Have you heard? LinkedIn’s back – for good, nobody knows for sure. But business circles within our industry say it’s still relevant, and as Microsoft has just bought the social media platform they are suggesting that they take the entire network into the Cloud. Imagine it. The amount and type of data already stored by LinkedIn is mind-boggling when you really think about it, and there are infinite ways to slice it and dice it. LinkedIn, is perhaps most relevant to us within the jewellery and horological industry because we are not just a country wide industry but a worldwide one. And it takes something like LinkedIn to give us the ability to connect with those who we not only do business with, but those who have similar businesses all over the world.
What do you think? Are you busy updating your profile and adding a picture as we speak? Did you ever leave LinkedIn in the first place? What are your tricks for getting noticed? Please hit reply and share your anecdotes, by talking and sharing our stories our industry only gets stronger.
LinkedIn Revival
We all know that social media is important to the jewellery business, but there was one part of social media that for the past few year’s people were wondering not only if LinkedIn it was still relevant, but why it still existed at all. And then comes the shock news that Microsoft has just made the 3rd biggest acquisition in tech history – and bought LinkedIn for $26.2 billion to buy the professional social network. The deal was accompanied by substantial promises from Mr Weiner and Microsoft’s boss, Satya Nadella, that the deal would transform businesses’ and workers’ productivity worldwide. Many are saying this is also one of the biggest gaffs in tech history, a giant buying a already flogged horse. But hang on, LinkedIn has been having a revival, the site is has been growing for the past year at a steady rate – 25,000 users per day, as users realise that LinkedIn has taken a unique social approach to developing businesses relationships through a focus on shared professional and non-professional interests.
Why do we in the industry need to take note? Because this is the perfect platform within the jewellery and horological industry to connect with specific groups of professional contacts, anyone from coloured gemstone suppliers to designers and insurers. Now that LinkedIn is firmly back on the social media map and in vogue once again, this site is well worth a visit, to sign up or to update our very out of date profiles. LinkedIn is once again another avenue to promote the jewellery industry and make those all important business connections.
LinkedIn takes only a few minutes to set up – so really what have any of us got to lose by spending the time it takes for a kettle to boil to check it out, and like the other social networks it’s free.
Here are our top Tips to make you and your jewellery or horological business stand out on LinkedIn
How the search works
When people search LinkedIn, the results are, by default, sorted by “Relevance.” What does this mean to you and me? Because this is the default for search results and the vast majority of people aren’t even aware that they can change it, it’s extra important to a) be a 1st degree connection to as many people as possible and b) have a profile that’s 100% complete. This means including a profile picture, a professional headline, your last two jobs, etc. LinkedIn will walk you through the process and let you know once your profile is 100% complete. Anything less than 100% completeness is not only hurting you from a search ranking perspective, it’s also less-than-impressive to anyone who happens to read your profile.
Refresh and complete your profile
There is a new profile format, this has made changing and updating your profile quicker and easier. Make sure your summary is well written and reflects you, your style, your business and brand positively, this encourages more people and the right people engage with you.
Keywords in your Name, Headline, Company Name, Job Title and Skills rank higher in the search results. This is why it’s so important to have a 100% complete profile. If these key fields are blank or filled with generic terms, then you fall to the bottom of the search rankings. Think about which search terms are most important and relevant for your business / career and then search LinkedIn for those keywords. If you don’t show up on the first page of results, update these key sections to include those relevant terms and then search again.
Use all the fields
Like Skills, you can join up to 50 groups, over time it’s best to take advantage of every opportunity offered to you and use all 50 spots. You have 120 characters available to you for your headline. Use as many of them as possible to create a descriptive, interesting and keyword-rich headline that attracts lots of targets to view your profile. You have 2000 characters for your summary too. There are 1000 characters available for your interests… the list goes on. By filling all the fields you are painting a full picture of your business which will in turn reinforce it.
Search the trends
What is great about the LinkedIn search is that you can see who has looked at your profile over the past 3 months, and in turn you can have a look at their profiles and decide if it’s worth connecting with them or any of their connections.
Take advantage of this information to make changes and monitor the results. Are you showing up a lot in search results but not being viewed much? Make your profile interesting and compelling to attract more viewers. Maybe you’re showing up in lots of search results but you’re buried on Page 9 and that’s why people aren’t clicking on your profile to view it.
The best thing to do with LinkedIn or indeed any social media avenue where you are promoting your business and brand it to put yourself in the shoes of your potential customer or client. How do look to them? How do you want to look? With a few simple changes above you can take full advantage of the wealth of data that LinkedIn already holds and really harness the search tools to your full advantage.
What caught my eye this week
Surely this has got to be the absolute best “something blue” for a wedding ever created? Or the wedding day our Lyla’s Bow high jewellery earrings set with diamonds and aquamarine.
