How Simon G. Used Local Influencers to Support its Retailers

They looked at retailers, Brinkman said, that held the trunk show every year to allow for a year-over-year comparison, as well as those that held the event sporadically or didn’t put as much behind it to see how the additional support benefitted it—or didn’t.

Adding Another Layer
To boost the influencer aspect and expand the overall reach, Simon G. also developed a weeks-long social media paid advertising campaign on its own platform to run while the influencers were posting. 

This comprised a three-tier approach designed to connect with consumers along the path to purchase.

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Three weeks out from the trunk show, the paid social ads consisted primarily of branded advertising in the retailers’ local markets.

The following week the ads looped in the retailers, telling the consumer where they could find Simon G. in their area.

The third and final week had an actionable message: here’s a specific event to attend.

Brinkman said Simon G. has seen the best results in social campaigns when the paid ads work in tandem with an influencer campaign.

Lessons Learned
Last year, the brand launched its “Committed” marketing campaign, designed to speak to a category of jewelry rather than focus on specific products, in hopes of communicating a broader message to consumers.

In a similar manner, this spring’s influencer campaign helped Simon G. show retailers the new ways consumers want to receive their information that don’t involve traditional shots of jewelry pieces, Brinkman said.

It appears both Simon G. and the retail partners found it a success.

The entire campaign accrued 873,547 impressions (how many times the content was displayed) with an average of about 3 percent engagement (measuring shares, likes and comments) and 15,482 likes.

Of the five influencer-promoted trunk shows, Simon G. said that Collins Family Jewelers of San Diego was the most successful.

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Second generation jeweler Briana Collins said they gained followers on the retailer’s Instagram and Facebook page during the promotion but also saw a lot of traffic come to the store during the trunk show.

“It was an amazing plan of attack. I loved the organization and methodical planning to target the audiences.”

She said that though many of the people who bought during the event were their regular customers, they loved the buzz and ahead of it and the way the influencers were live posting from the trunk show.

Collins added that Simon G. and the retailer are on the same page when it comes to evolving their marketing strategy.

“The way of the future is heavily related to online presence … Local jewelers and small business need to partner with big, savvy businesses like Simon G. to make sure they are getting the best exposure possible, especially on social media when every impression counts.”

And what she learned?

“You can’t get your name out there enough.”

Simon G. will build on the program in 2019, it said, adding in a paid element for online and out-of-home advertising.