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-Outdated promotion tactics have a place, but we have to stretch out and find less capacity ways to reach out.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.
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?
A:
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?
A:
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!
A:
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.
#1 mistake with email promos is thinking clients will take the extra step to see more.
Our human tendency is to rush to delete emails. It almost brings us joy to delete. Don’t fall into this trap by wasting the top of your email with space or your logo. Immediately show the goods, making your point even if it’s deleted without a scroll to see more.
The number one mistake with email promos is assuming that clients will scroll past the big logo at the top. Instead, place the main content—the meat and potatoes—of your email promo right at the top.
The goal is to make your email fast, straightforward, and engaging. People tend to delete emails quickly to clear their inbox, so make sure your key message is visible immediately. Capture their attention right away to encourage them to scroll down and see more.
My consultant is helping me with emailers, although I notice they go unread due to spam filters at many agencies (confirmed by my direct outreach). Is there a preferred platform for an email list emailer? Something that allows for reading/open tracking that won’t get spam filtered?
A:
Every client has a different email guarded system that we can’t control. Clients tend to move around from company to company so often that we must constantly revise our lists. The one solution I go for is to get as many approved emails and try to send them in a multitude of ways. I’ll do just an email for anyone to open and click. Next to IG, monitoring this system is the 2nd best way to be seen by the most people in one day. If we stay on this as regularly as possible, along with our IG engagement, we can cover a lot of ground, even if the results look insignificant.
If I get a new professional connection on Instagram, is it overkill to email them as well?
A:
The correct answer for this is about consistent engagement. That can happen on LinkedIn, emails, lunches, portfolio showings, IG Stories and feed commenting, etc. The one engagement I don’t recommend is an inbox DM. Why? Every other type of engagement keeps your client in control where a DM message to a new professional connection is what Facebook used to be – the more personal space saved for friends. Warm up professional contacts to see if they eventually become a friendship; otherwise, we can become too pushy, and instead of marketing, it becomes “anti-marketing.”
What are the essential marketing tools these days, and which past tools have become less relevant?
A:
Marketing tools tend to come and go, but the KEY is to be the leader of the pack by instilling new ways or the return of the old ones. Printed promos and portfolios are on the out, but I’ve seen it happen before; someday soon, they will be back. My job as a rep has always been about expanding and cultivating new marketing routes to see what works. I jumped on Clubhouse initially but no longer saw the marketing benefits as strongly as doing my webinar and podcast to be showcased on my YouTube. If a marketing trend goes cold, the right question is, what is the new replacement I can do asap?
