Every rep program is different.  From what you call it to how you get your reps, it all has to work for you!  And like Monica of Photoumbra Studios says…”It is a constant work in progress.”

Figuring out what works best for her studio is something Monica has done over the years.  Her rep program from a few years ago has changed and evolved into what she now has and she is still making adjustments for her senior market.  The Senior Model Team is a program that attracts the right type of seniors that want to spread the word about Photoumbra Studios.  And with over 100 applicants, she is definitely doing something right!

Read below to see how Monica designed her program to meet the needs of her studio and learn how you can customize your programs for your studios.  Thank you Monica for sharing this awesome program with us!!

What drew you to senior portrait photography? I love working with teens. There is almost nothing they aren’t willing to try and I enjoy helping them feel and look amazing during their portrait experience with us. In a small way we are trying to break through stereotypes of what is beautiful and build a positive self-image one client at a time.

How long have you been photographing seniors? After about 10 years of school and freelancing, I opened Photoumbra Studios in 2004. In 2007 we started breaking into the senior portrait market which wasn’t very big in our area. So we’ve been specializing in senior portraits for about 5 years now.

What percentage of your business is senior related? About 70% Seniors and 30% Family and Children

Tell us about your Senior Model Team program….  I’ll start out by saying that it is a constant work in progress. Every year we try and learn different things. The first year it was free to be a model rep for our studio and we learned very quickly that most of those who signed up just wanted something for free and didn’t care a bit about what we did. The second year, we charged a fee, but it was small, like $25 and we learned that again we were attracting the wrong type of people. Over the past 3 years we have come up with a tiered system where the fee was based on which senior session they chose. That worked fairly well, but this year we wanted to try working with a modified version, so we decided to use a “Level” system. This idea is not a new one, photographers like Jen Basford, Cindy Alvarez and Leslie Conway do a similar system for their reps with great success.

How does it work? Our reps are part of our “Model Team”. We used to call them Model Reps but this year we really wanted to create more of a community amongst our reps so we decided to rebrand as a “Team”. Applicants can choose between three different levels to invest in. Our bottom level is only $75 and they are called “The Starlets” , Our mid level is $150 and the are called “The Icons”  and our highest is $500 and we call them our “Top Models” because their level includes a Photo Safari Shoot where we do a themed/high-fashion session similar to America’s Top Model.

How do you recruit your reps/models? We strongly encourage our current Models to do most of the recuiting. We give the top recruiter a $50 H&M gift card. Our other main method for recruitment is advertising on Facebook. We have a fairly large fan base on our Senior Portrait Facebook Page so we post frequently about our search and we run ads for about a month in January to get some new people interested. We spend about $10-$20/day on Facebook advertising during this time.

When do you begin this process for the following year’s models? We conduct our model search every January. We do their free model shoots in February and March. They are required to get their senior portraits done in June and July so they are among the first to get their senior portraits done among their friends. If they are part of the “Top Model” level they also get to choose to take part in a Winter of Summer Photo Safari. We also have a couple of fun events throughout the year to keep them engaged.

Do your models have to apply? And how? Our models apply online using Jotform. Our application is fairly in depth and asks questions about their specific interests, their facebook involvement level, and other fun questions to help us get to know them better. They are also directed to watch a couple of Youtube videos that we created to give them an idea of how the Model Team works. After going through their applications we invite them to a Model Orientation where they are required to attend with a parent or guardian. We find that our best reps are the ones who have their parents heavily involved from the beginning.

What does each senior get as a rep/model? Model Benefits vary depending on which level they choose to invest in, but every model gets a free Model Shoot at our studio with professional hair and makeup styling. This is about a 30 minute shoot with two different “looks” included. They get a Model Team T-shirt, a pack of model cards with carrying tin, a blog interview/post featuring our favorite portraits of them, custom facebook timeline cover, inclusion in our “Meet our Models” youtube video and a senior portrait session with us during the summer before their senior year. Also, they get cash for every friend they refer who books their senior portraits with us. The amount they get in cash rewards depends on which level they are part of and ranges from $25-$50 per referral. Our Top Models also each get to star in a 60 second commercial for our studio. The commercials are part of our “Capturing. You. Uniquely.” campaign that we are launching on our Youtube channel in February of this year.  Check it out here.

