What is a senior portrait?  If you asked that question to five different seniors in five different areas, you would likely get five different answers.  Some seniors consider the traditional yearbook photo as a senior portrait.  Others know that a senior portrait is much, much more.

To get into the senior market, you must ask yourself that same question…what is a senior portrait?  How you answer it for your market could mean the success or failure of a senior portrait business.  Knowing your area and how to answer this big question is how you will sell yourself and your photography business to the seniors in your area.

In my area, the traditional yearbook photo is still seen by a majority as THE Senior Portrait!  Knowing this gives me an advantage and educates me on how to market my business.  I know that I need to help educate my potential clients on what my business gives them that is different than that yearbook photo.

You see, all the schools in my area HAVE to HAVE that traditional yearbook photo.  It HAS to be taken by the school appointed photographer, which is a very traditional school portrait business called Life Touch.  I know this because I researched it.

I made a list of high schools in my area and even some that are a bit out of my immediate area.  Don’t be afraid to target schools that maybe 20 minutes from you if that is a market that you can get into and target.  I took that list and started calling the offices of each of the schools on my list.  I asked the questions…”Who takes the senior photos each year?”  “When are the photos taken?”  “Can seniors submit any photo for the yearbook photo or does it have to be the one taken by the school photographer?”

I made a folder for each of the schools and put this information inside.  What does this information tell me?  It tells me when, what and how!

I know when I need to market to the next senior class.  I know what I need to say to let them know that my services, my senior portrait experience is different and I know how they are currently conditioned to think of the senior portrait.

So what do I tell my seniors to answer the questions, “What is a senior portrait?”  Well let me let one of my seniors answer this question after having both sessions (the traditional yearbook photo and my senior portrait session) done for her senior year.

“Senior photo shoots allow seniors to capture a memorable moment of time in their lives through fun and creative pictures. A senior photo session is much different from the average senior yearbook picture. Seniors are not required to wear their graduation gowns or the notorious formal wear provided by the photography company for yearbook pictures. In a senior photo session, seniors are given the opportunity to choose every outfit, which allows them to express their unique individuality. What I personally enjoyed the most about my senior photo session with Leslie was the location of my photo shoot. I loved getting to take pictures in a vibrant setting, whereas yearbook pictures are taken at the high school and students are placed in front of a background screen.” – Gianna, Class of 2013

Want more reasons to educate your market on the difference between yearbook photos and senior portraits?  See the comparison chart below and feel free to share this will your seniors!!