Starting your first senior model team can feel intimidating, but it doesn’t need to be. I want to simplify everything for you so you can start your very first team. I know there’s a lot of conflicting information out there and I don’t want you to feel stuck. Senior model teams can bring your senior photography business a lot of success. No matter if it’s your first year in business or your tenth, I think it’s important that you have a senior model team program built into your business. Below I’ve laid out 5 things you need to start your first team, or if you’ve tried a team before but didn’t have much success then this may be a good refresher for you.
5 Things You Need to Start Your First Senior Model Team
Content
For starters, you’ll need senior content to use in your marketing and on your website. Without images to share, no one will even know that you’re a senior photographer. So this is top priority! You’ll want plenty of images to share across your website, social media accounts, emails, etc.
If you’re new to the senior photography world, the the fastest way to get content is to do model calls. You’ll need at least 10-15 different sessions to share online so that potential clients can get a feel for your work. Your portfolio should feel full, have a variety of posing and different locations.
If you’ve been in the senior photography industry for a while, you certainly use the content you already have. Just make sure that it flows with your ideal client avatar. You want to attract your dream clients and not just anybody. If you feel your work isn’t up to par, then feel free to do a couple model calls to update your content. You want to put your best work out there!
Create Your Senior Model Team Plan
After you have your content created, you’re going to want to create a plan for your team. It’s important to have everything prepared and planned for the upcoming year so you can stay organized. To keep this simple, I would answer the following questions for yourself and your business:
-How many team members do I want?
-When will applications open?
-When is the application deadline?
-How many senior model team sessions will I hold?
-When will my senior model team sessions be?
-How will I price my team?
-What incentive should I offer for referrals?
-How will I communicate with my team?
The above questions will help you start outlining the structure of your senior model team. It’s super important to have your team be organized and answer these questions for your business. Without a plan in place, your senior model team will not have the results you’re wanting.
Website
Another big part of creating your first senior model team is to have your website ready. Your website is your number one business tool. There are two parts to getting your website ready: one, a senior model team page and two, a seniors page.
Senior Model Team Page
You should have a dedicated senior model team page on your website. Here you can showcase your best work, share information about the team, discuss investment information, post reviews and have an application. This way you can point your leads to one page that includes all the information and the application. Keep things simple.
Seniors Page
You should also have a page dedicated to your seniors on your website. This is important for a couple of reasons. First, if you’re trying to attract more seniors this is seriously a no brainer. You’ll want this in general then, but also potential clients for your team may want to check out more of your work, reviews, and other information about your senior photography services. Second, not every person who finds your senior model team page is going to love the idea. And that’s okay! But then we want a dedicated seniors page that they can scroll through and convert them to a senior client.
Your website is crucial for converting your leads. Clients look here for more information, reviews, session information, etc. They want to know more about you and see if they should inquire or not. It’s your job to lay out the information and walk them through all the things. If that’s done correctly, then the chances of them inquiring will go up drastically
Application
I highly recommend having an application for your senior model team. This is so so so important!! An application will help you screen potential clients in an efficient manner. The questions should be aimed at getting to know them better and determining if they’re a good fit or not. This way you can quickly make a decision about an application.
Second, your senior model team will be representing your brand and so it’s crucial to make sure that they’re the right fit for your team. Not only that, but you’ll be spending extra time with them and so it’s a good idea to make sure that you’ll work well together.
So this one is not totally 100% needed, but it’s where I find almost all of my senior models and it’s my number one lead source for seniors. Teenagers spend a lot of time online and so it’s a no brainer that you should have a presence online. This is a great platform for you to market your senior model team. Start sharing and talking more about your team. Get your audience warmed up before your launch!
I hope this helped you and gave you clarification as you get ready to start your first senior model team! I know that you may feel intimidated right now, but all you have to do is start. It is that simple.
If you still have questions about running a senior model team, I encourage you to join my free Facebook group for senior photographers and post your questions in there to get instant help.
And if you’re wanting clear step by step instructions for starting your team, designing your model team sessions, building a website that converts, using Instagram to attract more leads and all the things in between, I recommend joining my senior photography mentorship program. I give senior photographers the clarity they need in their business to book more clients without ads.
Other senior photography content you might like:
Senior Photographers: Why You Should Have a Senior Model Team
