ColumnistsApr 30, 2026
Peter Smith: A Sleazy Salesman and the Case for Regret Avoidance Smith uses a comment he overheard in the grocery store to remind retailers that their job is to inspire buying behavior, not just sell.
IndependentsAug 23, 2016
Marketing Minute: To Build Your Brand, Forget ‘Branding’
In Jim Ackerman’s opinion, jewelers should worry less about their image and more about direct response marketing.
Jim Ackerman is a retail jewelry marketing expert who has spoken to jewelry retailers at JA New York, JCK, The Smart Jewelry Show and others. He can be reached at 800-584-7585, ext. 3 or by email at mail@ascendmarketing.com.
“Branding” is the big buzzword in marketing today.
“You’ve got to build your brand.”
The term “brand” has become a substitute for company, business, service and just about any other way to describe a business function. The vast majority of people who use the term don’t have a clue what they’re talking about. They wouldn’t know what a real “brand” is if it hit them over the head.
Go ahead. Next time some hotshot millennial guru starts flinging the word around, ask him to define it. The answer is not likely to be gratifying but is likely to have little or no connection to success in business.
To build your brand, start by understanding this: No matter what you look like, your corporate culture, the “feel” of doing business with you, the awareness you have in the marketplace or how you may or may not be identified by your prospects and clients, the only real measure of a brand is … having boatloads and boatloads of happy, consistently buying and referring customers.
Anything and everything else is just window dressing.
So, what’s the best way to “build your brand?” Don’t. Instead, concentrate on selling more stuff to more people more often. And for the typical independent retail jeweler, that means focusing on direct response marketing instead of “image” marketing.
What is direct response marketing? It’s any marketing effort that is designed to get the prospective customer to take at least the next step in the buying process.
That doesn’t necessarily mean an immediate purchase, but it should at least be to surrender contact information so further marketing can take place.
If, for example, you offer a free report on the perils of buying gems online you are making a direct response offer, even though it’s not for the prospect to buy a specific item right away.
If you send them to your regular website to get the report, odds are they’ll struggle to find the report and downloads will be minimized. Or if the report simply resides on your website and you offer it for free--meaning you don’t even ask them to surrender their contact info to get it --your direct response has been wasted.
Better to send them to a “landing page” where they find out a little more about the report and are invited to download it. To accomplish that, they must give you contact information.
Once you have that, you can proactively
Editors' Picks
Sponsored by
market to them, cultivate the relationship and eventually get the business, far less expensively than trying to do nothing but sell them up front.
And of course, all of these steps are testable and trackable, so you can “genetically engineer” your marketing for ever-increasing success.
Consider this: You run a bunch of radio ads that cost you $1,000.
Ten new prospects respond by supplying contact information. Each new prospect cost you $100 at retail to secure the information. However, to convert them to a new client, you can direct mail monthly for 60 to 100 months before you actually get that first sale and still break even, compared to the original cost of generating the lead. Email and telemarketing can be even less costly.
I confess this takes some getting used to, if you’re used to throwing marketing stuff at the wall and hoping something sticks. Of course, that’s why you’re frustrated with marketing and see it as an expense instead of an investment with a predictable payback.
If you’d like to say goodbye to the throw-it-out-and-hope approach to advertising and begin getting dramatic increases in response and conversions that will truly build your brand, shift to the direct response model.
Jim Ackerman has spoken to jewelry retailers at JA New York, JCK, The Smart Jewelry Show and others. He has teamed with Shane Decker for the Ultimate Jewelry Sales & Marketing Boot Camp to be held this September. National Jeweler readers can get more information about the event and download a free report here.
And of course, all of these steps are testable and trackable, so you can “genetically engineer” your marketing for ever-increasing success.
Consider this: You run a bunch of radio ads that cost you $1,000.
Ten new prospects respond by supplying contact information. Each new prospect cost you $100 at retail to secure the information. However, to convert them to a new client, you can direct mail monthly for 60 to 100 months before you actually get that first sale and still break even, compared to the original cost of generating the lead. Email and telemarketing can be even less costly.
I confess this takes some getting used to, if you’re used to throwing marketing stuff at the wall and hoping something sticks. Of course, that’s why you’re frustrated with marketing and see it as an expense instead of an investment with a predictable payback.
If you’d like to say goodbye to the throw-it-out-and-hope approach to advertising and begin getting dramatic increases in response and conversions that will truly build your brand, shift to the direct response model.
Jim Ackerman has spoken to jewelry retailers at JA New York, JCK, The Smart Jewelry Show and others. He has teamed with Shane Decker for the Ultimate Jewelry Sales & Marketing Boot Camp to be held this September. National Jeweler readers can get more information about the event and download a free report here.
More on Independents
The Latest
MajorsApr 30, 2026
Claire’s New Summer Campaign Is a Sensory Wonderland for Gen Alpha“A Girl SMR at Claire’s” celebrates girlhood through the five senses with stacked jewelry, slime toys, scented accessories, and ASMR.
