as a part of your overall media budget? Are you dabbling or do you fully understand digital should be a primary media choice? ATTENTION BRANDS: Please stop placing your ads in bridal magazines. NEWS FLASH: The people who subscribe are predominantly engaged!  Please tell me you’re not paying for retailer tags with your name in 10-point typeface.

If you want to reach Millennials, think about reaching them on multiple platforms. They are still watching TV (very specific programs), but they’re searching the web at the same time. If you’re trying to reach the bridal market, you should have a heavy digital focus in targeted Facebook advertising, paid search, banner ads and re-targeting.

Television should be in your plan and you should be looking at Pandora Internet radio (perhaps as much or more than traditional, local radio stations). If you’re a retailer with your bridal business hovering around 35 percent, than your overall budget spend should be around 35 percent in the areas I spoke of above. Want it to increase? Increase the percentages and spending dollars.

It’s not enough to say you want to drive more bridal in the store. You have to understand who you’re marketing to; what this group is interested in and thinking; where they are at; and then develop creative and an overall strategic plan to reach them.

Say … what a novel idea.

Ellen Fruchtman is founder and president of Fruchtman Marketing, a full-service agency specializing in the jewelry industry. Fruchtman Marketing, represents independent jewelers across the county along with jewelry manufacturers, jewelry designers and trade organizations throughout the U.S and Canada. Contact Ellen Fruchtman at 1-800-481-3520 or at ellen@fruchtman.com. You can sign up for a free weekly marketing newsletter at fruchtman.com.