Standing Out as a Photographer in the Senior Market

© Syda Productions

​The Internet has changed the way we share images. Mobile technology along with texting has shared the way we communicate. Put both vehicles together, and your target audience has the greatest selection of purchase options in the history of consumerism.

That makes one of the biggest challenges in marketing for photographers finding ways to make your work stand out from your competitors. While the Internet has made the world a smaller place, allowing us to communicate with other artists all over the world, from a consumer position it's made your world much larger.

In just the United States alone, Internet penetration is at 95% of American households!  ​

Screen shot from Internetworldstats.com

​When you take a hard look at the trends in the various photographic specialties under the portrait/social umbrella, the most significant changes have occurred in the high school senior market. A senior session is a lot different than when I was a kid. (Yes, this is that time of year when I drop in my high school senior shot, and my buddy Scott Bourne asks if Matthew Brady was the photographer! LOL)

An estimated 3.6 million students are graduating from high school this year in the U.S. And; they're graduating from approximately 37,000 public and private schools. If you're focused on the senior market in your community how are you going to make your work stand out?

The average consumer has access to thousands of photographers today, making it critical for you to build a strong brand in your community and within your niche. As a senior photographer, you've got two targets, Mom and the seniors themselves. Remember though, Mom still makes 98% of the purchase decisions to higher a professional photographer in the portrait/social categories.

So, when it comes to targeting Mom, I love the tools Marathon Press is giving you. For example, right now there's a special BOGO offer on Grad Cards. I ordered a Senior Grad Card Kit and from the packet in the top corner of the photograph below came 19 samples from their forty-five graduation card collection!

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Click to see the full collection

And, if you don't have a design idea in mind, check out the designs already in the pipeline to help you through the process. Plus, Marathon has a fantastic staff of experts, all dedicated to helping you set a standard with your clients that helps make you habit-forming. If you get stuck in the process, they're available to help you with the best customer service in the business!

Your greatest marketing tool as a photographer and small business owner is relationship building. It's a non-stop process all year long, but there are plenty of things to talk about, especially if you're target is the senior market. Marathon has so many of the tools you need to build a stronger business, and with a BOGO offer right now on Grad Cards, they're even helping you to be more profitable!

Now is also the time to be working on your 2020 senior marketing plan. Developing a complete plan for next year's seniors is just a click away.