Looking for Business Diversity? Consider the Senior Market!

by Skip Cohen

It's Marketing Monday, and while I might be a little late getting this posted, there's no expiration date on building diversity into your skill set for marketing. Specifically, while there are slight variances around the country, in many areas, especially the Midwest - NOW is the time to target the class of 2024 for senior photography.

​Senior photography continues to be one of the fastest-growing specialties in imaging. Unlike when I was a senior (on the right), today it's all about capturing the subject's personality. It's about the interaction between the senior and the professional photographer. 

If you've got an interest in the senior market, the first thing you need is to ensure you've got the skill set, not just with your camera. You need great communication skills and the ability to build a relationship with your subject.

Remember, for many seniors, this may be their first time working with a professional photographer. They're as nervous about getting a portrait done as they are in dealing with some of their own self-esteem issues. That means your listening and conversational skills must be as good as your understanding of exposure, composition, and lighting!

But here's the real point of today's post - you don't have to develop the senior market alone. Check out Marathon's "Power of 3" Senior Marketing program. It's direct mail at its best, with the expertise of the Marathon staff to watch your back and help you develop an effective program.

For example, check out the strategy/timing below of their 3-point program, as well as the option fourth "last chance" piece.
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• Mailing 1: Introduce yourself and create awareness that it’s time to think about senior portraits and become a part of the class of 2024.
• Mailing 2: Give seniors a chance to take a second look at your photography and recognize your studio as the best choice for their senior portraits.
• Mailing 3: One more chance to convince seniors that your studio stands out from the rest and that you offer the creativity they expect for their senior portrait experience.
• Optional Mailing 4: For only 68¢ per name, you can add another “last chance” card to let seniors know they must call now or they will miss out. Custom design is an additional $50 for this card.

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At the very least, finding out more about the program should be a no-brainer. It costs nothing for you to get more information. There's an unlimited combination of design components for you to choose from, but everything starts with your interest in expanding your expertise into the community.

Even better to help you build your brand as a senior photographer, the available design for each 3-part mailing is limited to only one studio per marketing area. It only takes a phone call to find out what's being done in your area.

Still have questions? Enjoy the conversation between Mark Weber at Marathon and Brian and Jessica Baer of Baer Studios. There's so much great insight shared in these two videos covering virtually ever aspect of building a senior business.