Marketing

As you may notice, I did not include a PDF attachment on my promo list, as they can often be mistaken for dangerous spam materials when sent by strangers.

Q:

What is the importance of a “one-sheet” attachment promo in an email sent to a potential client? How many images? And should this promo include any descriptive text about the images, background/bio, pitch, etc., or should all of the text be in the body of the email?

A:

When saying hello in an email, it can be good to have a fast visual sampling that looks like it belongs in that email. The key to a one-sheet promo is that it’s a quick, relatable read of a small number of images only, and does not need that extra step of being clicked to open. 

Every Photographer can have that REP MENTALITY mindset, no matter your situation. Your job is to continuously keep your REP (Mentality) excited by actively feeding your marketing supply chain.

Q:

When sending cold emails, is it better to include attached imagery, only links, or both? 

A:

I suspect (and have no actual proof), but my inclination is usually to send a link rather than images via email. I may be one of the few agents in the business to say this. Still, I suspect emailing our larger corporate clients’ image attachments will attract more firewall-stopping activity, preventing them from receiving our emails. What is your experience with this?

Q:

Are email promos worth the financial investment these days?

A:

Yes, I still think we should be sending mass emails because it’s one marketing effort we can control. It’s worth the price.

Q:

What do we do with our email promo “clicked” lists?

A:

To know who CLICKS from our email promo to our website supplies valuable feedback shaping our marketing direction. Analyzing this relevant resource can be what you need to know. 

1. Put them on a hotlist and use every method to follow up with them, including following and engaging on IG. 
2. Look up all the others at that agency or company to get them on your lists. If your work is applicable to one person at that place, it’s likely true for the other creatives and producers as well. 
3. If one of your top dream list clients didn’t have any clicks, you know you have some changes to make. 
4. Compare the marketplace segments clicking percentages to see which category of clients your work is attracting vs. which types are not being drawn in. 
5. When you get an unusual amount of clicks or lack of clicks from one email, use that to analyze what was different, like your subject line, the time or the day of the week, working changes or design. 

TOP 10 SECRETS

TO SUCCESS WITH @ASKSTERNREP

1. Create a cohesive body of work with a consistent style
2. Know your niche and know your market. Who are your clients?
3. Market yourself. Consistently and tenaciously, and in a way that is aligned with your brand and goals. 
4. Know what you’re good at and delegate what you’d rather not do.
5. Ask for help. There’s no shame in needing help or asking for it. 
6. Be a good business person. Manage your time with discipline based on your priorities. 
7. TEST outside your box. Be hungry. Hustle. Stay fresh with the times. Your portfolio should not just be the jobs you have shot, it should be the jobs you want to shoot. 
8. Social Media. In these times, as a pro image creator, being on IG is a must, as your 2nd portfolio has its type of library. 
9. Money. Know how to negotiate or have a rep help you.
10. Enjoy it!

Q:

How do I leverage this abundance of accolades and high-end client work to get more exposure? My past mailers and hand-curated marketing promos have yielded a 3% response rate, and I must say I’m a bit frustrated. 

A:

Emails in general seem to be a dying breed, pushing us to figure out new ways to be in touch. They are no longer the one dependable marketing tool as they now serve one piece of the promotion pie. 

You know I’m all about Instagram, so that is my first suggestion, but of course, we still need to push those promos out. 

Email promo material should go out in two separate ways, which will, in turn, support each other:

1. Mass email lists will have a lower response rate because they are a larger list of unknown clients, but provide us with solid marketing open/click data. 

2. Smaller fine-tuned lists built around those we know, and those who open/click the larger mass emails will get better traction.

Our business used to have closed doors to anyone not on the upper levels of their career, but these days, doors are open to fresh thinkers. It’s changed, and experience is not the number one requirement anymore; new solutions are the name of the game. Get yourself out there with YOUNG THINKING in our new world! 

Q:

Why can the best cinematographers serve the story and change their look for each script, depending on the requirements of the script, but if a photographer does that, they are condemned, overlooked, and discarded for being a “generalist?”

A:

We get to choose two types of paths: technical savvy with a lot of variety, or those who provide a more specific, curated style, look, and feel. Both options can work, providing a long-lasting, accomplished career, usually depending on your situation, the size of your market, and your skillset. I’ve repped both of these and found that the careers of generalists depend on the relationships they build, and the specialists get jobs for their portfolios.