How Email Marketing Can Save Your Photography Business

How Email Marketing Can Save Your Photography Business

Successful photographers know the only way to stay in business is by keeping in touch with people. One of the most effective ways to achieve this is through email marketing.

Email marketing is a highly-valuable tool for photographers because they can essentially use it to promote their work. This communication method works because it gives you the potential to work with clients in the long run.

However, photographers are visual artists. They use their photos to communicate through their pictures. Therefore, writing may not come as easily to you. 

But before you start sending email campaigns, let’s look at why email marketing is effective and ways you can improve them. Cover photo via Priscilla Du Preez.

Why Email Marketing Will Benefit Your Photography Business

Email marketing is a systematic way of building relationships. If you think about it, you might have a potential client come to your website. Yet, they might not be ready to book.

This comes with the territory because clients usually research ten or twenty photographers online to understand what to expect. In return, they might subscribe to your mailing list as part of their research. And you get the advantage of developing a relationship with them until they’re ready to book.

That’s why photographers can be so successful with their business through email marketing. You’ll always be at the top of their mind instead of losing touch. 

To ensure you’re using email marketing to its fullest potential, start by creating a realistic strategy and use the tips below to improve your emails.

How To Use Email Marketing Effectively

Email marketing as a channel for sales and growth can be really beneficial to photographers and large scale agencies alike. Here is how to use email marketing effectively when running a creative production business.

1. Offer Subscribers Value

Your subscribers carefully signed up to your email list because they felt they could get something in return.

In exchange for their personal information, you need to offer them something of value. If you already know your ideal target audience, you should know what interests them.

For example, maybe they would find joy in seeing your process of how you photograph clients and edit their photos. Behind-the-scenes stories are always inspirational and can potentially compel them to work with you. 

If you think they would find value in something educational, they might enjoy receiving a free guide on your shooting techniques. 

2. Segment Your Subscribers

Depending on your niche, you may have more than one type of subscriber. Therefore, it helps to segment your list. 

Segmenting divides your list into groups based on demographic characteristics, interests and behaviors. Incorporating this activity into your email strategy is crucial because it helps you send more highly relevant and personalized messages to each group.

One benefit is that it keeps your unsubscribe rates down and enhances your email performance, such as click-through and opening rates. 

3. Create Attractive Subject Lines

An enticing subject line is what attracts readers to open your emails. This is crucial to your email marketing strategy because it helps you stand out in a cluttered inbox.

A few ways you can create attractive subject lines are by:

  • Making the topic clear.
  • Keeping it concise by using power words to reel them in.
  • Personalizing it by including the subscribers’ names and incorporating personality. 

4. Engage With a Call to Action

You’ve worked hard on getting your subscribers to open the email and read the copy. Now, what do you want your subscribers to do at the end of the email? What’s the overall goal you intend to reach?

Maybe you want them to read a blog post you wrote about a recent shoot. Or you could ask them to respond to your email to connect.

Whatever that end goal may be, ensure you use a compelling CTA at the bottom of your message.

The CTA should be big enough to tap — and clear, so the reader knows where the link will take them.

call to action

Photo via Vinicius “amnx” Amano.

5. Test and Measure for Success

Tracking your performance and regularly evaluating it is the only way to improve the effectiveness of your campaigns.

Consider using A/B testing, where you test out different emails to see which gives you the best results.

Ensure you pay attention to your KPIs (key performance indicators) to keep track of those results. When you consistently test and track your performance results, you’ll notice frequent patterns. 

Therefore, you’ll need to monitor your open and click-through rates to determine which emails get the most engagement. 

Use Email Marketing To Keep Your Clients Engaged

Focusing on engagement and building relationships will lead your business to higher sales. When using email marketing tactics to reach your business goals, keep the above tips in mind and always work on improving them. 

Email marketing can be a resourceful tool for your photography business, which is why it’s a worthy investment.

Read next: 101 Freelance Business Ideas for Creative People

One Reply to “How Email Marketing Can Save Your Photography Business”

  1. When it comes to email marketing, I agree that providing value is integral. Consumers should know that their interests are being catered to.

Leave a Reply