Promos

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. 

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. 

Q:

Out of curiosity: How many contacts do you have in your list?

A:

Commercial artists often have smaller contact lists on their promo/newsletter client lists than reps do. At SternRep, we can have anywhere between 4k and 10,000 names for any promo. I usually see about 200 – 600 names on artists’ client lists. (Tell us how many you have.) 

Q:

Is it ok to add people to your mailing list without asking, or should you only contact people who have given you their email address directly?

A:

People can always unsubscribe from your mailing list, so ensure there’s an option. Just make sure the work is applicable to the people you’re including. The key is to do your LinkedIn upkeep, ensuring your target clients fit your specialty. 

Mass-mailed promos no longer work as many clients aren’t in the office, but leave-behind promos can still happen after an in-person portfolio review or client meetings. I am curious about what new creative ways of promotion will replace these printed pieces we have been doing.

Q:

What are your thoughts on Agency Access? I feel like spamming with promos doesn’t do much for my business these days. 

A:

We use what we have, but we cannot depend solely on doing any ‘one thing.’ Agency Access is not perfect so I also use Bikini List.  The best way to do this is to try everything and keep trying everything.

Q:

Is there a suggestion on what else to do to get blocked email promos through clients’ email filters?

A:

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.

Q:

Email promos are barely working, and I hate to give them up because I don’t know what else will work better. Please advise. 

A:

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.