AuctionsApr 30, 2026
Vintage Cartier Watch Crashes Through Records, Selling for $2MBelieved to be one of three made in 1987, the Cartier London Crash was hot at the “Shapes of Cartier” sale at Sotheby’s Hong Kong.
Brought to you by
Discover Timeless Treasures: A Showcase of Antique Jewelry & Timepieces in Las VegasGain access to the most exclusive and coveted antique pieces from trusted dealers during Las Vegas Jewelry Week.
CrimeApr 30, 2026
Masked Group Uses Hammers, Pepper Spray in Texas Jewelry Store RobberyOfficials are looking for a group that robbed Marc Robinson Jewelers at an outlet mall in Round Rock, Texas, in broad daylight on April 21.
Weekly QuizApr 30, 2026
This Week’s QuizTest your jewelry news knowledge by answering these questions.
Supplier BulletinApr 30, 2026
OROAREZZO 2026: The B2B Event for Italian Excellence in Goldsmith, Jewelry and Silver ManufacturingSponsored by OROAREZZO International Jewelry Exhibition
MajorsApr 29, 2026
The Thought Process Behind the Mother's Day Email Opt-OutSome retailers are taking a nuanced approach to marketing what can be a difficult holiday for many.
Brought to you by
Las Vegas Antique Jewelry & Watch Show: Showcasing the Most Collectible Merchandise from Across the GlobeGain access to the most exclusive and coveted antique pieces from trusted dealers during Las Vegas Jewelry Week.
SourcingApr 29, 2026
De Beers’ Production Rises, Market Remains ‘Challenged’De Beers’ diamond production was up 17 percent in Q1, boosted by increased output at its mines in South Africa and Canada.
AuctionsApr 29, 2026
This'll Be the Day You Own John Wayne's RingA signet ring belonging to the Western film star of Hollywood’s Golden Age will be up for auction at Elmwood’s next month.
Policies & IssuesApr 28, 2026
Tariff Refunds: How to File, What to Expect Importers can submit claims now to receive money back for the IEEPA tariffs they’ve paid, with refunds expected to take up to 90 days.
SourcingApr 28, 2026
Doug Hucker Retires From ICAThe colored gemstone industry leader is heading into retirement after four years as the association’s CEO.
SourcingApr 28, 2026
NDC Hires Tapestry Exec to Head Global Marketing Susie Dewey joins the Natural Diamond Council as its new chief marketing officer.
AuctionsApr 27, 2026
12 Years Later, the ‘Ocean Dream’ Diamond Resurfaces at Christie’sThe largest known fancy vivid blue-green diamond could fetch more than $12 million at its second auction appearance.
ColumnistsApr 27, 2026
Stop Treating Mother’s Day Like an AfterthoughtEmmanuel Raheb says jewelers need to start marketing early and make it easy for customers to pick a gift for mom.
IndependentsApr 27, 2026
Longnecker Jewelry Celebrates 30 YearsIn honor of the milestone, the Nebraska jeweler has debuted Leslie & Co., its new in-house jewelry brand.
MajorsApr 27, 2026
JBT Re-Elects Jeff Corey as Board ChairThe trade organization, which held its annual elections earlier this year, also added five new board members.
SurveysApr 24, 2026
Mother’s Day 2026 Jewelry Spending to Top $7B, NRF SaysNRF’s annual survey found that 45 percent of consumers plan to purchase jewelry for a loved one this Mother’s Day.
TechnologyApr 24, 2026
TwentyFour’s Digital-Age Locket Is a Virtual VaultThe “Vault” charm, our Piece of the Week, expands on the memories that can be stored in a locket by connecting to your phone.
Events & AwardsApr 24, 2026
Hamptons Jewelry Show to Return in JulyThe open-to-the-public luxury jewelry and timepiece show, in its second year, is slated for July 23-26.
IndependentsApr 23, 2026
Meet the Real Moms of Day’s JewelersThe jeweler’s Mother’s Day campaign highlights the women who work there—mothers, grandmothers, women who want to be mothers, and dog moms.
Supplier BulletinApr 23, 2026
JM® Shipping Solution: Smarter Shipping for High-Value GoodsSponsored by Jewelers Mutual
Lab-GrownApr 23, 2026
Charles & Colvard May Sell Assets for $1.5MThe proposed agreement follows the moissanite maker’s Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection filing last month.
AuctionsApr 23, 2026
John Jacob Astor IV’s Titanic Pocket Watch Fetches $1MThe Patek Philippe for Tiffany & Co. timepiece Astor brought aboard the ill-fated ship sold for double its estimate at a Freeman’s auction.
CollectionsApr 23, 2026
Adam Neeley’s High Jewelry Collection Steps Into Salvador Dalí’s GardenThe “Dalí’s Garden” collection was inspired by a surreal dream Neeley had after cooking a recipe from Salvador Dalí’s 1973 cookbook.
IndependentsApr 23, 2026
Windsor Jewelers Names New Buying DirectorNatalie Feanny has been appointed to the role.
CrimeApr 22, 2026
New Mexico Couple Pleads Guilty to Selling Fake Native American JewelryThe pair falsely claimed their jewelry was made by Navajo artists, but it was imported from Vietnam.
