Estimated reading time: 5 minutes
Social media is often seen as a must-have for jewellery businesses, but it can feel overwhelming. So many platforms, so many strategies, so many “post now or lose your audience” rules. The truth is, social media isn’t a magic wand, but understanding its role in your business can help you decide how, if, and where to engage.
Even if you don’t love it, or don’t want to spend hours managing it, knowing why social media matters is important. It’s not just about posting pictures of your jewellery. Done thoughtfully, social media can be a vital tool for building brand awareness, and ultimately a following of loyal customers.
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Know Your Audience to Choose the Right Platform
Not all social media platforms are created equal, and your customers aren’t evenly spread across them. So, before picking your platform(s) you need to know your audience. Figure out who your jewellery is for and then use that knowledge to decide where to spend your marketing time.
Here’s a quick overview of the more popular social media sites, who hangs out on them and how they’d usually be used for marketing:
- Instagram: Popular with younger adults (20–35), great for visually appealing images and short videos. Jewellery brands can shine here through lifestyle shots, reels, and behind-the-scenes content.
- Facebook: Skews slightly older (30–55), good for community-building, event promotion, and connecting with groups. Also great for jewellery brands that do in-person events as you can easily promote your presence at the various shows to a local audience.
- TikTok: Very young audience (16–25), highly visual, trend-driven, and focused on short, entertaining video content.
- Pinterest: Often lumped in with social media, but it’s actually a visual search engine with strong bookmarking features. The “social” aspect is limited (i.e. you can comment on pins), but it’s perfect for driving traffic through discovery and inspiration rather than interaction.
- X (formerly Twitter): Not traditionally a strong platform for jewellery brands because it’s more text focused and moves very quickly. It can work if your brand has a clear voice or you want to join conversations around small business, creativity, or handmade culture, but it’s usually not the best place to prioritise for small product based businesses.
By understanding where your ideal customers “hang out,” you can focus your time and energy on platforms that are most likely to deliver results, instead of spreading yourself too thin.
Social Media is About Stories, Not Sales
Many jewellery makers lose sight of the ‘social’ element of social media. They feel pressure to constantly post products and promotions, chasing sales. The most effective social media, however, is rarely a direct sales pitch. Instead, it’s about entertaining your audience by sharing your stories:
- What inspired your brand
- Why are you passionate about making jewellery
- What inspired a design or collection
- Your creative process or behind the scenes moments
- The history or meaning behind the gemstones you’ve chosen to use
Story-driven content encourages engagement, builds trust, and can spark interest in your brand in ways that traditional ads don’t.
My Approach
I’ll be honest here. I’m not a huge fan of social media. I don’t enjoy it and I’m not very good at faking it, which leaves any post I do on social media feeling a bit forced. This has also led to me never really being successful on these platforms.
Instead, I lean into Pinterest, where SEO matters more than being entertaining. I personally find it to be a far more effective use of my time and helps me to connect with people who are actively searching for gemstones.
This is where understanding your audience, yourself, and the different platforms really matters. It lets you use your limited marketing time in the most effective way for you.
Finding Your Balance
Social media isn’t mandatory, but it can be a powerful tool when used intentionally. By understanding your audience, sharing stories, and focusing on platforms that match your style and goals, you can reap the benefits without feeling like you’re trapped on a content treadmill.
Whether that means using Instagram for storytelling, Facebook to connect with local buyers, TikTok to experiment with trends, or Pinterest to reach people searching for inspiration, the key is knowing your audience and aligning your efforts with your own strengths and business goals.
At the end of the day, social media is just one tool in your jewellery business toolkit. It’s worth understanding, but it doesn’t have to define how you work or whether you’re successful..
🔗 Want some tips on using the metaphysical beliefs around gemstones and/or their myths and legends as part of your marketing content? Read Using Gemstone Knowledge to Boost Your Jewellery Sales
📌 Save this social media guide for jewellery businesses so you can find it again.
