Today I received an email from photographer Steve Marsel. I don’t know him, never heard of him. In fact when I saw the email I couldn’t tell he was a photographer. Didn’t matter. The subject line, “David Ortiz Breaks Out!” hooked me. I’m a Red Sox fan (a Yankees fan may have reacted differently) and I’d seen Big Papi hit his walk off homer against the White Sox last night, so I had to open the email to see what was up.
Lo and behold, not only was there a photo of Ortiz (that Mr. Marsel had taken for Atari/Backyard Sports), there was also a chart (that I had to scroll to see) that showed he is now tied for the most walk off home runs with such baseball luminaries as Babe Ruth and Micky Mantle.
What!? Timely baseball trivia from a marketing email!? Now that is an email I’m going to share and a story I am going to tell.
Let’s recap.
1. A subject line that piqued my interest. Check.
2. A design that got me to scroll to see more. Check.
3. A story that made me want to share. Check.
4. A whole package that didn’t make me hate the sender. Check.
Well done Mr. Marsel. Well done.
(re-posted with permission of writer Bruce Kaechele) http://surfthedeepend.net/2009/08/email-marketing-home-run/ Bruce later wrote:
Most photographer emails I get only show photo samples. While I understand the logic – photos are what they are selling – all things being equal (quality, timing) why would I notice one photog over another if they all approach me in the same way. There’s that fundamental positioning question again. Do you want to stand out as different and turn some people off? Or do you want to look and sound like everyone else and not miss any opportunities? Both are viable options. The first relies on finding the small audience that shares your point-of-view. The second is playing the numbers game.
Email the author: brucek@fathom.net
Visit Steve Marsel’s other sites: Steve Marsel Studio, the assignment site and flagship site of the Steve Marsel brand, Steve Marsel Stock, the rights managed digital stock library of Steve Marsel Studio, Steve Marsel Galleries, the private gallery site of the Steve Marsel Studio. Visit one of Boston Photographer Steve Marsel’s other blogs as well: Steve Marsel Studio Blog , the creative blog of the Steve Marsel Studio. Steve Marsel Galleries Blog, Steve Marsel’s blog that discusses the stories behind the photographs, and Steve Marsel Stock Blog, the blog of Steve Marsel’s rights managed digital stock photography library that discusses the stories behind the images on the stock site.