E-mail NewsLetters for Higher Visibity

This is an overview of an e-mail campaign strategy. Photographers should create a clean and well designed e-mail strategy for clients, prospects, vendors and friends. Keep the message positive. Show a few images and invite the viewer to your site.

The Basic Strategy

• Create a solid and targeted strategy
• Show your strengths clearly
• Set the goals for the Newsletter and then measure against the outcome
• Email campaign integrates with all other efforts

Customer Centric

• Focus on the customer's need for new information
• Create value by strengthening the ties between you and customer
  

The Offer or Call to Action (may not apply to all)

• If there is an offer (print sales, specials etc...) make it strong and early.
• If there is no specific 'offer', make a 'call to action' statement early.

Creative Challenge

• Keep the 'From" line honest
• Create a subject line that lets them know it is from you
• Take potential user filtering rules into consideration
• Creative and quality design and format
• Enable and encourage referrals
• Professional copy (or at least clean and concise. Check spelling)

Web Page Version (extended?)

• Send people to a web page for more information. That gets them to your site.
• Web site enables email recipients to find more information and see more images

Database / List

• Use Opt-In lists only. Yes, it takes a bit longer, but do not Spam.
• Use a powerful 'list building' software
• Automate the Opt-In / Opt-Out
• Track and save the results in the DB for easy retrieval

Test and Implement

• Use a 'test' list to view the page
• Send at the optimum time (day of week, time of day)

Analyse and Follow Up

• Review the results and track the inquiries
• Review web logs and track the hits to the site
• Follow-up - Follow-up - Follow-up

Possible Topics for Photographer Newsletters

Present an overview of the capabilities of the studio. Maybe some folks don't know you have a grid lighting system or an in-house digital printing service. Show how it may benefit the customer.

New Clients: Get a big one lately? Land a national shoot, or something that has great visibility? Tell everyone. They want to know.

New Specialized Equipment: How it can help create better - faster - sharper - less costly - whatever - images. Use it as a defining item to show your strengths over the competition.

Show Images: Of course you can show images in your newsletter. This is a great place to show personal or creative or out-of-context images. Show the newest image you love. Tell the audience why you shot it. What it means to you. Who you shot it for. What equipment you may have used. Talk about the challenges and how you overcame them. Tough shots - no problems.

Brag about clients: If you have worked on a campaign that received an award or some sort of recognition, let everyone know. People like to work with winners.

Thank Clients / Vendors / Associates: Thank the models that worked on a particularly difficult shoot that month. Thank the assistant that hung from the guy-wire for an hour with your slaved flash. Mention the terrific support you got at the XYZ lab during a particularly stressful shoot.

Need a tool to manage all of this?
Try the Newsletter tool over at www.steelid.com

Got a great topic you have used? Let us know...