Building an Effective Mailing List
[by Judy Herrmann]
Not so long ago, photographers could achieve success by inundating the market with simple promotions like postcard mailers or email blasts. Today, however, the buyers of commercial photography are buried under a sea of promos that’s getting deeper every day. If the old spray and pray approach isn’t working so well anymore, you may find it more effective to research and court.
Instead of automatically adding anyone with the right job title to your list, take the time to determine that each prospect is worth pursuing. Click through their company website, look for them on Twitter, LinkedIn, Tumblr, Instagram and other social media outlets. Run a Google search to see what comes up. Read any blog posts or magazine articles they’ve written or been quoted in. Stop short of stalking but vet them as thoroughly as you need to.
Use this research to hook those that make your cut. Sprinkle your emails and voice mails with specific observations about their work. Comment on their blogs, respond to their tweets. Let them know that they’re more than just a job title to you. Use your creativity to craft a promotional approach that will make you irresistible or at least intrigue them enough that they’ll look at your portfolio.
A smaller list of prospects who need what you sell combined with well-researched insights you can use to build a real relationship can yield greater results far faster than a larger pool of random prospects.
via Strictly Business.