5 Ways to Use E-mails to Grow Your Photography Business

Building and growing an e-mail list for your photography business is one of the best things you can do to grow your photography business. E-mail marketing is a powerful way of reaching your prospects when you need to. Despite the efforts focused around social media marketing, these platforms and audiences can change easily from day to day but your list remains rock solid. 

Growing your e-mail list and maintaining it will bring a high ROI for photographers.  It’s an extremely cost effective way to reach your leads directly and create a strong relationship with them. Your e-mail subscribers are highly likely to be become your next clients. 

It’s important to plan your approach to email marketing from the start and get strategic with how you’ll use your list.  I’m going to share the top 5 ways photographers can use their email list to get clients and grow their influence online.

1) Regular newsletters

If you are going to build an email list, it’s vital to stay consistent with your communication. This helps your list get to know you and build that desired ‘know, like, trust’ factor with you. Whether you send your newsletters weekly, monthly or bi-monthly, sticking to a regular newsletter schedule is key.

What should you include in your newsletters? Share valuable content that your list will find helpful or interesting like a behind the scenes look at your shoots, photography tips, or you can create a .pdf from your welcome guide and send it monthly with updated images and info. 

2) Promotions 

When emailing your list aim to mix in high value free content with promotional content to ensure your audience stays engaged. If you have a special offer coming up email your list and include a strong call to action to encourage sales. For example, give your audience a start and end date or limit it to a few people only. Creating a sense of urgency is a great way to encourage action.

3) Autoresponders

When someone new signs up to your list, a brilliant way to keep them engaged and nurtured is to create a welcome series of autoresponder emails. I suggest using Mailchimp or Mad Mimi for your email marketing as they both have an easy to use autoresponder series. Create between 3 - 5 welcome emails and automate them to send out every few days after a new subscriber joins. The content included can be a welcome promotion or your best tips and valuable free content. The key is to welcome this new subscriber into your community and make them feel looked after.

Want to grab a ready made swipe file for your autoresponders? Check out my pre-written e-mail autoresponders for photographers here. 

4) Lead Nurturing

A profitable email list comes from nurturing and supporting your list as it grows. The prospects on your list have a high chance of being your next paying clients so it’s vital to maintain a strong relationship with them. Establishing yourself as the expert in your field through providing plenty of great value and showing your unique photography style is a great way to convert your e-mail subscribers into clients. Make sure to share all your expert tips and any press features when you get your photos publishedto maintain your influence.

5) Follow Up E-mail 

When working directly with a client, it’s vital to maintain clear communication with them from start to finish. Use your email to follow up with them post photo session (usually day of is best) and confirm the details of what to expect next.  For example, when they can see their proofs, when everything will be complete and delivered and any other meeting times required. Make sure to be clear and concise in your communication. 

Remember, your money is in the relationship you have with your list so focus on building genuine connections and trust with your prospects and you’ll see the power of email marketing in your photography business.