JNA Mar 2020

專題報道 JNA Mar/Apr 2020 | 17 targeting the local market, and three other diamond jewellery brands with different market positioning. According to Ma, ecommerce in jewellery trade – limited by the nature of diamond jewellery products – lags behind other sectors, but remains a viable marketing and promotional channel. “Unlike other consumer products sold online, diamond jewellery is expensive. The more expensive the product, the more popular it is because customers like investment,” he revealed. “They also put a premium on the experience and services that they enjoy in a physical store.” Product returning, while crucial to online stores’ business model, puts pressure on traditional diamond jewellery retailers should they expand their online business, he added. Ma further said items that cost HK$2,000 to HK$ 3,000 (about US$257 to US$385) per piece move faster online, with gold jewellery selling easier than diamond pieces. MaBelle’s current online channels include Mabelle. com and fanShare, a mobile application platform. The fanShare app is linked with the brand’s Mabelle Reward programme and provides members with details on latest events, discount offers and new arrivals. With a built-in live chat function, customers can easily inquire about a product and set up appointments. The app also encourages members to share the products they love with friends. Ma underscored the effectiveness of this digital marketing strategy for MaBelle, in particular. “A digital strategy needs to suit one’s own business model. Every company should know its own limits and choose a target customer segment accordingly. With customers in mind, companies provide products and services according to their needs and reach them in the most effective way.” MaBelle's 'Palette of Love' collection MaBelle 《戀愛色彩》鑽飾系列 Make your digital ads more effective Dave Chan, vice president of digital business and advanced analytics for Asia and consumer goods at Informa Markets’ global digital services, also underscored the importance of digital marketing in today’s business world. “While today’s media is more fragmented, online channels offer opportunities that traditional channels don’t. Here is where we come in,” noted Chan. “We can target advertising to demographic groups by gender, age bracket, location and interests. That means we can zero in on an audience, which is more likely to be interested in our products or services.” Chan further revealed, “One of the biggest advantages of digital marketing is its scalability. You can be a small store in a city suburb with a modest budget or you can be a giant multinational with both physical and online stores and a much larger target audience. If you deliver the message clearly and efficiently, it can work just as well.” He further shared practical tips to make ads more effective. To capture the viewer’s attention, the ad has to be visually interesting and eye catching. The challenge is to “freeze the thumbs” of media users and get them to stop scrolling and read the ad. Like the platforms that carry it, effective digital marketing is dynamic, engaging and interactive, with a simple and clear message. Shorter text is easier to read, helping the viewer capture the message faster. Secondly, the ad must have a prominent, instantly executable call-to-action as this helps drive leads and conversions. An example would be encouraging customers to further explore your products and services or join a mailing list. A well-organised digital marketing initiative can achieve instant results but long-term brand building and positioning to remain top-of-mind among consumers requires a more durable approach. It must be done regularly across multiple platforms and encourage engagement, which is not necessarily directly related to a sale such as entering a contest or playing a fun game.