HOW TO MARKET JEWELRY ONLINE

If you know how to market jewelry online you can start your own business. If you wanted, for example, to sell an old wedding band, what if no one views your auction? If you've just started out in the craft world you might have handmade earrings to sell. You'll at least want to recover the cost of the jewelry making supplies. Jewelry is popular among sellers so be sure that you set yourself apart from the pack. Here is how to market jewelry online.
Difficulty: Moderate
Instructions
Things You'll Need:

    * Internet connection
    * Digital camera

      Market Jewelry Online

   1   Take accurate photos. This is true of anything you sell online, but especially jewelry. You might try to take pictures of jewelry and gemstones and instead you'll just get a photo of a silver shape. You might want to invest in a light box. You can try taking your photos in natural sunlight or in the late afternoon. This will give you free soft lighting. It also helps if you use the macro function on your camera. You'll need several pictures of your jewelry. Buyers want to know exactly what they are getting. Take photos from the side to show the setting.

   2   Reference the size of the jewelry. One of the most common complaints that jewelry buyers have is that the piece isn't as large as they expected. If you receive complaints about inaccurate descriptions you can get kicked off of any auction sites that you use. Shoot photos of the jewelry being worn, or even next to a coin. You are then giving people a feel for the accurate size of the piece. This helps you market your jewelry in the long run because you'll have good ratings at the better business bureau.

  3    Write descriptions using keywords. You might think that pictures are enough to market your jewelry online. If you are running an online store, you'll need to have high search engine rankings to be competitive. Search engines don't rank pictures; they work off of written text. In many auctions, the seller will just state the basics of the jewelry. Create longer descriptions and even stories. This will give you the advantage with both customers and search engines. You can find the keywords for your type of jewelry by using a free keyword tool. This will tell you about how many people a month search for a certain term and what the competition is.

   4   Join sites that specialize in handmade jewelry. It helps to be part of a community when you market jewelry online. If you run your own web site you will be competing with chain jewelry stores who have large advertising budgets. Counteract this by joining an established site. You can also link to your official store. This is a free way to market jewelry online.
  

   5   Answer questions. There are many sites and forums filled with jewelry shoppers. They might want to know which engagement ring to buy or basic information about a gemstone. By answering questions, you'll get the word out about your jewelry. Plus, you'll be able to get an idea of what shoppers are looking for. Include a link to your jewelry site in your forum signature. You can give away free jewelry making patterns on your blog to entice visitors.

  6  Build links with other jewelry sites. This is the hidden way to market your jewelry online. Backlinks factor into your search engine rankings, which determine your traffic. Relevant links might have value. Set the terms of the link with the web site owner, such as how long you will leave your links up. Offer to write a guest post on your favorite jewelry or fashion blog in exchange for a link to your site.

  7    Give out coupons. This is a way to get the word out about your jewelry. It also opens up the range of sites where you can market your jewelry online. If you offer a deal of the day or a coupon, you can submit it to dozens of deals and coupon sites for more traffic. Just be aware that if you offer a really spectacular value, thousands of people might take you up on the offer. Be prepared for an influx of traffic. Shut the offer down the minute you reach maximum capacity so you don't receive negative word of mouth.


  8    Run a contest. You'll have to spend a little bit of money out of pocket to market jewelry online. Running a contest is an easy way to get the word out about your jewelry. This differentiates you from all the other gem sellers. The prize doesn't have to be expensive. Make sure that the contest runs for several weeks so you can really get the word out about your venture. Award extra entries for people who post your link on social networking sites or link to it