Many have requested another round of “How I would,” where I try to take industries and explain how I would market them.
Thanks to my good friend Martin for giving me the push to get started again.
Previously, I’ve chosen categories such as the local bakery, a bike shop, a professional DJ, a local nightclub, a clothing brand, and many more.
Today, watch dealers face an exciting challenge. One of my good friends owns a local watch shop, and he often asks me for advice on how to market his business.
So why not share our dialogue with the rest of the world?
Let me clarify what kind of shop we are talking about – it is a dealer specializing in selling luxury brands such as Rolex, Omega, and Audemars Piguet.
These are not official retailers but rather specialized shops with exclusive watches sourced from authorized dealers.
But don’t be fooled by this niche – the tips and tricks I share here are relevant for any watch shop, regardless of specialty. If you know someone who runs their own watch store, feel free to share this post with them.
Let’s also get this straight: “second-hand dealers” actually sell authentic watches, sourced from unauthorized dealers, but that does not mean they are fake watches.
The reason these have become so popular is that the waitlist to buy, for example, a Rolex in official stores such as Klarlund is now endlessly long – on some models up to 10 years.
Prices for these watches soared during the COVID-19 pandemic. Partly due to increased demand from consumers seeking alternative purchase options, and partly due to rising liquidity from government support packages and low interest rates.
These factors created a positive bubble, where “grey market” watch prices went absolutely wild. Especially for Rolex, AP, and Patek Philippe.
So, that’s a bit of background.
Now let’s look at my area of expertise – not watches, but marketing.
Sorry in advance if I misuse any watch-industry terms, bear with me :).
SEO – Why it matters
First and foremost, I would build a proper website. When selling exclusive goods, a presentable website is one of the keys to establishing credibility in a market full of replica products.
I’ve written countless guides on building a website from scratch, so I won’t go deep into that here. You can read my guide to starting a blog here or about building a webshop here.
Instead, I’ll keep the focus on the SEO angle – organic traffic via Google.
The first thing I would do is thoroughly research the market regarding search terms.
Let’s take a closer look at the watch industry – here are some example searches per month in Denmark.
These are some of the most popular models.
This is just a simple version of a keyword analysis. I would do a full analysis and build my website structure based on it.
A few good SEO tips:
Set up navigation based on the keyword analysis.
Rolex (main category)
- Daytona
- Submariner
- GMT-Master
- Day-Date
- Datejust
- Oyster Perpetual
- Other Rolex watches
- Create meaningful title tags & meta descriptions.
- Write relevant texts for each subcategory.
- Avoid poor URLs like “#”. A good URL example:
- www.yourstore.com/rolex/submariner
- Optimize website speed.
- Watch out for large images (use TinyPNG).
- Get a good server (such as Kinsta).
- Test speed with PageSpeed Dev.
- Make the site mobile-friendly – most people research on their phones.
- Set up Google Search Console.
- Submit sitemap to Search Console.
- Build a solid link-building strategy (including PR).
- Consider a blog with fresh news from the watch industry – showing both users and Google you’re up to date.
Crash course: Understand SEO in 10 minutes
Social media
Social media and watches?
It’s a bit tricky.
You can definitely build social platforms on Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, and TikTok.
The problem comes with advertising.
Luxury watch brands want to maintain their image by limiting access to their products and only allowing certain authorized dealers to sell and market them. While this can restrict other dealers’ options for advertising on popular platforms, it also strengthens brand exclusivity and therefore value.
That’s why you usually can’t advertise using brand names like Rolex. You’ll need to think outside the box.
How do you do that?
You could use AI to create “fake” images for ads, but that would be a bit misleading since they wouldn’t be real watches. Still, you shouldn’t miss out on AI-generated watch images.
Jokes aside.
There are still opportunities to leverage social media.
As I always say: find the niche, platform, and communication style that suits you best. Some people excel at writing blog posts, others at video, podcasts, or something else – luckily, the options are many.
Youtube (unboxing)
An expensive watch is a considered purchase. That’s why you need to help potential customers along their buyer journey. Here, YouTube can be an amazing tool.
YouTube (owned by Google) is deeply integrated with the search engine. It also functions as its own search engine, meaning your videos will live on for a long time.
