Right when I thought I had this Facebook thing figured out, I was thrown a curve ball. My numbers of likes on Facebook were continually increasing, and I was booking several sessions from Facebook. When I did my in-home ordering sessions with my seniors, I would tell them that if they would give me a shout out on Facebook, they would get a free sheet of wallets. BAM! New likes just like that. Then, out nowhere I start hearing:
I am not really on FB.
What?
You’re not on Facebook?
Why
Facebook is out, and Instagram is in.
When working with seniors, you have to roll with the punches and stay on top of your marketing game. Social media is constantly changing, and to keep up with marketing to high school seniors, you have to be able to stay one step ahead.
I had to change my marketing strategy just a bit. I still offer a free sheet of wallets for a shout out, but I now tell them to give me a shout out on FB and Instagram and to make sure to tag me in both.
I then decided I needed more seniors to follow me on Instagram, so I had a brainstorming meeting with my staff (which basically includes just me). Everyone loves a contest, and everyone loves free stuff. I decided to do an Instagram contest in hopes of obtaining more followers. I decided I would give away a best friend mini session. To enter, seniors had to post a picture of themselves and their best friend on their Instagram feed. They had to tag me @brittnischroederphoto and had to use the hashtag #minisessionwithbsp. By using the hashtag #minisessionwithbsp, I was able to click on the hashtag to see all that had entered. This was round one and lasted for one week. I got a great response and noticed a huge increase in my Instagram following.
I took the top three pictures with the most “likes” and posted them on my own Instagram feed. The three finalists sent all their friends, their friends, and their friends’ friends to my Instagram feed to like their picture so they could win the mini session. Again, I noticed a big jump in my following. By the end of the contest, I had a 30% increase in my followers and had received many new inquiries about sessions.
Social networking is key in high school senior photography. The statistics show that teenagers spend several hours a day on social media. As senior photographers, we have to utilize this great marketing tool. We need to take every chance we get to market our work and ourselves. We are all guilty of getting comfortable and resisting change, but if we want to have a successful business, we have to stay involved and active in what is new. Don’t wait get active on Instagram. Good Luck and HAPPY GRAMMING!
Today’s Guest Blogger is Brittni Schroeder of Brittni Schroeder Photography and Editor of Mozi Magazine. Be sure to check out her work at the links below.
Seniorologie 101 – {Is Instagram the New Facebook?}
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So now that you’ve got the followers, what do you post? Just session pics? I have a handful of followers but I struggle to find the balance between personal and business. Don’t want to seem spammy, only advertising in a personal setting, nor unprofessional.
Thank you for this post! Great idea! It’s hard keeping up on all the social media changes and knowing the best way to stay in front of our audience, so thank you!
One suggestion, I would love if we could all get away from referring to our prints (even wallets) as ‘sheets’. I get so many people asking how much my ‘sheets’ are, and even with wallets, that are pre-cut, I make sure they know they are all individual prints. It helps to separate us from the school photos/box stores and keep things more custom.
Thanks for the great tips! Your photos are just beautiful! Do you have any idea where that great lace top is from? It was perfect for these photos!
What a fantastic idea Brittni!! I’m gonna have tot try that!
This is brilliant! My freshman son told me a few weeks ago, mom….Facebook is out….Instagram and Tumblr are in.
I am going to try this. Did you post an ad on Intagram and FB for this contest?
Love it!