Internet No Silver Bullet For Diamond MerchantsThe past year has seen an increasing number of Australian diamond merchants advertise online.
However many may well be under the impression that selling diamonds online is as simple as selling computer parts - set up a website, post diamonds on the site, advertise on search engines and people will come to the site and buy a diamond.
Unfortunately, like most things in life it isn't quite simple.
Firstly, you have to set up an easy to use, user oriented site with unique and useful content that makes people want to buy a diamond from you. You then have to maintain it, keep it up to date and add more features to it (a website should never be considered complete).
Secondly, you have to manage your marketing on a regular basis (daily or several times per week).
Pay-Per-Click (PPC) advertising has the power to create very little "wastage", and produce extremely high return on investment - if done correctly.
Newcomers to the internet marketing game tend to make the same mistakes we were making 3 years ago, ending up with large bills and very little sales. Hiring a professional to manage your PPC campaign may seem silly and unnecessary at first, but the few hundred dollars spent has the potential to decrease your advertising spend whilst dramatically increasing your sales.
Lastly, and most importantly, consumers like viewing and comparing diamonds before purchasing. Thus, you need either a full time presence in all Australian capital cities, which is pretty much unviable for internet based diamond merchants, or establish a virtual presence in cities other than your own, travelling only a few times per month. A few of the more established internet merchants (including us) have a virtual presence in cities other than their own, whilst for others, it doesn't seem to be part of their business plan.
