Word-of-mouth, from peer-to-peer, represents the most valuable form of marketing, hands down.  In every consumer group, there are always those who are distinguished as being more interested, more current and more savvy about a product category, whether clothing, automobiles, music or sports. Other group members look to them as predictors of "what's next," and that's often how trends are started.
    

STEP 1: IDENTIFY YOUR MAVENS Every jeweler has its mavens, and sometimes these mavens are their best customers.   In fact, some couture houses actually employ mavens to attract customers.  Neiman-Marcus has been known to foot the bill for their best customers to entertain friends while exposing the latest trends. But, more often, it's local celebrities or trendsetters that jewelers should have, but haven't proactively developed.

Try cultivating your local mavens! Every market has a black-tie annual event that attracts lots of press and an influential crowd. Identify the highest profile local people in your area, and ask them to attend the event.

STEP 2: UNDERSTAND YOUR MAVENS Mavens are not only good for spreading word-of-mouth, they're crucial to get to know because tapping into their knowledge helps jewelers understand the opportunities and threats that could trickle down into their customer base. Understanding your mavens can also help jewelers fine tune their business and make their best customers happier. A few options to tap into this group are to hold special invite-only events in order to learn more and to start compiling a database of Mavens for continuous customer follow up via direct mail and in store communication.