Anyone who knows me knows that I am not exactly an early adopter of technology. I still am using the same clamshell style phone that I’ve been using for years. I have no need to upgrade to a “smart phone” and download apps. For me a phone is about talking to people, whether that is my friends, family, or customers. The same is with computers. My use of computers is strictly as a tool, not as something to spend my free time on. In fact, my family and I seem to consume computers more than actually use them!
When my brother, Jason, first proposed the idea of taking my jewelry business online a couple of years ago, I was excited about the idea of expanding my customer base from local friends & family (and their friends & family) to the unlimited boundaries of the Internet. As many people have discovered, it’s not quite as simple as that. Customers are earned one at a time whether face-to-face or on the Internet. We cannot just expect customers to come to our online store. We have to earn their trust and their business. I’d heard the technical jargon and hype about CPC advertising, Search Engine Optimization, and Social Media, but what it meant for me and my customer oriented business had largely remained a mystery to me.
All that changed when late last year I finally opened an account on Facebook. Many people can identify with the experience of opening up a Facebook account for the first time and within days receiving “friend requests” from people you haven’t seen or talked to in years. It is an experience that is difficult to describe. Unbelievable at first, nervous, exciting and dare I say it… addicting! Once I started scanning and uploading photographs taken from 10 and 20 years ago, the comments came flooding in. Before I knew it I was reconnecting with friends from all around the country!
As a consequence, in December last year we launched a Facebook fan page for Waterman Jewelers. I understand the emotional connection that our customers associate with buying a piece of jewelry. Most purchases are to commemorate an event, relationship, or special occasion. It is completely unlike buying a book or the latest electronic gadget. We need to build a trust with our customers online. For me, Facebook is a great way of doing this. We do not claim to be Facebook experts, but we will start the communications with you. Please join us and “join” our fan page. We’ll use it a platform for letting you know about new jewelry items, special discounts, online jewelry giveaways, and of course listening to your feedback. I hope we earn your trust to be part of your next special occasion!
Creating a new piece of jewelry has always been a labor of love for me. Creating that “perfect” design is a painstaking process of design and redesign that is as artistic as it is destructive. I cannot count how many times that I have worked through the night creating a new design that I promptly discarded the next morning. My quality control is simple – if I’m not satisfied then how can I expect you to be?
I am constantly surprised by the quality of design (or lack thereof) with much of the jewelry being sold today. With gold and other precious medals at 20 year highs, many designs are made so thin and frail that they literally fall apart within 6 months of normal use.
Most of the jewelry that you that will find on our website represent my “labors of love.” As such, I stand behind their quality. The jewelry will not crush like tissue paper, nor will the diamonds fall out just because you sneezed (ok, I admit – a slight exaggeration). So if you’re looking for your jewelry to last as long as the memory of the occasion, give us a try!
