Do You Allow Clients to “Friend” You on Social Media? Retailers Respond

question:

Do you allow clients to “friend” you personally on social media?

Yes: 67%

• Keeping it open. It’s about relationships. — Corey Miller, Leighton’s Jewelers, Merced, CA
• Customers want to feel more connected than just liking a business page. They want to be “friends,” which is completely fine. I try to not share any info on social media that is not public knowledge. — Ben Brantley, Ben Brantley & Co., Shelbyville, TN
• I “friend” as many people as possible! When I’m hiring, there’s a better possibility that the candidate will be my friend, and I can search their profile. I don’t share anything private, and my personal account can be used to promote the business, where appropriate. — Debbie Fox, Fox Fine Jewelry, Ventura, CA
• It’s such a large part of our world. I think it’s important to post knowing that customers see your post. It’s a great way to build relationships. — Tom Williams, Floyd & Green, Aiken, SC
• Of the ones I do friend, they are usually the ones I have known for years, and they have already become like friends to me. — Pamela Rossi, PJ Rossi Jewelers, Lauderdale by the Sea, FL
• I have always found the second sale is easier than the first. If they are friends with you (i.e., social media, church, etc.), they trust you more and it’s an easier sale. — Tim Sherrer, Lou’s Jewelry, Mobile, AL
• I’ve been on FB so long, since about the beginning, and I’ve got over 4,000 “friends.” I gave up long ago trying to narrow it down, and pretty much there is no such thing as privacy anymore … just saying. — Rex Solomon, Houston Jewelry, Houston, TX
• We are a small-town Jeweler, everyone knows everyone. Take the business when and where you can! — Mary Jo Chanski, Hannoush Jewelers, Rutland, VT
• You don’t really have a choice. If you don’t accept a friend request, you could be perceived as arrogant. Also, I think customers appreciate you more when they see the real you on social media. Also, I consider most customers friends. They get my cell phone number as well. — Michael Kanoff, Michael’s Jewelers, Yardley, PA
• I need all the friends I can get! — David Phelps, John David Jewelers, Durham, NC
• Who cares. It’s not who you friend, it’s idiotic things you post. Friend or not, everything done online is open game. — Steven B. Goldfarb, Alvin Goldfarb Jeweler, Bellevue, WA
• If they want to, what harm does it do? — Mark Neumann, Ross Designs, Highland Park, IL
• I don’t use my social media even on my personal page without “selling” in mind. I NEVER post anything political, negative, or start Facebook fights. I use the heck out of my personal page to sell jewelry and have made lots of connections online. If you don’t work your Facebook both personally and on a business level, you’re crazy! It is today’s way to communicate. — Stephenie Bjorkman, Sami Fine Jewelry, Fountain Hills, AZ
• I have two personal accounts. One is a professional personal account where I post some personal things and allow clients to “friend” me. The other is really a personal account for my closest friends and family. — Dianna Rae High, Dianna Rae Jewelry, Lafayette, LA
• I believe the key to our success is that we treat everyone like a friend. We try to make them comfortable and establish trust and “easy conversation.” I am the same person at work as I am at home … so I am fine with customers following my personal pages. It shows my personality and helps them connect to me, which makes selling them easier. — Dorothy Retzke, Krystyna’s Jewelry, Chicago, IL

No: 33%

• Like to keep the personal side private. Had a client call my cellphone on Christmas morning to complain that her husband did not buy the bigger diamond hoop earrings. Need to disconnect and keep personal time. — Scott Kelly, Jems Jewels & Gold, North Wales, PA
• Unfortunately, I allowed this way back in the beginning when nobody really knew how social media was going to work. Most of those clients are secretly blocked now from seeing my posts. We have a very active FB that we invite them to follow. There’s no reason a client needs to see me walking my dog or attending a sporting event with my friends. They get plenty of content from our store’s page. — Mark Snyder, Snyder Jewelers, Weymouth, MA
• I don’t have the time to answer/respond. — Joe Pfeiffer, Bud’s Jewelers, Salem, IN
• I want the store to stand on its own merits. — Joseph Delefano, Regency Jewelers, Rotterdam, NY
• Facebook is only for real friends. — Steven Wardle, Forest Beach Design, Chatham, MA
• I give enough of my time to the business; I use social media only for my nuclear family. I don’t really even have friends on my media. — Ralph Vandenberg, Vandenberg’s Jewellers, Edmonton, AB
• Because business is business. I am politically involved and don’t need to lose business over politics. — Erin McMichael Hess, Extinctions, Lancaster, PA
• I don’t do social media. — Ira Kramer, Diamond Exchange of Maryland, Tallahassee, FL
• My clients can contact me through my store website and email. That is already close to 24/7. Do they need more access, no! I need a life away from the business and on my terms. Otherwise, I would set up a cot and sleep at the store. — David Blitt, Troy Shoppe Jewellers, Calgary, AB
• I am not personally involved in anything to do with social media, so they can’t friend me even if they wanted to. Social media may be a useful media for advertising, but it also has an evil side. It is routinely used as a strong platform for people to criticize everything while hiding behind their keyboard. It can also be a huge time waster. I stay off of it completely. — James Sickinger, Sickinger’s Jewelry, Lowell, IN