An Essential Guide to Email Marketing for Artists & Content Creators
By Jan Crystal
Within the dynamic world of art and content creation, connecting with your audience is essential. Email marketing is a powerful tool to cultivate relationships, showcase your work, drive engagement, and increase sales.
In the past, email marketing was used by large corporations, but with the rise of social media and marketing directly towards clients, it has become popular among creatives. In this guide, we'll explore the key strategies that can elevate your email marketing game and keep your audience engaged with your brand!
Goal Setting
Photography by BullRun | Adobe Stock
From foodies who want to increase sales of their master class to well-known photographers wanting to attract devoted clients, an artist must come up with their “why” for email marketing. Determine what you need in your creative career: sales, displaying your art to potential clients, or providing another way for social media followers to connect with you.
Once you determine your goal, save it to a folder in which you store information on your brand. It’s important to be able to refer back to your “why” to keep you motivated and driven throughout the process. Keep in mind that subscribers won’t like seeing too many sales-related messages or emails, as we are often bombarded with that type of information. Sandwich your offers & calls-to-action between giving advice and displaying your art. This will help with subscriber retention and staying personable.
Create A Vision Board
It is important to stay on-brand when you begin email marketing, especially when creating a newsletter. Followers and clients like seeing consistency from a creator as it legitimizes your business and helps to develop a brand. Create a vision board in Google Photos, a photo album on your phone, or a corkboard, in any way that works for you. Include your logo, brand colors, fonts, mission statements, goals, and the purpose that your emails will serve for yourself and your audience.
As mentioned before, make sure to save your vision board for later. There will be times when engagement gets low regardless of how hard you work. This is simply part of marketing, so viewing your goals and vision board on a daily or weekly basis can help you thrive in tough times.
Photography by By Oleksii | Adobe Stock
Growing Your Subscriber List
A newsletter is a great way to build a list of followers and turn them into clients and referral partners. Promote your newsletter on social media via live streams, stories, posts/videos, and DMs. Make sure to direct viewers to the link. The fewer steps that a person has to take to become a subscriber, the better.
Explore effective techniques to expand your subscriber list. From promoting sign-up incentives (like giveaways) to strategically placed subscription forms on your blog, there are ways to turn casual viewers into dedicated and paying fans. Build your list on Mailchimp, Google Contacts, or another app that lets you categorize your contacts.
Building a Captivating Newsletter
Crafting an engaging newsletter is an art in itself. Learn the skill of compelling subject lines, hooks, relatable content, and visually appealing but easy-to-read layouts to grab your audience's attention right from the start. You only have 1-2 seconds to catch the eye of a reader, so make sure to create a title that resonates with your audience and answers the question, “Why does it matter to them?”
Personalization and Targeting
Tailor your emails to resonate with different segments of your audience. Leverage data to send personalized content, ensuring that your subscribers receive messages that align with their interests. In Mailchimp, you can create multiple email lists to send curated newsletters to existing clients (for example) and a separate newsletter for new subscribers.
Photography by By simona | Adobe Stock
Showcasing Your Portfolio
Your email is a digital gallery. Don’t be afraid to display your artwork or content, making use of high-quality visuals and storytelling to create a curated experience for your audience. Remember the pancake method and know that your fifth newsletter will be more impressive than your first.
Learning While Doing & Using Data
Timing plays a crucial role in the success of your email campaigns. Dive into the best practices for scheduling your emails to reach your audience when they are most receptive, maximizing open and click-through rates.
In Mailchimp and other email marketing apps, you’ll be able to see stats after every campaign. Take note of the days, times, and audience that get you the most clicks per ‘impressions’.
Craft Compelling Calls to Action (CTAs)
Guide your subscribers on the next steps by incorporating clear and persuasive CTAs. Whether it is encouraging them to explore your latest creations, visit your website/blog, or participate in a promotion, a well-crafted CTA can significantly impact user engagement.
Photo by terovesalainen | Adobe Stock
Test between CTAs and take note of those that get you the most clicks. A colored button works better than a hyperlink. Cool tones such as blue and green give the reader a sense of calm and reliability, while warm tones like red and orange have the opposite effect. Loud, warm tones grab the attention of a reader quicker than cool tones.
Research New Trends
Marketing changes often, so follow marketing influencers on social media or do research on YouTube for the latest email marketing trends. While readers want to learn about you and your art, continually creating content can easily become a part-time job. Get the help of AI to create a template for your newsletter or sales email and run articles through the Hemingway app. Just make sure your personality and brand shine through before you hit the “send” button.
Email marketing is a valuable tool for artists and content creators looking to build a loyal fanbase and monetize their creations. By diving into the art of newsletters, growing your subscriber list, personalizing content, and refining your approach through analytics, you will be on your way to a solid referral or income stream. Don’t forget that business is truly about establishing a meaningful and enduring connection with your audience. Elevate your art and captivate your subscribers with every email you send.
Edited by Cora Quiroz on April 9, 2024
