What are some things to avoid when cold emailing?
The most important part of a cold email is to avoid sounding cold. I try to be in the moment to write as I speak, keeping it as “not staged” as possible.
Is there a suggestion on what else to do to get blocked email promos through clients’ email filters?
I don’t have the technical fix yet, but this is a numbers game for us. I send out quarterly promos knowing that most will not get seen, but if 20% get opened, that is still part of our MARKETING PLAN that has succeeded in one way: more eyes are on our work than if we didn’t send it out. I use the same theory on IG as it’s the marketing plan numbers game.
Email promos are barely working, and I hate to give them up because I don’t know what else will work better. Please advise.
Email promos may not match the exact success open rate you are going for, but we should continue sending them. We may get fewer clicks/hits/views on everything we do, but it’s still much more of a numbers game success than walking around with a portfolio in hand (which is also important to do). The marketing puzzle of what works to be seen is broad, so many potential parts require us to do them all.
Making the subject line of your email stand out is the most important factor in getting it read. Here are a few of my ideas; please share your own in the comments!
• Be specific with your topic.
• Make it catchy and interesting.
• Use your topic as a reference to what you want them to remember you for.
• Include a question mark.
• Say their name.
The hardest part of this business is dealing with clients ghosting you after engaging in several emails.
How do you get clients to give a quick update???
“GHOSTING” is the new norm due to overworked, busy clients. Potential ways of getting responses include a clean-up of how we communicate:
1. Our note needs to be short, concise, clear, and fast.
2. End ours with the question instead of asking it in the beginning.
3. Assume it’s not good news and would be time-consuming for them to form their words, so you can ask in a way that allows them to say “yes” or “no.”
4. Listen to the ghosting as a business cue to take stock of why the client doesn’t need you right now.
Facing A Fact: Our 3rd party email promos are not getting through due to the client’s email filters.
Lessons to be learned:
-Even though this has been true for a while now, hearing it directly from a client makes it even more real.
-We cannot rely on email promos as our single source of marketing.
-We can use the ‘clicked on’ info as even more valuable to see who is seeing our work.
-Outdated promotion tactics have a place, but we have to stretch out and find less capacity ways to reach out.
I’ve been in denial about email promos actually landing in our clients’ inboxes. I received an email from a client, an art producer at a company, and this is what she said: “I think they’re more likely to open an email from me, as third parties have some tough email filters to get through and land in an inbox.” Of course, we all know this, but I haven’t really been facing the reality. I send out a lot of emails and spend money on them, but the promos might not be getting through as often as I thought.
I still think they’re worth doing, but they’re not landing as much as they should because of these companies’ email filters. One solution is to ask my contacts to send out the promos themselves. Another approach could be to use Instagram DMs or to engage with clients we’re already connected with on LinkedIn, perhaps posting or sending promos there. We need to find other ways to get our images seen by people who might not know us yet. I have to accept this and figure out alternative methods to reach our audience.
Email Promos are the way to go.
Years ago we would diversify with mailer promos, but nowadays, it’s challenging with many remote clients. The unsuccessful percentage of clicks and opened emails may discourage us, but how many opportunities do we have for 100 or 1000 potential clients to view our work? I invest in email promos even as many don’t get opened; the ones that do can be priceless.
We are so excited about a recent successful email promotion. We sent out a lot of email promos using a list called the Bikinilist and received two immediate responses to bid on this photographer. While the numbers may not always be on their side, sending out a big list can really pay off.
I was curious about your thoughts on printed portfolios. I saw two different posts about this on your IG and website and am very curious about the new trends you’ve seen. What are some new options and ways to meet with potential clients?
I have always seen marketing as “trends.” I remember ‘back in the day’ after the iPad surge when printed portfolios became hot again. It inspired me to bring back old marketing ways because if they worked in the past, they should work again. Today we have a wide variety, making choosing which options to focus on more challenging. Will clients go back to the office? We don’t know, so we can’t wait for that. My trend now is to take the one-by-one personal engagement approach. Clients suffer from Inbox overload, sick of being mass emailed. Let’s call this new marketing stage – be a human.
I’m trying to get into the beauty photography business by going for smaller brands in my local area, but I’m finding it very hard to create leverage in this industry. I’ve tried email marketing, and sometimes their PR domains are blocked. Instagram messages think I want to “collab” with them. I’m unsure how to start networking with consumer package companies. What do you recommend I can do to be seen by commercial clients?
We all face similar challenges to get in front of potential clients, as described here, no matter which area of photography we focus on. Of course, it begins with a strongly branded portfolio showing you off quickly and succinctly. After that, it’s a potluck of strategic moves knowing which you are getting done and which need more attention.
Check out my Marketing Strategy Planner on “Downloads” –https://asksternrep.com/downloads/ where I map out all the potential ways I use to rep photographers to the appropriate clients. Pick a few favorites on my pyramid chart and see what works for you.
I send quarterly newsletters, and some keep me on their radars, but at the same time, I always feel like I’m leaving something on the table by not directly engaging with whoever opens the email. What’s the best way to send that email? Do I go direct and say, “Hey, I noticed that you enjoyed my promo, so can we set up a meeting in the future to say hello?” Do we send a follow-up to put a face to the name? I don’t want to be weird and pushy because they know I want to work with them. This outreach is tough for me, and any advice would be great!
The mistake in our Marketing Plans is to think it’s over once we reach out. That is when engaging clients with our brand begins; we open the door, growing a state of ongoing continuous awareness. With that in mind, you find any sign of response from who clicked, following analytics to see which agency is looking at your site and who liked your IG to put yourself out there in a genuine human-to-human connection. Be yourself and take them to lunch, share your response on their IG Story and LinkedIn posts, and join them where they are. You are right; they know you want to work with them, so be the spam caller with whom you wouldn’t hang up on by keeping it real.
