This is the top of my monthly e-newsletter that just went out yesterday. We send these out at the end of each month to re-cap what has happened in the past month at Melissa Jill Photography. If you're a photographer, I would highly recommend that you do the same. I've been sending out monthly newsletters for 5 years now and I still get people commenting on a monthly basis that they receive them and love them.
For me, the real beauty of the monthly newsletter is keeping you and your business at the forefront of people's minds. And not just any people -- the 50% of Americans who don't regularly read blogs.
I blog four times a week. I put a TON of work into it. And it's well worth it -- blogging has done wonders for my business. I've taught entire workshops on how valuable it is. But what about the people who don't read blogs? Statistics show that about 50% of Americans still don't read blogs. The monthly e-newsletter is the answer. It's my way of delivering the goodness of my blog in a pretty little package straight into their inbox.
If you're a photographer, it may seem like just one more thing to add to your list of things to do. But here's the secret: There is no unique content in my newsletters. It's all basically copied and pasted from my blog posts that month. So people who read my blog on a regular basis will be bored. But, it's not intended for them. It's intended for the people who DON'T read my blog.
Throughout the newsletter, I give small teasers along with beautiful images, all intended to entice the reader to click on the links that direct them to the full posts on my blog. My hope is that they catch up on my blog once a month and then find themselves checking in on the blog on their own -- without the nudge of the newsletter. It's all about creating blog readers and customer evangelists out of those who have shown interest in me and my business.
So, who do we send the newsletter to? Initially, I added my family and friends to the list. We add any clients, vendors and wedding consultants we work with along with wedding guests who sign up on little half sheets of paper that we put out at receptions indicating they want to see the photos online. Individuals also have the ability to sign up to receive my newsletter here. So we get a good number of photographers signing up there as well. Over the years, our newsletter database has grown to 4000+.
There are a number of great e-newsletter services out there. We have used Constant Contact in the past, but currently use Emma -- and really love it. The great thing about Emma is that you can easily format your email newsletters to fit your branding. All of these services help you organize your database and also make it easy for people to opt-out of receiving your emails if they'd like.
If you don't already do so, I'd highly recommend sending out a monthly newsletter. It's a great thing to do to maximize the reach of your blog, build your brand and increase and solidify your network.
If you've found this tip helpful, click here to find out what other resources I offer photographers!
For me, the real beauty of the monthly newsletter is keeping you and your business at the forefront of people's minds. And not just any people -- the 50% of Americans who don't regularly read blogs.
I blog four times a week. I put a TON of work into it. And it's well worth it -- blogging has done wonders for my business. I've taught entire workshops on how valuable it is. But what about the people who don't read blogs? Statistics show that about 50% of Americans still don't read blogs. The monthly e-newsletter is the answer. It's my way of delivering the goodness of my blog in a pretty little package straight into their inbox.
If you're a photographer, it may seem like just one more thing to add to your list of things to do. But here's the secret: There is no unique content in my newsletters. It's all basically copied and pasted from my blog posts that month. So people who read my blog on a regular basis will be bored. But, it's not intended for them. It's intended for the people who DON'T read my blog.
Throughout the newsletter, I give small teasers along with beautiful images, all intended to entice the reader to click on the links that direct them to the full posts on my blog. My hope is that they catch up on my blog once a month and then find themselves checking in on the blog on their own -- without the nudge of the newsletter. It's all about creating blog readers and customer evangelists out of those who have shown interest in me and my business.
So, who do we send the newsletter to? Initially, I added my family and friends to the list. We add any clients, vendors and wedding consultants we work with along with wedding guests who sign up on little half sheets of paper that we put out at receptions indicating they want to see the photos online. Individuals also have the ability to sign up to receive my newsletter here. So we get a good number of photographers signing up there as well. Over the years, our newsletter database has grown to 4000+.
There are a number of great e-newsletter services out there. We have used Constant Contact in the past, but currently use Emma -- and really love it. The great thing about Emma is that you can easily format your email newsletters to fit your branding. All of these services help you organize your database and also make it easy for people to opt-out of receiving your emails if they'd like.
If you don't already do so, I'd highly recommend sending out a monthly newsletter. It's a great thing to do to maximize the reach of your blog, build your brand and increase and solidify your network.
If you've found this tip helpful, click here to find out what other resources I offer photographers!
Comments
