Today’s Seniorologie 101 post is from Guest Blogger Brittni Schroeder of Brittni Schroeder Photography and Mozi Magazine. Brittni is a photographer in El Paso, Texas and is sharing some tips on rep programs today. Thanks for sharing Brittni!! Check out her post below.

Do Senior Rep Programs Work?

When I moved to El Paso, Texas just over three years ago, I learned that there are definitely pros and cons to starting over in a new place. The PROS are you get to start over and avoid the same mistakes you made when you first started. The CONS are…you have to start over.

When I moved, I immediately started a Senior Rep Program. I researched the higher income high schools in the area and targeted those schools. I started making friends with high school students. (It’s not that hard, I just hang out at the mall, or as I like to call it, the Mother Ship.) I networked with students and got some names of some super cute, super outgoing high school seniors for each of the prospective high schools I was targeting. I got phone numbers and Facebook messaged some of the names I had gathered. Before I knew it, I had 10 senior reps lined up with scheduled photo shoots.

I set up my rep program to incent my seniors with free products for every paying session they recommended. Ultimately, I wanted these reps to be my sales force–to sell everyone they knew on how awesome of an experience they had and how much they loved the pictures I took. My plan was genius…except for just one problem: The majority of my sales force was 17-18 year old girls–girls who were way more concerned about what they were going to wear to school than my photography business. Right away, I learned I couldn’t count on senior reps to hand out my cards and tell everyone about what a great experience they had.

There was one thing, however, that I could count on. That one thing was social media. Part of the agreement I make with my senior reps is that for every social media shout out I am tagged in, I will give them a free sheet of wallets. Did I mention that each of my reps have over a thousand followers within their social media outlets? By tagging each picture I took (with my watermark and website), I reached over 15,000 people (mostly high school students) in less than six months. I was booking sessions like crazy.

I have made a list of things I think every senior rep program needs to be successful.

Find the Right Reps

Look for senior reps that are popular and active on social media. A beautiful girl makes for great images but won’t get you anywhere if she is shy and quiet.

Gift Your Seniors

Give a free sheet of wallets to your seniors and their parents for every shout out on social media.

Keep Your Social Media Active

Keep busy by posting recent photo shoots at least once a week. Update your blog often to show your work. Seniors will get people to your site, but if there isn’t a good portfolio, you will never book sessions.

Personalized Business Cards

Put pictures of every senior you take pictures of on business cards, and give them to your seniors and their parents to pass out. They will want to hand out your cards if they have an awesome picture on them.

Don’t Be a Slacker

Don’t think that because you were busy last year that you will be busy next year. Like every business, you have to continue to market yourself. Get at least one senior rep from each of your high schools every year.

After moving to Texas, it took me eight months to get my business going. At the eight-month mark, I was booked out more than five months. So, do Senior Rep Programs work? They did for me, and they will for you!