We interview two of our past Halstead Grant Winners to gain some insight on why video is important for jewelry businesses and the benefits they've seen from utilizing it.
Welcome to Part 1 of our Utilizing Video for Jewelry Marketing series. In our next articles we'll give you tips and tricks on how to make your own jewelry videos as well as different types of marketing videos you can try! But first, let's go over why videos are a great tool to add to your marketing arsenal.
We all know how important photography is when it comes to selling jewelry. But the emergence of a pandemic has accelerated the switch to e-commerce that many consumers have been slowly making over the past couple of decades. With so many people stuck at home and unable to physically see the products they are wanting to buy, video is becoming an extremely valuable tool to show off your jewelry pieces that will last long after the pandemic has ended.
But making videos can can be intimidating and at times a labor intensive process, so why should you take the time and effort to start making them when you have so many other things to worry about? In short - videos not only provide more information about your jewelry and business to your followers than a standard photo would, but they are much more engaging and will make it easier for your followers to make a personal connection with you.
To highlight why video is so important, we interviewed two of our amazing Halstead Grant winners - Christina Grace of TIN HAUS and Emma Elizabeth of Emma Elizabeth Jewelry - on how they utilize video for their jewelry businesses.
1. What do you use video for?
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Christina: Implementing video has become an integral part of my marketing to promote my jewelry brand, TIN HAUS. In the beginning, I produced the usual meet-the-maker content and digital ad campaigns once or twice per season for new collections. Since the pandemic, however, I had more time during quarantine to experiment and have fun with the medium. My content creation became a bit looser and more relatable as well, by posting random funny skits, DIY’s, informational narratives, and my production process. Previously, my Instagram feed used to be a curation of art gallery-style photographs but pivoting to having more flexibility with the intention of providing value, humor, and quality content – instead of perfection – has made my audience more responsive. Watching my engagement grow has shown me how important connection is because it gave my audience the space to get a sense of who I am as an artist and as a BIPOC creative running a small business. |
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Emma: I use videos mostly for my social media accounts. Instagram kind of pushed me to do so when they added stories to their platform and now with Reels I have a great way to splice my videos and put them together creatively with music! |
2. Where do you tend to use it?
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Christina: I use video on my website which is directly linked to YouTube and Vimeo. I post video content across all social media channels, namely Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, Pinterest and sometimes LinkedIn. |
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Emma: I mostly use videos for Instagram and then share a link to Facebook or download the video from Instagram to then post on to my Facebook but the music isn't included when you do that. |
3. Why/When did you decide to start using video?
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Christina: I have a background of over 10 years working in the film and television industry – whether it be in production or on-camera – so I have been using video from the very beginning. My background in show business gave me the fundamental understanding of how influential programming can be. |
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Emma: A while back I downloaded a video editing app from the google store and created a 5 minute process video of a chrysoprase cuff from sketch to finished product. My motivation for doing so was so that I could share it on my IGTV. After sharing the post to IGTV, my Instagram feed and Facebook, I received a ton of good feedback. People really enjoyed seeing how it was made. I found that it added to the value of my pieces once my community really understood just how many steps there were throughout the entire process. Now, I am trying to find my voice with Instagram Reels by giving little snippets of techniques and processes that I use everyday. |
4. Do you shoot the video yourself or do you hire it out?
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Christina: I do both – I shoot the videos myself or hire out. For the daily or weekly content creation where the turnaround is fast, I shoot and edit the videos myself on my phone or laptop. However, for new collection campaigns or major events – like winning the Halstead Grant – I hire out. Luckily, I have a rotation of trusted filmmakers and cinematographers – such as Benny Gomez, Charles J. Gray, and Angela Shin – whom I can approach with ideas. At times, they reach out to me to collaborate if they are inspired to film content outside of jewelry. Of course, I find ways to incorporate my jewelry into their projects (lol)! |
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Emma: I have never hired out for a video yet but perhaps someday I will if the right idea came along. I typically film everything with my phone. There are a lot of tripods/mounts out there that work really great so you can film hands free. |
5. Has using video made a difference for your business or for your customers?
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Christina: Video content has, for sure, made a difference in my business. It has given context to everything that happens behind-the-scenes that customers were not aware of, in ways photography has not been able to do before. Videos broke barriers to any hesitation customers may have had to reach out or leave comments on my posts. Videos have made my brand overall more authentic, relatable, and approachable. My customers love watching the jewelry-making process, especially if it is a piece of jewelry they bought. Ironically, some were surprised to see that it was me making the jewelry. For some reason, people thought that jewelry designers only design and have someone else make the pieces. They did not realize that jewelry designers can be the makers, too! |
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Emma: I also share a lot of random video and snippets throughout my workday on my Instagram stories so that my current customers can watch their pieces being made. One of the number one comments I get when a client receives their new piece of wearable art is that it was so cool watching me work on their pieces and that they loved getting a glimpse at how it was made. It really does add to the value of their piece and now they can share with their friends the story of how it came to be! |
6. What are your future plans for utilizing video for your business?
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Christina: I will continue to use video content as part of my marketing approach in the future. I plan to create more videos that are engaging, informational, humorous, and meaningful. Videos that are uniquely TIN HAUS. |
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Emma: My current plan is to make more Instagram Reels. I tend to want to cram a whole project from start to finish into one video but I am trying to pivot to showing glimpses instead. I might make a list of tools and techniques that I use everyday and then make a video for each. I just want to continue to educate my community of art jewelry lovers because they have made it very clear that they love seeing the process behind my art. |
In Conclusion
As you can see, there are many benefits to adding videos to your social media strategy as well as incorporating them on your website. With so many businesses and brands competing on social media, it can be hard to break through the noise to not only reach your current audience, but attract new followers as well. Remember, in their day-to-day life people don't go onto social media specifically to buy things, they go on to be entertained. That's why incorporating video is such a smart move - it allows you to express your personality and business in a way that can be both informational and engaging.
You also don't have to worry about making a huge production out of each video, even just whipping out your phone to capture different parts of your jewelry making process and putting the clips together with a snappy soundtrack can earn you huge engagement with almost minimal effort. Social media apps now incorporate basic video editing abilities so you won't even have to download a dedicated app to pull it off.
Tip: If you've never used social media apps to create video content before and are worried about somehow messing up your business account, we suggest creating a dummy account to test ideas and techniques out on. Creating a private account for your pet is an easy and non-stressful way to get the hang of things.
Be sure to check out and follow TIN HAUS's and Emma Elizabeth Jewelry's instagrams for more inspiration! Don't forget to also follow Halstead's as well for more jewelry making, business, and marketing tips and tricks.
We also love seeing what you make, whether it's your jewelry or your jewelry videos! Show us your great work by using #HalsteadMakers when you post on social media.
