6 Bridal Show Tips Every Jewelry Exhibitor Should Know
By Emmanuel Raheb
Founder and CEO, Smart Age Solutions
Bridal shows are a perfect opportunity for jewelers to grow their business. They give you the chance to connect with hundreds of brides-to-be as well as those thinking of getting married in the near future. Anyone who attends a bridal show is interested and very open to hear from you. They’re actively seeking goods and services to complete their picture perfect wedding. Everyone is a potential customer.
As a jeweler, this is the ideal time to showcase your wide selection of engagement rings, wedding bands, bridesmaid gifts, and wedding-day jewelry. You can make their wedding complete with your best styles in attendance.
Bridal shows can be expensive as an exhibitor and not everyone has the resources to devote to it. To maximize your investment here are 6 tips every jewelry exhibitor should know:
1. Start with your booth.
Think of your booth as an extension of your store. For many brides, this will be their first interaction with you. How you present yourself and the experience your visitors have will determine if you’ll be on their list when it’s time to buy.
Bring a wide selection of your engagement rings and wedding bands, enough to give the bride-to-be a sense of what your jewelry store has to offer. Although she may already be wearing her engagement ring, you have the chance to sell the couple the wedding bands (his and hers), wedding day jewelry as well as the bridesmaid gifts.
Your booth should be a mini version of what your customers can expect when they visit your store.
2. Use social media.
As soon as you have the dates booked for the bridal show, you should start promoting the event as early as possible on social media. Start with teaser content and give your audience a glimpse of what they’ll see at the show. Post photos of past shows if you have them as well as what you’ll be bringing to this year’s show. The goal is to build demand and participation. Invite attendees to stop by your booth and take a selfie for their own social media pages. Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, and Pinterest are all prime marketing channels to build buzz about you for the show.
3. Bring freebies.
Everyone loves getting something for free. Use promotional giveaways such as winning and engagement ring or matching wedding bands, these are a great incentive for people to visit your booth. Swag such as tote bags (to hold all the materials and goodies they get at the show), as well as water bottles, t-shirts, etc. are always welcome. Anything that carries your jewelry store’s name, telephone and address can be given away. You want the bride and groom to remember you long after the bridal show is over.
4. Give special discounts.
Use the exhibition as a way to track the effectiveness of your marketing. Give your booth visitors a special offer or promo code to use when shopping on your website or at your jewelry store. Don’t share this code with anyone else. It’s tied to the bridal show only. This gives you an easy way to quantify your efforts and see just how much business the exhibition brings you. Once you start tracking the numbers, you might be pleasantly surprised. It will also give you a solid foundation for future shows if you decide to come back the next year.
5. Collect everyone’s contact details.
Every person who visits your booth is a potential customer. You should engage with anyone who approaches and be available to answer their questions. People won’t just give you their name and contact details unless there’s a certain amount of trust there. Within the first few minutes you’re together, you have to cultivate a relationship and build rapport.
Give them just enough information to satisfy their questions, but leave them wanting more. Remember, the goal may not necessarily to push hard for a direct sale right then and there, but rather to build a loyal base of prospects that you can continue to market to year-round. You can’t do this unless you get their contact details. Don’t be too aggressive and scare them off!
6. Always follow up with every lead.
Every lead should be treated as gold. Bridal show leads are some of the most-prized opportunities to make a sale and very effective. No where else will you find this level of engagement with potential buyers who are all very receptive to your sales pitch and marketing messages. With every touch point with the prospect you want to emphasize what makes your jewelry store different from everyone else and why they should buy from you.
Don’t let a good lead go to waste. Time is of the essence. Your bride-to-be has a lot on her mind and if she doesn’t hear back from you quickly her attention will go elsewhere. Your leads should be followed up within a day or so of the event – a week at the latest. Anything past this point and you risk your leads going stale.
Think about how much you’ve spent to exhibit and attend the show, then divide that number by how many leads you got. That’s how much they’re worth. And it’s not cheap!
To conclude, bridal shows are not for everyone. If you’re a jeweler who’s small and doesn’t have the money or resources to invest in your business then don’t stretch yourself. Focus on attracting brides-to-be into your store.
However, if you’re one of the few forward thinking jewelers who is committed and wants to have direct contact with a large pool of buyers all at once, then a bridal show is a smart decision. Follow these 6 simple tips and you’ll make the most out of your time as well as your investment.
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