10 Things to Do to Grow Your Instagram Presence
For jewelry makers, brands, and retailers, social media can be a great way to promote your products, connect with a receptive audience, and (hopefully) boost your sales. Instagram, in particular, is an amazing marketing and sales channel for jewelry brands.
It’s no secret that Millennials and Gen Z prefer to shop online, and guess what? They’re also the biggest jewelry buyers, and they make up more than 60% of Instagram users!
So, Instagram helps you reach the right audience, but simply having an account isn’t enough. You need to stand out and stop potential customers from scrolling past your posts and ads – it’s easier said than done! Luckily, we’ve got some tips to help your jewelry dazzle in the feed.
1. Follow These Top Jewelry Accounts
A great way to grow your followers, and also to learn more about the type of content your customers are interested in, is to follow top jewelry accounts on Instagram. You can do your own research and find jewelry accounts by:
- Use search terms like “jewelry” “jewelry maker” “jewelry making” and “jewelry brand”
- Browse the accounts that come up – you can see the number of followers they have
- Check out the “For you” section, as it contains viral reels and posts
Don’t just follow jewelry accounts with the most followers – focus on some more specialized accounts as well. Make sure they have good engagement – you can see this by the number of comments on their posts. We’ve highlighted some of our favorite Instagram jewelry accounts for you to follow here:
- Melanie Grant – @melaniecgrant
- David Michael Jewels – @davidmichaeljewels
- Liza Urla – @gemologue
- Danielle Miele – @gemgossip
Based on your own specific interests, whether it’s colored gemstones, diamonds, vintage, or whatever else, you should also find some more specific accounts to follow in that field.
2. Don’t Just Scroll – Interact!
Once you’ve found your favorite jewelry accounts, make sure you start interacting with them! Leave comments on their posts, reply to comments from others, and share relevant reels. Once people start to see you as an authority (and hopefully also a fun account), they’ll follow you back, growing your own audience.
3. Don’t Sleep on Jewelry News
Instagram isn’t the best place to get real-time news, but it is a good place to find community conversations relating to recent news in the jewelry industry. Some of the accounts we’ve mentioned above share jewelry news, trends, and insights, but you can also check out these ones:
- JCK Magazine – @jckmagazine
- JVC – @jvclegal
- GJEPC – @gjepcindia
Comment your thoughts when you see these industry posts to grow your followers and position yourself as a jewelry authority!
4. Check Out These Jewelry Influencers
As well as the jewelry accounts we mentioned, there are also a lot of jewelry influencers on Instagram. You don’t have to partner with any (although it might be a good idea, depending on your marketing strategy), but following them is a good way to keep on top of the latest jewelry trends and stay connected with a relevant audience. Start with these jewelry influencers:
- Dave Bindra – @gemfluencer
- Tracey Ellison – @thediamondsgirl
- Bebe Bakhshi – @champagnegem
- Julia Chafe – @juliachafe
Remember, don’t just follow these accounts – interact with their posts as well!
5. Post the Highest Quality Photos of Your Jewelry
Every time you post your jewelry, remember that it’s an advertisement for your brand, your products, and your work. Only post pictures that do your stunning pieces justice – give your customers the best possible impression of your craftsmanship!
6. Use Relevant Jewelry-Related Hashtags
You can reach more people with the right hashtags on your posts. Research trending and niche hashtags in the jewelry industry, and add them to your post caption (this is usually more effective than adding them as a comment under your post). Combine popular ones like #JewelryLovers with more specific ones related to your designs, materials, or style.
7. Post Consistently
Develop a content calendar and post regularly to keep your audience engaged. Consistency is key for building visibility, and it also helps to keep you in the back of your customers’ minds.
8. Don’t Let Comments and Questions Go Unanswered!
When people interact with your posts, reply to them! Remember, each comment is a potential customer, so you can’t afford to ignore them. If you’re getting questions about your work, opening hours, shipping times, or anything else, don’t leave your followers hanging! The same goes for DMs – clear that inbox every day!
9. Show Behind-The-Scenes Content
Recent research showed that 61% of U.S. consumers preferred to buy gifts from small businesses because they appreciate unique items and quality craftsmanship, and they’re willing to pay more for them. You can lean into this by showing behind-the-scenes content of your jewelry making process and highlighting the fact that you’re a friendly face, not a factory!
10. Track Content Performance
Once you’ve been posting regularly for a few months, take a look at how your content is performing. It’s normal for some reels to have more views than others, and for some posts to gain more traction than others, but look for any patterns you can find.
See if you can figure out what type of content seems to resonate best with your audience, when the best time of day to post is, and which hashtags help make your posts more visible. This way, you can focus on creating content that performs the best for your business.