It’s no secret that email marketing has become an exceptionally powerful promotional tool for photographers. Since emails can link to the content of websites, blogs, and social media, email campaigns and eNewsletters are helping photographers connect with qualified clients they might have missed through other more traditional marketing efforts.
With Fall about to arrive, and with the holidays right around the corner, wouldn’t it be great to have your email newsletter up and running so that you could let clients and prospects know about the exciting opportunities for fall holiday portraits and the many portrait opportunities available during upcoming gift-giving season?
Even if you have only a handful of email addresses, it’s still worth your while to get started. Your list will grow rapidly if you involve your clients and make creative use of viral marketing to spread the word about your newsletter. Consider using any or all of these strategies to build your list:
- Start with a newsletter subscription window. Place this sign-up device on your website and/or blog to allow clients and prospects to quickly and easily subscribe to your newsletter. Create a link to it so that readers can forward it to their friends.
- Ask for signups with every client contact you make! This will take discipline for you and your staff, but it’s important to ask for an email address at every new or returning client portrait session or whenever you contact a client in your database.
- Place calls to existing clients; resolve to contact five existing clients by phone each day. Ask them how they and their family are doing, then tell them about your newsletter and ask for their email address. You are likely to find that some of the clients you call will have portrait needs, so you may book some sessions as well. Consider rewarding the clients you reach by sending a $50-$100 gift card, which will act as a strong incentive for them to visit your studio again.
- Send a post card to existing clients. If you can’t afford the time to call clients personally, send a postcard letting them know what your newsletter is all about and where they can subscribe on your website or blog. Provide a special offer to those who sign up, such as a gift card, free session or portrait greeting cards. Don’t expect as good a response rate from this mailing as you will get from personal telephone calls, but it can be effective in gaining some email addresses.
- Offer a free session on your website or blog. Tell website visitors about your eNewsletter, and offer a free session to those who respond to you with their email addresses.
To make the job as easy as possible, Marathon’s team of Internet professionals have created several FREE “design and drop” email marketing templates you can use.
Download your free templates and get started with email marketing now.
