How to keep your jewelry business secure when using social media

Courtesy of Jewelers Mutual Insurance Co.

In recent years, jewelry makers and designers have harnessed the power of social media to build their customer bases, update their fans, and stay relevant in the eyes of jewelry buyers. What they may not have thought about is this: How do you post securely without putting your business at risk?

In a recent loss prevention webinar, Jewelers Mutual asked two social media experts to offer their lessons in safely and successfully promoting jewelry businesses online. Shane O’Neill, vice president of Fruchtman Marketing, has more than 17 years of digital marketing and social media experience and works closely with several leading jewelry brands. Daniel Gordon, a fourth-generation jeweler and social media planner for Diamond Cellar, has broad experience on all social media platforms. They offer the following advice to help you keep your business safe and secure on social media.

Interacting with jewelry lovers on social media can be a great way to promote your business, but your loyal clients may not be the only eyes watching for your updates. Criminals are known to use social media platforms as they case jewelry businesses and plan their next attacks. So how can jewelers use social media to their advantage while keeping their businesses safe and secure? Use these tips while playing in the social networking sandbox:

• Don’t let people know exactly when you’re out of town, especially if you work alone or at home. Consider not posting photos until after you return from a trade show or vacation.
• Don’t post in anticipation of receiving a new shipment of merchandise or valuable supplies and never say when merchandise is arriving.
• Don’t post about how many staff people are in your retail location or upload photos showing staffing levels at any given time.
• Don’t have detailed conversations on social networks with consumers who show interest in a piece of jewelry you’ve posted. If they begin to ask detailed questions pertaining to a possible purchase, take the conversation offline.
• Don’t show too much detail about your workspace in posted photos. For example, 360-degree panoramic images may give customers a better sense of brick and mortar store or studio, but they can also aid criminals, who can use them to case your workplace, taking an interactive walk around, zooming in and out. With a few mouse clicks, criminals could determine the location of your surveillance cameras, motion detectors, safes, or vaults. They’ll know your studio layout and even what types of merchandise you have in showcases.
• If you have a bad feeling about a follower or “friend” on a social network, use the same instincts you’d use with a face-to-face encounter. Most social networks give you options to block such connections from accessing your profile or page.
• Have a set of social media and security guidelines for any employees or outside contractors who might be posting on your social networks. Remind them to follow the rules above, whether they are officially posting for your brand on social media or you are allowing them to post about your brand in their own names. Remember to remove their access to your profiles, once you are no longer working with them.

To learn more about safety and social media, visit Jewelers Mutual’s website at JewelersMutual.com.

To address safety and other social media questions, Jewelers Mutual recent hosted a free webinar: “Social Media: Opportunities and Threats for Jewelers.” You can find the webinar and other loss prevention information at JewelersMutual.com/JMwebinars.

MJSA exclusively endorses Jewelers Mutual Insurance Company’s commercial and personal jewelry insurance products. To learn more about Jewelers Mutual’s coverages and to find an experienced insurance agent in your area, contact Jewelers Mutual at 1-800-558-6411.