Last week we discussed different types of email sequences and which ones are most fitting for a senior photography business. In this post, I want to dive into HOW you get people to actually open your emails! It’s one thing to design a beautiful email with a solid CTA (call to action) or to build out a thoughtful and proactive email sequence, but if no one opens those emails, well, then they aren’t going to do anything for you or your business. 

First, let’s talk about a popular concept in email marketing: nurture vs. sales. Nurture emails are used to connect with and build relationships with your prospects to move them toward becoming a true client. They are one of the best tactics you can use and are an essential part of an email marketing strategy. Sales emails, on the other hand, introduce your services or products to your prospects and push them to make a purchase, or in our world, book a session. Nurture and sales emails go hand in hand. You nurture your prospects and warm them up until they reach the point of making a sale. 

Let’s discuss a few examples of nurture vs sales emails in action. Last week, I shared different email sequence ideas that utilize both of these tactics. One of those sequences was a welcome sequence. In a welcome sequence, you start out by simply nurturing your audience. The goal of this sequence is to introduce yourself, your brand, and your company. You want your prospects to get to know who you really are. You set yourself up as an expert in your field, and then back that up with your experience and knowledge, and of course, you show them your personality. Your CTA’s in your welcome sequence aren’t going to start out salesy. You want to include CTA’s that nurture your prospects. This could look like an invitation to follow you on social media, or maybe you share a link to your blog or portfolio.

As your prospects move through this sequence and become more warmed up to your brand, then sales emails start to come into the picture. When you transition your prospects into a sales sequence or incorporate more salesy emails in your welcome sequence, you want to start including stronger CTA’s. Continue to establish yourself as the expert in this industry and in your area, and showcase why they should choose you as their senior photographer, all while offering strong CTA’s that push toward a commitment. Invite them to set up a phone call with you to go over your services and answer any questions they might have. Or, include testimonials from previous clients and share a link to your calendar to book. 

In marketing, you hear the terms cold audience and warm audience tossed around a lot. I know I have already referred to warming up your audience, but the real difference is that a cold audience has ZERO knowledge of you and a warm audience has SUBSTANIAL knowledge of you. You can’t push sales to a cold audience. You have to nurture them, warm them up, and then push sales. When you look at your email marketing strategy through this lens, it’s easier to lay out your plan, write your emails, and strategize more effectively. 

When considering how to get people to open your emails, there a quite a few factors to remember. Whether you are writing a nurture email or a sales email, there are a few tips and tricks you want to keep in mind when drafting your emails. Follow the tips below to ensure the highest open rates, and that your email is actually read through and links are clicked on! 

Your email subject line is one of the MOST important lines in your email. Just like an article title or tagline in an ad, your subject line is meant to draw people in and catch their attention. You want them to see that subject line in their inbox and go OH! I need to know what this is about! Generic subject lines like “Hello from ______” or “April newsletter” isn’t going to have that magic effect. Consider using a subject line that is catchy and unique, and even include some emojis to catch their eyes! Make your subject line a question or a teaser of what’s inside. Keep it short and limit your use of punctuation. 

The “from” fields let users know who the email is coming from. If you aren’t paying attention to what is in these fields, it could affect the rate of users who open your emails. People are skeptical of emails when they don’t know the sender or recognize the email address. Use your name in the “from name” box, and make sure the email you are sending from has your business name in it. Don’t use a personal email address. 

There are going to be certain days of the week and times of the day that your readers open your emails more often. While there are generally recommended send dates and times for emails, I would encourage you to test out different send times and days over a few weeks and see which gets the best results. Once you can narrow down your best send day and time, stick to it!

If you are always working off of a master email list, you are missing out on so many opportunities to precisely target your audience! Keep your email list segmented into groups such as “New contacts/those who have not booked a session”, “Recent past clients”, “Past clients 6 months or older”, “Booked clients”, etc. Set up segments based on whatever makes the most sense for your business and then you can send out specific emails to each group. 

When you are finished reading this blog post, I want you to take some time to study your own email marketing strategy and efforts thus far. Make sure that you are implementing both nurture and sales emails into your strategy. Double-check that your subject lines are the best they can be. Begin to segment your email list into different groups based on their status and their activity. 

You’ve got this!! Your business is going to thank you later. 

If you are already using email marketing in your business or are ready to get started, I would love to hear from you and help you in any way I can! If you have questions, you can DM me on Instagram or email me at info@seniorologie.com! 

Need a little boost to get started? Head over to my shop to check out my two different email campaign kits! Each kit contains fully written emails, social media graphics to promote your campaign, a completely done-for-you freebie to offer your contacts, AND a how-to-use video to help you set everything up! These guides are the perfect way to start implementing email marketing into your business without stressing over the details. Check out my Senior Year Email Campaign Kit and Graduation Email Campaign Kit to get started today! 

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