How has your program changed throughout the years to become what it is today? We have worked really hard over the past four-five years to create an “exclusivity”  around the team. This year, I think we finally nailed it by charging $500 for our top model level and limiting it to only 5 members. I wondered how many would go for it and I have had girls clamoring to get a spot. There is some fame associated with the top level and teens are much more likely to be attracted to fame then they are a good deal or even freebies. Next year we will create an even high level for this purpose.

What do you think was the biggest obstacle you had to overcome to make your rep program successful? Getting the right kind of people to represent us. Charging to be a rep is key! It weeds out the masses and you get teens that really love what you do and aren’t just there for the freebies. We usually have about 100 teens apply and end up with 15 on the team.

What do you think is the best thing about your program? I think the excitement generated during the model search and shoots is invaluable. It is hard to put a price on “buzz”, and with our long winters here in Utah, making some buzz about senior portraits in January and February is critical to keeping our Facebook community thinking about us during the off-season. I also really love getting to know all the members of the team. These girls turn into friends and I love it when they keep in touch and keep promoting us for years afterwards. I love having a team behind me every year to help with events, my own personal artwork, and even having a say in some of our marketing ideas.

What is the best advice you can give to other photographers looking to start a rep program for their senior photography business? I would advise charging something to join, I would also recommend keeping it small for the first year or two especially if you aren’t used to shooting volume. Just make sure you carefully weigh how much time you are going to dedicate to each rep and only take on what you can commit to with your time and finances. Also, I think it is very important for you to have clear rules about what you expect from your reps. It is your job to give them the tools to promote you so don’t leave them hanging with nothing but a few business cards to pass out and a couple of photos to put on their facebook page. We require each of our Models to be part of our private Model Team Facebook Group. They are required to check in at least 1-2x per month to get their monthly model task. Model tasks include simple things such as a prewritten post that they can just copy and paste as their status. Example “Hey, just wanted to let you know that my favorite photographer is doing $50 off senior portrait sessions this month. Tell them I sent you and we both get a cool bonus! You can call or text them at XXX-XXX-XXXX!”

There are tons of photographers trying to figure out rep programs…what do you think the most common mistake made that keeps a rep program from being successful? Here are the top 3 mistakes that I think can sabotage a rep program: #1= Attracting the wrong people to participate. (Be selective, weed out non-serious people by charging something, make it exclusive) #2= Leaving them hanging (From the time the rep applies to be one of our models to the time they graduate, 18 months has passed. You have to come up with fun ways to engage them and their friend base at least once a month. We use facebook group postings, model tasks, contests, video and blog posts to keep them interested throughout their time on the team. #3. Treat your reps like your very best customers. (Even though your reps will probably not be your biggest spenders, don’t forget that they are your studio’s official mouth piece. You need to wow and spoil them every chance you get. We send out small gifts to our top referring or facebook commenting reps from time to time. Thanking them and reward them with something unexpected can go a long way.)

How do you feel having a rep/model program has helped your senior photography business? It definitely keeps us busy during our slow months, that is a nice perk. I only do rep shoots during our slow times so it doesn’t cut into our regular revenue streams. We get about 10 direct referrals/bookings per year from our reps. That doesn’t sound like a lot, but I know the buzz created with our model team goes far beyond just those who call by way of a rep. Also, those who book tend to refer as well, so there is a trickle down effect that is hard to quantify. We have considered ditching our rep program a few times, but when I think about the reality of not having them, I do feel like something would be missing.

Tell us a little about you…where you are located? how long have you been in business? Photography style? Etc! We are located just outside of Salt Lake City, Utah and we’ve been in business since 2004, but I’ve been shooting seriously since 1995. Our studio is built into our home and I guess we are self proclaimed experts on the good and bad of a home based studio. Last year our studio was featured in Professional Photographer Magazine as a home based studio with great design and functionality. My husband and I own Studio Thought Sauce where we sell tools, templates and guides for photographers. Our most popular product has been our Studio Inspiration Guide: How to Enhance your Home Grown Studio. My photographic style would probably fall somewhere between fashion and dreamy. I started out as a fine art photographer doing art exhibitions and so I often find myself trying to capture something emotive when I shoot.

What is coming up for Photoumbra Studios?  We are excited to be a part of a webinar with PhotoBiz on February 15!  We will be talking about Enhancing your Home-Grown Studio, which is based on an ebook that we created for photographers last year.  The webinar is free!!  Click here to register!!