Most often we feature women photographers and clients who are senior girls.  It isn’t designed that way but it just seems that this market is full of women!  So I thought it would be nice to hear from a man in this business!  And the first person I thought of is Jared Rey!  Jared, of Jared Rey Photography, is a senior portrait photographer in Dallas, Texas and is a man in a woman’s world!  I asked him to share some tips for other men out there and tell us a little about what being a senior photographer is like from his perspective.  Check out his tips and thoughts below!  Thanks Jared!!

TIPS TO ENGAGE THE FEMALE AUDIENCE

I grew up with a family that was mainly comprised of women. When I went to college I chose a degree (art education) that was predominately comprised of women.  Before I was a full-time photographer I chose a career (elementary school art) that led me to be the only male on campus. Now I am pursuing photography full-time and I find myself surrounded by female photographers and marketing mainly to a female audience. It is funny to think about the path God has placed me on but I would not have it any other way.

I wanted to share some tips for the male portrait photographers out there to help them find their place in the marketplace and how they can successfully market to the opposite sex.

Tip #1 : Learn about your Target Audience

–       My target audience is high school female seniors and whenever I receive a new client I have them fill out an application and I find out what websites they love to visit, where they shop, what social media sites they use on a regular basis, and the places they enjoy shopping.

Tip #2 : Find and Join Your Target Audience

–       Once you learn where to find them, go and join them!

–       I fought joining instagram for the longest time to be honest. No real reason why, I just didn’t want to join another social media website. But I quickly learned that high school teens were not active on facebook as they once were and they were all actively engaged on Instagram. So I put aside my pride and joined this new community and began following my clients and their friends so I could get a glimpse into their world.

–       Another site that I joined that is a hit with a large female audience is Pinterest. I love pinterest as much as my target audience but for different reasons. I love finding inspiration online and before I would just save stuff to my desktop, but now I have a website that will better help me organize and view all my ideas in visual form.

Tip #3 : Engage your Target Audience and Create Content Worth Sharing

–       Once you step into the world of your target audience it isn’t enough to just ‘watch’ what is going on, but to begin creating a voice of your own.

–       For example, on instagram I love sharing little glimpses of my life with my followers. Whether that is a baby picture on ‘Throwback Thursday’, pictures of my wife and I, or of our crazy dogs. These are just small things I noticed people sharing with the world and I found it a perfect place to do it right back!

–       I also love sharing behind the scenes photos from shoots and I try and only share stuff on instagram so that people will find unique content by following me here. I know my clients LOVE being able to share these types of photos from shoots with their friends and it doesn’t take much time to do it.

–       On Pinterest I began creating boards specifically for high school seniors, girl fashion, and photo inspiration. I love being able to point my clients to a place where they can see my vision for their shoot or get ideas for clothes they can wear to their session.

Tip #4 : Create Trust Through Your Online Presence

–       A female typically will want to give business to those they trust and feel a connection.

–       The best way for a male photographer to do this before ever speaking or meeting their client is by creating an online presence that is personal, real, and inviting.

–       I created my website with the intention of appealing to a female audience. I am a fan of brown and gold and I asked my design company to bring it all together in a way that isn’t overly female but still feel inviting. I also created videos to give visitors a glimpse into what it is like to work with me.

–       Website, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and Twitter are all avenues that a person can take to share a glimpse into your life and your business. All of these options not only help create brand awareness but trust with your customers.