Not another social media network??  What??  That is what I said forever about Snapchat.  I didn’t want to learn another one when I finally had mastered Instagram and Facebook and Twitter!  And now I have to learn another?  Social media can definitely be a full time job!!!

So I avoided it. Said I didn’t feel like I needed it.  Used the excuse that teenagers didn’t want the creepy older lady following their stores, etc.  But then all my senior models kept saying, “You need to be on snapchat!  It would be a great marketing tool!”  Well folks, there you have it…right from my target market’s mouth!  Now I had to do it!!

As with a lot of things, I just jumped in without knowing a lot about it and then discovered it isn’t as easy as Facebook and Instagram!  So I had to do some research, talk to my models and get a lesson from a few seniors to figure it out!  And I am still trying to figure it out!! 🙂

What I have learned so far is that Snapchat is an app that allows its users to share photos and videos that only last a certain amount of time.  Therefore, if you are using it for marketing you really have to grab the attention of your potential clients in a few seconds.

Sharing “your story” is a great way to engage with your followers and potential clients.  By sharing things that are fun and draw people to you and your brand you can use snapchat to your advantage.

My brand is very personal so I like to share both business things as well as personal things.  My clients know I have 2 boys, that I love cooking, shopping and more.  So my story includes a little of both.  While I don’t want to overwhelm people with completely personal things, I do think that adding in some photos or videos creates a personal feel for my brand.

One of the best ways to utilize snapchat as a senior photographer is to show off your senior sessions.  It is like inviting potential clients into the session by sharing video from the session, behind the scenes shots from getting ready to that’s a wrap photos and even a fun little interview of your client on their experience!!  Just a great shout out like, “I had a blast!” will go a long way to creating a story for your followers.

Snapchat takeovers are also a great way to get others involved!  Utilize snapchat takeovers with your senior models and have them share their photos on your story.  You can have your senior clients do that as well and have them takeover the day of their shoot so followers get a different perspective.

Still not convinced snapchat is for you…check out these statistics.

“The 13-24 age group makes up about HALF of the 100-200 MILLION USERS of Snapchat” – marketingland.com

The senior target market is in the mix of half of the users of snap chat so that shows that it is a great tool for senior photographers.

Now I will admit that when I first downloaded this app, I was confused.  Was I too old for this social network?  I consider myself pretty savvy with most apps but this one was making me feel too old to use it.  All the teenagers I asked made it sound easy so why wasn’t I getting it??  I discovered that it is just a matter of sitting down with a teenager and having them show me to get a better grasp of how exactly to use it.

It is unlike Instagram where you can just scroll, see pretty pics and like them.  It is more about following stories or sending snaps directly to others.  For a photographer using it as a marketing tool, the stories feature is definitely the key!

I will continue to try and learn more about this unique way to market to my seniors and hopefully before long I will be using it as easily as all the other social media networks!

How do you use Snapchat for marketing to your seniors??  Share your snapchat experiences below by commenting or share your thoughts on our Facebook page!  We love to hear from our readers!!

Happy Snapchatting! 🙂

xoxo,

Leslie