Here at Photographers Direct we regularly publish an e-mailed newsletter that whizzes its way into the in-box of tens of thousands of subscribed image buyers. It costs our regular photographers and image agencies just £30 for an entry, which they can write themselves and illustrate with an example of their work.
Is it really worth it though? And how can you quantify its effectiveness? Read on!
In general, the use of emailed newsletters to promote your profile or business is considered a valuable tool by the marketing industry, but it is also frustratingly hard to measure. How many emailed newsletters go straight to the junk folder? How many remain un-opened? How many create positive action? These are all un-knowables, but the same can be said about postal mail-shots or adverts on bill boards or in paper-based publications.
What we can control is that Photographers Direct newsletters are targeted to a receptive audience who are in a position to benefit our photographers. Our subscription list is made up of people who have registered themselves on the Photographers Direct website, so we know they are interested in the service Photographers Direct provides. Many of them will go on to purchase images from our photographers. They also have the option for un-subscribing from the newsletter, at the time of registration and any time after, so there is a willingness to receive the newsletters.
Furthermore, if the people on our subscribers list are familiar with the Photographers Direct set-up then they will know that we only allow photographers of a high standard to contribute to the website, and then only allow the best images to be incorporated into our search tool. This translates into a feeling that the articles in the newsletter must also be of high quality and worth sparing a few minutes to take a look at.
So, if you have an article in a Photographers Direct newsletter then you can be confident that it is going out to the people that matter. How that is translated into sales for you is a fuzzy area. I'm sure you know for yourself that if you see a commercial for a flash new car on the TV, say, then you don't immediately rush out and buy one. Or at least I hope not! But when you do find yourself ready to change your wheels, you might remember the advert and it could influence your choice of a new car. What is certain is that if you had never seen any adverts, or read about, or heard anybody talk about, a particular car model then you wouldn't even take it into consideration.
Same with Photographers Direct newsletters. The chance that a newsletter with your contribution in it will land in the mailbox of a magazine picture editor just at the moment when they are looking for exciting photos of whatever is your specialty is rather slim. But, they might forward it to a friend at another magazine who could have a need, or they might have a look at your website and bookmark it for future use. Without ever hearing about your professional work, how could they know how good you are?
Or they might want such an image in six months time, and remember they saw your article, and see if they can dig it out. The good thing about Photographers Direct newsletters is that we keep past issues on the website ( see our library of past newsletters ) where they get into search engines so that it makes it easier for buyers to find you when the original email has long since been deleted.
And if you are not already registered with Photographers Direct and have stunning images you want to sell, then what are you waiting for? Register with Photographers Direct right now!
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