It's clear that social media has taken over as a form of communication, photo sharing, and self-verification. 

But with today's technology it actually helps millions of retailers reach populations outside of their town, state, and even country. 

Huge retailers that used to dominate malls and mailing catalogs are closing dozens of stores now, and transitioning to online businesses that are more convenient and allow customers to shop from their homes, work, and coffee shops. 

We're not saying it's a bad thing for everyone, but it's definitely a trend that's here to stay and we're along for the ride. 

Brick and mortar retail locations are increasing in rent every year, especially here in the ever-growing Northeast Florida region.

Having an online business along with social media presence on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter has personally helped Elizabeth Sarah Collections reach clients in Australia, Spain, Chile, and so on. 

By constantly advertising our jewelry line in creative and engaging ways, we hope to inspire, attract and sell our creations to people all over the globe. We create one of a kind and small batch jewelry, and through social media we are able to sell our jewelry to a larger population beyond our city's limits. 

Don't get me wrong, we put tons of effort and time into local business as well, scheduling pop up shows at stores, restaurants and art exhibits around town every month. 

But if we don't document it, did it even actually happen? Putting our entire lives on the internet can sometimes be a challenge. Are we creative enough, different enough, and captivating enough to attract even one new follower per day?

It's a battle between personal and business, and our strategy is to integrate 80% business, 20% personal life into our social media accounts. This way people can feel like they get to know a bit about the Elizabeth Sarah Collections team and the faces and stories behind our product.

Elizabeth personally spends several hours a day on social media, outside of her studio hours and scheduled appointments and pop-ups. She jumped on the Instagram train about 8 years ago, and has carefully curated her account to reflect her work in a professional portfolio-type setting.

Having documented years of her creations, anyone who views Elizabeth Sarah Collections social media pages can see the effort put into her jewelry line. Those who know more about running an online business can also see how she spends time photographing and perfecting the images that help advertise and sell her product. 

Elizabeth does more than just post photos of jewelry, too. 

These days, when Instagram algorithms are constantly changing and seem to only benefit those who pay for sponsored ads, its important to do market research to stay relevant to your clientele.  

We constantly search hashtags, geotags, popular trends, and so on, so that our photos don't get lost in the scroll hole. 

Replying to comments and direct messages also takes time. We want everyone we come in contact with to feel like we are more than just a social media account, unlike the dozens of fake instas we see daily. It's important for our followers to know that they're interacting with the designer herself and not a marketing team who's sole interest is just to get paid for their content.  

We know its important to share more than just photos of our jewelry, especially the details of our trunk shows and gallery exhibits. Every event Elizabeth Sarah Collections holds or is involved in is advertised via social media.

Instead of old school invitations and RSVP's, Facebook (thankfully) allows us to create events and share them with all of our friends and family, and on different platforms as well. 

Being just a few clicks away, our events are easily accessible and generate amazing turnouts. By sharing messages, photos and event invitations, the power of social media brings people together instantly and effortlessly. 

As technology advances, so must the brands that rely on it and the power that it holds.

After all, if you trust a brand you should also trust and support the people who run it. 

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It's clear that social media has taken over as a form of communication, photo sharing, and self-verification. • • • I personally spend several hours a day on social media, outside of my studio hours and scheduled appointments and pop-ups. I jumped on the Instagram train about 8 years ago, and have carefully curated my account to reflect my work in a professional portfolio-type setting. • • • Click the link in bio to read about the power of social media and how it’s personally helped Elizabeth Sarah Collections reach clients around the globe 🌎 and represents our ever evolving brand. #elizabethsarahcollections #jewelrydesigner #jewelryblogger #thepowerofsocialmedia #handcraftedjewelry #floridamadejewelry #fortheloveofjewelry #dowhatyoulove #lovewhatyoudo #shoplocal #904bossbabes #nfinfluencers #jacksonville #atlanticbeach

A post shared by Elizabeth Sarah (@elizabethsarahcollections) on Jun 2, 2019 at 4:21am PDT