With the success of Pandora jewellery many jewellery small businesses are thanking the heavens for their marvelous marketing. For many small business owners it is a timely lesson in value of marketing and have eyes wide open for new opportunities.

At the recent JAA expo in Sydney Tim Shaw gave some great advice for jewellery shop owners on how to make the most of their marketing and selling efforts. So to learn more about what Tim recommended check out the handy tips:

1. Make sure you have the well marketed brands in store so you can sell more of them and take advantage of their marketing budget and efforts.

2. Tell the story of the jewellery - both the branded jewellery as well as the individually crafted pieces and everything in between. Generation X and Y value the stories of their purchases.

3. Share the news of Award Winning - whether that be the branded jewellery or your individual business or designer, tell your customers, local paper, website visitors about winning awards. People love being associated with success and it gives you great advertorial copy.

4. Potential customers are doing more and more research online and buy in stores with a local professional that has been recommended to them so provide the information online and work on building lasting relationships with customers as their referrals remain as valuable as platinum.

5. Make great use of testimonials as this is a great type of referral as well and can work online 24/7 for you, be used as newsletter content and as advertorials too.

6. Generation X and Y are working longer and making more money before they get married so have more to spend on their wedding so can invest more in the wedding jewellery. They also highly value personal relationships, recommendations and doing their homework first so meet their needs and you'll have the chance to make them long term customers as well as their referrals.

7. Link in with other businesses such as a popular local clothing store, joint promotions with websites, community groups and events.

8. Work with a business coach to take time to step away from the business to see more opportunities and areas for improvement more clearly.

9. Have new designs regularly in stock to show regular customers something new, to show your excitement about and create the reputation for being fresh, innovative and creative. This also lets you test new designs to see what customers are interested in - the new and the long time loved.

10. Add values to individual sales by offering ideas or asking permission to show something new that you're excited about. When the bride is in looking at rings suggest that a lovely surprise present for the groom would be a watch with their names and the date of the wedding engraved on the back - he'll never forget the anniversary then! When a mother and daughter are in to buy a Pandora bead for the daughter ask if you can show a stunning new piece that would appeal to the mum. Sow seeds of ideas so they have a chance to germinate.

11. Be sure to Welcome and Thank customers whether they are window shopping or spending because creating a warm environment where they feel valued is crucial for repeat sales and referrals.

12. Have limited edition pieces so they are only available for a limited time, creating the imperative to shop now as well as offering something special and different.

While Pandora jewellery brings customers into your store it's also your opportunity to create long term relationships with customers across all the generations. Pandora is re-creating the concept of collecting jewellery to reflect the different facets of yourself. This is possibly where the greatest legacy of Pandora will be.

The Pandora phenomenon won't last forever but a long term customer will see you through your business for decades to come. Look after them and they will look after you.

But Wait, There's More!

For general sales and marketing tips from Tim Shaw click here.

For a discussion of Tim Shaw's advice click here.

Click here to share the story of your business here on SheInspires as part of your marketing strategy.