In case you are not yet familiar with VanLeles Diamonds; the company was launched in 2011, the brand which centres on ultra-feminine fine jewellery of the highest standard. Using rare and unique stones and, specifically, the highest quality conflict-free diamonds. Founder and creator Vania Leles remains personally involved in sourcing all diamonds and gemstones. Constantly travelling the world, Vania strives to source the most beautiful stones always from ethical and sustainable sources, collaborating with renowned artisans and delivering the most exceptional product and service.
www.vanleles.com
What Happened
The Tony Awards
The awards created to recognise achievement in Broadway productions. The red carpet was filled with colourful jewellery galore, pretty earrings and amazing bejewelled chokers – here are our favourites:
Leona Lewis – wore a stunning white diamond choker by the glitterarty favourite jeweller Lorraine Schwartz.
Busy Philips – wore colourful pretty earrings by Irene Neuwirth Jewellery
Lupita Nyong – wore elegant orange gemstone earrings by Tiffany & Co
Lucy Liu – always the style icon, rocked her white diamond ear climber earrings by Lorraine Schwartz jewellery.
Popularity spells trouble for Pearls
The pearling industry wants new measures to protect wild pearl oysters from the effects of oil and gas exploration in the coastal waters of Western Australia’s far north. The area is the only place left in the world where the highly revered Pinctada Maxima pearl oyster is still harvested by drift diving.
PPA executive officer Aaron Irving said the survival of the wild pearl stocks was critical to the ongoing viability of the pearling industry. Mr Irving said the PPA wants the marine reserve to be extended slightly and its multi-use status changed to a special purpose zone – pearling.
He said the PPA was working with the oil and gas industry to undertake research on the effect of seismic activity on pearl oysters. But the engagement so far had failed to recognise the “significance and the enormity of the potential problem”, Mr Irving said.
“The pearling industry could be potentially at a point of no return,” he said. “And it’s about providing for the future of an iconic Australian industry.”
Retiring Federal Member for Perth Alannah MacTiernan has joined the PPA’s push for protection of wild pearl oysters off the Kimberley coast.
Bulgari Unveils a New Silver and Ceramic Save the Children Bracelet
To honour its on-going philanthropic partnership with Save the Children, Bulgari has created a beautiful new sterling silver and black ceramic bracelet for its Save the Children jewellery collection.
Bearing the Save the Children logo, the stunning bracelet adds to the emblematic collection – comprised originally of a ring and a pendant – each piece inspired by Bulgari’s iconic B.zero1 jewellery line.
Available in Bulgari stores worldwide, select department stores, and on Bulgari’s website in May, the bracelet retails for $510 of which $100 is directly donated to Save the Children.
Bulgari believes that education is the best investment to build a prosperous, healthy, and just society. By adding a bracelet to the collection, the jeweller wishes to increase the positive impact its Save the Children partnership has had on vulnerable young lives. In 2016 the partnership is strengthened by a new bespoke initiative, one that empowers youth to enhance their “soft skills,” build upon their capacities, and improve their economic conditions as they pursue their own journeys from deprivation to success.
To date, the wildly successful sales of the custom-designed Bulgari collection has helped to raise $42 million for Save the Children. These donations have reached 1 million beneficiaries in 29 countries across five continents, in areas where natural disasters, wars or conflict, marginalization, disability or poverty can hinder the right to education and a better future
For more information about the charity visit – www.savethechildren.org
Alrosa finds 241.21 ct whale of a diamond
Just when we thought we had finished reporting on super-sized diamonds being unearthed – well for a while at least – Alrosa, one of the world’s largest diamond companies reports its latest find, a 241.21 ct rough diamond. The stone measures 38.64 mm by 27.34 mm by 25.46 mm and is translucent with a gray hue.
Alrosa said the diamond was designated a colour of 4 Black Clivage/Makeable 2. After discovery in 1996, the Nyurbinsky open pit mine was put into operation in 2001. As of January 1, 2015 the kimberlite pipe contained Joint Ore Reserves Committee-compliant reserves totalling 36.9-million carats. The Nyurba mining and processing division was one of Alrosa’s youngest enterprises, operating the Nakyn ore field containing the Nyurbinsky and Botuobinsky open pit mines, and two eponymous alluvial placer operations. The division accounted for about 20% of the miner’s output in 2015, the company advised. At the point of publish Alrosa have not reported what their plans are for the diamond.
Zenith finds a Cuban partner
Zenith Swiss Watches are celebrating their 50th birthday by collaborating with Cuban Legend Cohiba. This clever marketing move is important news to us in the industry because it shows that the Cuban door has been firmly opened by Obama’s visit a few months ago, to warm the once very chilly relations the 2 countries have had over the last 5 decades. It also shows how collaboration between the right companies can be so beneficial, to image and sales. In Zenith’s own words, “Zenith and Cohiba, are two legendary Manufactures with a shared universe of authenticity, precision and excellence. Each one infuses passion and expertise into exceptional creations so as to bring unmatched enjoyment to experienced connoisseurs. The first ever Cohiba watch, the El Primero Chronomaster 1969 Cohiba Edition by Zenith celebrates the 50th anniversary of the world’s most prestigious cigar brand. Like the most luxurious of hand-rolled Cuban cigars, it embodies high-quality craftsmanship dedicated to an exclusive way of life.”
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