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In the last post, we dove into lead magnets and how they can grow your email list. In this post, I want to go even deeper and introduce you to another aspect of email marketing: sequences. I am sharing 3 email sequences your senior photography business needs. Let’s get started! 

3 Email Sequences your Senior Photography Business Needs 

What are Email Sequences and Why Should you Use Them? 

An email sequence is a series of emails that are sent out in a specific timeframe based on predefined conditions, all with the goal of converting prospects into clients. I know that sounds a bit techy, but let me explain more. Email sequences can help you more effectively target your audience by sending them emails based on where they are at in their customer journey. You can’t reach out to all of your prospects at the right time with the right content all on your own.

Sequences provide an automated way for you to easily maintain ongoing communication with your prospects and clients.

This helps you build a solid foundation in your client relationships from the start. Setting up even just one or two email sequences within your own platform could rapidly change your client’s customer journey and increase your client load! It’s really a win-win. When you use email sequences, your potential clients feel more connected to you by learning more about you! And, you earn more work by staying front of mind and establishing yourself as the top senior photographer in their area. 

Types of Email Sequences

There are several different types of email sequences to choose from, and while we could go over every single option, I want to just focus on three email sequences your senior photography business needs. These three sequences are the first ones you should implement into your own email marketing strategies.

The three email sequences I think you need the most are:

• A welcome sequence
• An Onboarding sequence
• A re-engagement sequence

Welcome Sequences 

A welcome sequence is designed to introduce you, your business, your brand, and everything you are about to your new contact. A welcome sequence will go out to someone who has never worked with you before. This person is interested in senior photography and is probably looking for a senior photographer to work with. They have come across your page and were interested in you enough to subscribe to your email list, so this welcome sequence helps to nurture them and move them from just being interested in to booking a session. A great way to implement a welcome sequence would be to connect it to your lead magnet. After someone inputs their email to receive your lead magnet and it is sent to them through that delivery email we talked about in last week’s episode, you can then funnel those contacts right into your welcome sequence! 

Onboarding Sequences

An onboarding sequence is set up to help you in the onboarding process of a new client. When a new client books, there is probably a lot of information that you need to relay to them. Imagine if all of that information was sent out in automated emails from the time the client books until their appointment! I would recommend setting up a short onboarding sequence for your clients that includes the following information: an appointment confirmation (date, time, and location), a list of how to prepare for their session (what to wear, hair or makeup, etc.), and a list of what to bring to your shoot. You can customize it to whatever fits best for your business model, but these are just a few ideas to get the juices flowing in your head! 

Re-engagement Sequence 

The goal of this type of sequence is to reach back out to clients you have not talked to or seen in a few months and check in with them. I recommend keeping this sequence personal and upbeat! Ask them how they are doing! Then remind them of your services for any siblings/other children or friends they have, and highlight any other offerings you have that they might be interested in! 

Setting up Your Own Sequences 

Hopefully, I have convinced you already that you need to set up some email sequences. Your next question is probably, “how on earth do I set one up?” Have I ever left you hanging? Nope. Let’s walk through the steps to set up an email sequence: 

Step 1: determine the purpose of the sequence.

• Is it a welcome, onboarding, re-engagement sequence, etc.?  

Step 2: decide what will trigger the start of the sequence.

• Will it be when someone signs up for your lead magnet?
• Or when someone signs up for your email newsletter?
• Is it after someone books an appointment online?
• Or maybe it’s 30-75 days after their session 

Step 3: write the emails for your sequence.

• I would recommend having somewhere between 3-5 emails in each sequence. 
• Write these out in a separate platform like a Word Doc or a Google Doc so you can proofread and plan out the flow before creating the emails in your platform.
• Make sure that each of your emails has a CTA or Call to Action! I know I have mentioned this before but it is super important to offer a CTA within your emails so your clients have something to click on and something to do other than just read your email. 
• Give them something that will catch their attention. Show them how to book a session with you. Give them a link to leave a review on your services! Whatever makes sense for that specific email.

 Step 4: Build out the emails in your platform.

• Set up time delays between each email. 
• These delays should be about a week long between each email. We don’t want to overwhelm our contacts to the point of being spam, but we do want to keep ourselves in front of their minds.

Step 5: Test your sequence and make it live!! 

• Sign up for your email sequence yourself with a personal email. Make sure everything is working well, and make sure the design and layout of your emails flow. 
• Once you’ve tested it and everything looks A-ok, go ahead and set it live! 
• Be sure to check in with your email sequences within your platform on a weekly or bi-weekly basis to ensure they are working properly, and to see how many people are moving through them! 

Now, It’s Time For You to Try! 

These are three email sequences your senior photography business needs. Choose one email sequence, just one, to implement this week into your email marketing strategy. Next, write out your goal, your emails, and your CTA’s. Finally, jump into your platform and build it out! 

And remember, you can do this. Your business, and your clients, will 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! 

Resources:

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!