LinkedIn is an easy and effective way for jewelers to stay connected with their business partners and customers. Jewelry is one of those tangible products that must be seen to be truly appreciated. While LinkedIn won’t put a watch on a wrist or a diamond on a finger, it is an important tool for jewelers to build a network of business colleagues and open the door to new wholesale and retail sales opportunities.
Get linked. Use your email address book to find and invite associates to connect with you on LinkedIn. If you’ve been asking customers for their email addresses, now you have a way to find and link them in LI. Groups on LinkedIn are sometimes overlooked, however they are a great way to connect with local networking groups, non-core businesses (ie event planners, caterers, photographers, grad organizations) that will give you a field of interested connections to build alliances. .
Asking for Recommendations. Savvy consumers know they can check the Better Business Bureau website to see if there are any complaints against a business. What does not count are excellent experiences with a business. LI not only connects consumers with glowing recommendations, but those recommendations come from people they know and trust.
Even if you haven’t linked with someone on LinkedIn, you can make your recommendations visible to all search engines, so you and your glowing reviews can be found! When you hear that you’ve run a successful event and that a piece of jewelry you sold made someone’s day, ask for a recommendation. Click the Request Recommendations link and start asking your vendors, vendors, and customers for recommendations. You will find that your connections will be happy to do this for you because it also makes your name visual.
Change is good. It’s worth updating your LinkedIn account, as any new activity will appear in the weekly email update sent to your contacts. Sign in to LI and update your status. If you want to spend less time on updates, just link your Twitter account and let LI update for you.
Be a show of. LinkedIn allows you to include a Google presentation on your profile. Take this opportunity to show new creations and new products. And don’t forget to tweet about it!