Page 59 - Lighting Magazine October 2019

of course, they want their own homes to be in the magazine.”
Keeping showrooms fresh is another proven method for bringing customers in regularly. Geyer changes out the paint colors in her showroom every three to four months and she has arranged collaborations with paint companies Sherwin- Williams and Benjamin Moore in exchange for promotion during events.
Priest and Tuff rely on their social media pres- ence to bolster their business’ visibility. “We started with Facebook and then segued to In- stagram,” Priest noted. “We went from posting photos and writing captions to doing videos. We do a Facebook Live broadcast from the showroom called, ‘Two Minutes With the Garber Boys.’ It’s very raw and silly, complete with the phone ringing and our dog barking in the background; it’s authen- tic. We show product and we also give a keyword of the week. If customers say that keyword to us when they come in, they’ll get 25 percent off their purchase. It’s a good way to make sure they’re
our live videos, although I was very self-conscious [at first]. One of the more popular types of vid- eos are what we call our ‘Unboxing’ videos, where we film us opening up boxes of merchandise that have just been delivered. It’s especially fun since we don’t always know what’s in the boxes,” she remarked. “Also, when we do a Before and After of a one-day installation, that video will get a lot of viewer traffic.”
Don’t IGnore onLIne seLLInG
The panelists all have websites outlining their de- sign services, but some also offer items for sale. Geyer sells rugs, botanicals, and mirrors on IBB’s site, but added, “We only sell accessories that are proprietary, under my name. We did it to get our feet in the game, but [online selling] is a whole other ballgame.”
Botanicals is familiar territory for Jonathons Coastal Living as well. “We make permanent bo- tanicals ourselves in-house,” Bernal stated. In May, she taught a Coastal Succulents Workshop at the
“Being ‘good’ these days is not enough; you have to be excellent in what you do.” — Jamie Bernal, Jonathons Coastal Living
retail spotlight
paying attention to the broadcast!”
Tuff and Priest also emphasized consistency. Do
your videos and posts on specific days and at the same time on those days so that viewers will know when to tune in. “Give your [social media audi- ence] a heads up roughly 10 minutes prior to the video airing,” Tuff said.
Geyer recently changed the content of her social media posts. “It’s not always about pretty pictures anymore,” she shared. “They want to see the behind-the-scenes activities, where we’re schlepping [things] around and we’re not always dressed cute. My desk always looks like a bomb went off, and it was hard for me to share that with people. Our analytics are higher on those behind- the-scene posts than any others. People want to see the process.”
Bernal agreed that curated, picture-perfect stylized shots are so plentiful on Instagram that it’s become harder to stand out. “My customers love
showroom, guiding participants step-by-step on how to make their own faux succulent arrange- ment pictured on the website (the $60 workshop fee included a 7.5" x 4.5" glass container adorned with tied jute, faux succulents, shells, and moss).
Another unique aspect of Jonathons Coastal Living website is its “Design Kollective” section, which is a curated selection of decorative ac- cessories offered by local boutiques (who pay a monthly fee to participate) nationwide that do not have an online presence of their own. The Design Kollective is a way for smaller, artisan-run boutiques to sell their accessories to a broader audience. “I wanted to have something for my cus- tomers to look at [online] when they are at home,” Bernal explained. “We’ve had customers who have seen the [Kollective] items online on our website or Instagram and they’ve come in to pick up their orders. It has also exposed our store to more people from the local area.”
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