In the world of photography, getting your work seen and landing those dream clients often feels like a constant battle against algorithms. We spend hours perfecting our Instagram feeds, crafting engaging LinkedIn posts, and optimising our websites for Google. But what if there was a more direct, more reliable way to connect with your audience? That’s where email marketing comes in.
This is the first in a series of blogs exploring the power of email marketing for photographers. Today, we’re diving into the absolute necessity of building a mailing list and how you can start growing yours.
If you’re a photographer in the UK and you’re not actively building an email list, you’re missing a trick. Seriously. It’s not even a question of “should I or shouldn’t I?”. You absolutely should.
Why a Mailing List is a No-Brainer
Let’s break down the undeniable advantages:
- Direct Contact, Every Time: Think about social media. You post something, and if you’re lucky, maybe 10% of your followers will even see it. With email, your message lands directly in their inbox. Even if they don’t open it immediately, your name is there, a constant reminder of your presence. Imagine someone’s just realised their corporate headshot looks a bit dated, and there’s your email, ready and waiting. Pure gold!
- A Trusted Connection: People on your mailing list want to hear from you. They’ve opted in, which means they’re already interested in what you do. This isn’t cold outreach; it’s welcomed information from a trusted source.
- The Power to Sell (Sensibly): While your social media is great for building initial connections and engagement, your mailing list is where the real magic happens for conversions. Because you’ve already established trust, your sales messages will be far better received. You can’t constantly push sales, of course, but when you do have an offer, your engaged subscribers are much more likely to listen and act.
The Technical Essentials: Don’t Go Rogue with Outlook!
Now, a quick word on the technical side. Please, for the love of all things digital, do not try to manage your mailing list through your regular email client like Outlook. It’s a disaster waiting to happen.
You absolutely need to use a dedicated email marketing app. Here’s why:
- GDPR Compliance: These apps are built to handle all the complex ins and outs of GDPR. They manage unsubscribes, permissions, and data security, keeping you on the right side of the law.
- Email Reputation: Sending mass emails from your personal account will quickly flag you as a spammer, meaning your emails won’t get delivered to anyone. Email marketing apps work tirelessly to maintain strong sender reputations, ensuring your messages reach their intended recipients.
- Delivery Rates: Companies like MailerLite, Moosend, and Mailchimp have dedicated teams working with email providers to ensure their clients’ newsletters bypass spam filters and land in inboxes. You simply can’t achieve that level of deliverability on your own.
While some platforms offer free basic tiers, you’ll often find the truly useful features come with a small monthly fee. It’s an investment, but a vital one. Popular choices among photographers include:
- MailerLite
- Moosend
- Keap
- Studio Ninja
- Mailchimp
Some photographers, particularly commercial ones, opt for all-in-one CRM (Customer Relationship Management) systems that integrate email marketing, invoicing, and client management. These can be more expensive to start with but offer immense convenience as your business grows.
Growing Your List: From Zero to Engaged Subscribers
An empty mailing list is about as useful as a camera without a lens. So, how do you get people to sign up?
First, let’s address GDPR and consent. You need a legal basis for adding someone to your list. The clearest way is direct consent, where someone explicitly ticks a box on a form.
The other, slightly more nuanced, basis is legitimate interest. This applies when someone has shown a genuine interest in your services. For example, if they’ve enquired about a photography session, you can legitimately add them to a list to send them information relevant to their interest. However, if you also run a greengrocer, you can’t start emailing them about your latest fruit and veg offers just because they enquired about photography! It must be directly related to the interest they’ve shown. It’s always best practice to keep records of this legitimate interest.
Now, for some practical ways to fill your list:
- The Irresistible Lead Magnet: This is probably the most effective method. Offer something valuable for free on your website in exchange for an email address. This could be a guide to choosing a wedding photographer, a checklist for preparing for a headshot session, or a free mini-appointment. When they fill out the form to get their freebie, they also agree to join your mailing list.
- Promote Your Sign-Up Form (Strategically): Don’t just say “Sign up for our newsletter!” Most people will instinctively say no to more inbox clutter. Instead, make it sound exclusive and beneficial. Think “Become a VIP member,” “Unlock exclusive tips,” or “Join our community for insider access.”
- Add Existing Clients: Your current and past clients have a legitimate interest in your work. Make it part of your client onboarding or offboarding process to add them to your mailing list.
- Networking One-to-Ones: If you have a particularly engaging conversation at a networking event, simply ask if they’d mind if you added them to your newsletter list. Most will say yes!
- Purchase Legitimate Lists: For business-to-business (B2B) photographers, you can sometimes legitimately purchase lists of company email addresses from reputable providers. GDPR typically applies to individuals, not businesses, but always check the permissions and speak to the provider.
- Run Competitions: A classic! To enter your photography competition, participants must sign up for your mailing list.
- Review Your Leads: Regularly go through your enquiries and leads to see who you can legitimately add to your mailing list based on their expressed interest.
Building your list is a gradual process, but it’s incredibly rewarding. Think of your social media platforms as places to build a community and then drive them to your website with tempting offers, where they can opt-in to your mailing list. This way, you’re nurturing a truly engaged audience that you own, rather than relying on the ever-changing whims of social media algorithms.
What’s Next?
This blog has laid the groundwork for why email marketing is crucial and how to start building your list effectively and compliantly. In future parts of this series, we’ll dive into what to actually send your subscribers, how to segment your list, and advanced strategies to make your email marketing truly sing.
For now, start small, pick one or two of these strategies, and begin nurturing that direct line to your audience. The data doesn’t lie: email marketing works!