Additionally, the videos can be embedded on your website, like shown below.
Facebook groups
Watches are traded online – especially in Facebook groups. That’s why it’s valuable to be active there.
Often, you shouldn’t jump straight to selling, but instead be helpful and show authority. Be careful not to promise what you can’t deliver, and help people verify potential trades.
You can either build your own community or join others.
Remember: An expensive purchase is always a considered purchase, no matter the industry. Being top-of-mind may seem pointless short-term, but long-term it is critical. Having many touchpoints with a potential customer is the key to success. That’s why Rolex invests in online ads, sponsors athletes, and acts as a main sponsor at events like Formula 1 and tennis.
Advertising
Facebook lead ads?
When you click an ad, you see a form pre-filled with your Facebook details.
Lead ads can be used for various purposes: signing up for a newsletter, requesting more info, or booking an appointment.
Here’s an example of lead ads on Facebook – mine is from Aarhus Osteopati.
Now you may think: “But Micky, how can we use this as a watch dealer?”
Here are some ideas:
- “Join our exclusive VIP list for luxury watches”
- “Be the first to know when we get new arrivals”
- “Win a unique luxury watch holder”
The next step is to connect Facebook leads automatically with your email system. Personally, I’d still choose Mailchimp due to its simple setup. To get sign-ups transferred directly from Facebook to Mailchimp, you connect them via Zapier.
Is all other advertising banned?
Not necessarily, but I’d be very cautious about accounts being shut down for brand violations. A brand like Rolex clearly doesn’t want just anyone driving traffic on their name, as that undermines their control.
Tip: You can always get inspiration using Facebook’s Ad Library to see what major brands are doing. For example, you can check Rolex’s current ad library here. You can’t copy it directly, but it might spark ideas.
Newsletter
Now we come to newsletters – always a tricky area since they require ongoing effort. Don’t dive in unless you know you have the time.
Read my ultimate guide to email marketing.
A newsletter is the closest you’ll get to direct dialogue with a customer (apart from face-to-face). That’s why it has to be worth following, otherwise people will unsubscribe quickly.
Good tips for creating an engaging newsletter for a watch dealer:
- Avoid too much direct selling.
- Let people sign up for specific models.
- Entertain with videos (like unboxing).
- Share news about new launches.
- Events and campaigns.
- Watch history and technology.
- Guide people through their first luxury watch purchase.
- Include personality, passion, and your own story.
- Build a welcome flow (automation) to establish credibility from day one.
Google My Business & Trustpilot
As mentioned earlier, credibility is crucial when dealing in expensive goods. That’s why review platforms are so important. In Europe, we mostly use Google My Business and Trustpilot. I recommend keeping these updated and responding to messages.
Read my full guide to Google My Business.
One of my favorite dealers is TimeToWatch. Their know-how is incredible, and their store in Aarhus is really impressive. They’ll happily welcome you even if you’re just browsing. I’ve also recommended the store to many friends – that’s what good service does. Word of mouth remains the best advertising.
As you can see below, TimeToWatch performs well on Trustpilot.
In my opinion, service is the keyword. Official Rolex boutiques (and many other high-end shops) often come across as a bit arrogant. I think they’ve had it too easy, living off massive demand created by the brands, so they simply open their doors and customers line up.
It’s important to remember that as a dealer, you are the storefront for the world’s biggest brands. These are expensive purchases, often requiring careful consideration. While many brands thrived during the pandemic, we must also remember downturns can come.
That’s why I often find service is better with second-hand watch dealers. That said, I’ve had excellent service and advice from Klarlund in Copenhagen too. My observation is more general.
Great service means one customer (as with TimeToWatch) turns into 10–15 over the years.
Sell on other platforms
You can also leverage other marketplaces. This can be a great way to test different pricing strategies. Remember, these platforms usually take a commission, so make sure it works for your business.
It can also be a powerful branding window, especially globally.
Some options:
- Farfetch
- Chrono
- Vestiare
- Luisaviaroma
That concludes my guide for a watch dealer! 🙂
Of course, there are always more ways to increase visibility. Maybe I missed something? There’s always room for improvement and new ideas – send them my way.
Drop a comment and let me know which industry I should tackle in my next post.
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