You know that saying, “When you know better, you do better?” I’ve seen this proven true time and time again in my life.

When I had my first child, I was determined for his childhood to be screen-free as long as possible. By the time my third child was born last year (and I added three more bonus kids to our blended family!), I fell HARD for Bluey and the spare minutes it gives me to make dinner in (relative) peace!

When we first began raising chickens, we named each of our chickens, and it was SO fun to keep track of which chickens laid blue eggs and which ones laid brown eggs! Now, with 19 chickens (and one rooster!) living happily in our backyard, I’m just grateful when no one escapes the coop (and for having plenty of eggs to feed our family!).

This same principle is true in my business, too.

When I pivoted from wedding photography to brands, I had to relearn what my audience needed to hear from me. It wasn’t about seamless wedding day timelines or image sneak peeks anymore; it was about why custom, on-brand imagery can play a key role in helping your business stand out.

When you know better, you do better, and now that I know more about what my audience wants to hear about, I can tailor my content to help them understand the value of brand photography, empower them to feel confident in front of my camera, and more.

One of my favorite places to share educational, you’ve-got-this content? My email list.

As soon as I decided to build an email list for my brand photography business, I trusted Flodesk to help me show up in my audience’s inboxes. This platform has been SO easy to use from the beginning, and again, this “know better, do better” idea is proven true: now that I know Flodesk better, I use it better, too!

Let’s walk through some of my favorite Flodesk features that I didn’t use very often (or very well!) when I first started building my email list but are now some of my favorite tools. P.S. Keep reading to save 50% off your first year of Flodesk!

Email Marketing Automation Features

When I first started using Flodesk to send emails, I was that girl who had the best of intentions to send regular weekly newsletters to my list…and then ended up ghosting my list (a couple of times, to be honest).

At one point, my life got SO busy (as a single mom who homeschools!) that I stopped emailing my list for literal MONTHS.

What saved me in those busy times, when I couldn’t make time to send out consistent emails (or wash my hair more than once a week)? Flodesk’s workflow automations!

Flodesk makes it SO easy to create a workflow that will automatically greet a new subscriber in their inbox whenever they opt in to your email list…even if it’s while they’re scrolling their phone as they nurse their babe at 1:42AM.

I hired a copywriter to help me create a welcome sequence that introduced new subscribers to my brand, and not only did my emails feel like ME, but they were going out without me having to think about it.

I now use Flodesk’s workflow automations to deliver lead magnets and nurture people who download my Brand Session Prep Guide freebie. As a busy homeschool mom (now to SIX children!) who also happens to photograph brands AND operate a photography studio, this functionality is a lifesaver in my business.

Flodesk Forms for Business Growth

Another Flodesk feature that’s been a HUGE help in growing my email list while I’m tending to other things? Embeddable forms.

Integrating a simple (and branded!) email opt-in form into my website means that potential brand photography clients have the opportunity to subscribe to my newsletter while they’re scrolling through my services. That way, if now is not the right time for them to book a brand session, they can stay in the know about upcoming sessions or get to know me over time by subscribing to my list.

Bonus: these forms make it SO easy to share about my list on social media, too!

Email Marketing Segmentation Features

Honesty time: I often feel like I’m posting into the void whenever I share content on social media.

When I post a carousel or a Reel that only gets a handful of likes or only a couple of comments, I feel SO frustrated that I took the time away from other important things (like my family!) to create that content, only for it not to perform well.

One place where I don’t feel this frustration? My email list, thanks to the audience segments I’ve built within Flodesk!

Segmenting my email list based on who downloaded a certain freebie, who joined my list at a networking event, and who’s interested in brand photography coaching has helped me make sure that I’m delivering the right email to the right audience. That saves me time and serves my audience SO much better than the social media algorithm ever could!

***

As creative business owners, we all have learning curves, and I’d be fooling you if I said my biggest one wasn’t technology-related. I routinely forget my passwords, and I’m famous for delaying those important software updates on my computer.

But that’s what I love about Flodesk—it’s so intuitive and user-friendly, and it makes running my brand photography business (and sending out promotional emails whenever I install a new set at my photography studio!) SO much easier.

Want to give Flodesk a try? Click here to get 50% off your first year of Flodesk!

This blog post was written in partnership with Flodesk, but all thoughts, opinions, and recommendations shared here are 100% my own. I only collaborate with brands and businesses I genuinely love and trust!