Today’s guest blog post is from our teen guest blogger Sara Cooney of Sara Cooney Photography.  Check out her awesome tips for how to engage your followers even in the off season!

Busy season for high school senior photographers will vary depending on where they live and if there is a yearbook deadline to meet. I know of some photographers that are able to book senior sessions year round, but in my town senior photos are due to the yearbook at the end of October. This leaves me with July through September being my busiest months, with a few sessions scattered in June and October. So what do I do from November to May when I don’t have any senior sessions happening?

It is so important to keep the attention of your followers and keep marketing to them, even during your slow season. Don’t just fall off the face of the earth on your social media as soon as your done with your sessions, and then expect to come back next season with everyone waiting and just as interested. You need to keep the momentum going, especially during your slower months. Here are some ways you can do that:

 

-Post throwbacks from your sessions over the summer: If you were following my rule of only posting a few times a day at most on Instagram, there is no way you got to sharing all of those amazing images you wanted to! Go back through sessions and find those hidden gems. Maybe post one from a session on the beach on a day when it is snowing, or a colorful image on a dark and dreary day. Whatever it may be, it is a way to keep marketing to your teen followers and lets them know that your still there. (ps: for those of you who don’t know, “Throwback Thursday” is a thing on Instagram, but still feel free to post them on other days of the week!)

-Fashion inspiration: Winter is approaching, which in my opinion is the hardest month to look cute for because really I just want to wear a full body blanket until spring comes. Post some winter fashion inspiration (layered outfits, scarves, hats, coats, etc.) and give them some ideas of what to wear to school or out at night in the winter. Or, you can take it a step further and post outfits to give seniors ideas on what they can wear for their senior pictures. That is something I plan on doing on my account, starting most likely in the spring. Remember to not gear the outfits towards teens, not necessarily something you would wear!

-Quotes: Every once in a while, I come across to a quote I love and I will share on Instagram. If you type the quote into Google images, more than likely someone has made it into a something creative, whether it be with a picture or just written in a cool font. You can also use an app called Word Swag (one of my favorite apps!) to design something yourself with the quote.

-What your working on: What are you doing with your time during your slow season? Maybe your rebranding, designing a new website, creating a new logo, ordering t shirts for your business…whatever it may be, share with your followers what is going on behind the scenes. Post little sneak peeks along the way of what your working on and get them excited for whats to come!

-Get personal: Maybe during your busy season you got so wrapped up with all the amazing images you wanted to share that you rarely posted anything non photography or business related. The holidays are the perfect time to get personal and share posts that aren’t business related. Maybe you have a holiday tradition you do with your family every year, maybe its baking cookies with your kids, maybe it’s a Christmas party with your friends. Whatever it may be, snap a picture and give your followers a little peek at what your life is like.

Hopefully this post gets your brain going and gives you a few new ideas on how you can stay active on your social media during your slow season. Like I said, it is so important to keep the momentum going and not just disappear from posting for a few months. Have anything to add to my list? Join my group on Facebook and share your own ideas! https://www.facebook.com/groups/700784033277979/

Happy Holidays!

xo –Sara Cooney

Sara Cooney is an aspiring photographer and monthly contributor to Seniorologie. Sara shares information that help photographers reach the teen market by giving real tips on how photographers can reach the teen market. Sara started Sara Cooney Photography when she was a junior in high school and she photographs seniors, dancers, families, couples, musicians and has been a second shooter on a few weddings, which she plans on doing more of this year. Sara spent one semester at the University of Rhode Island and now will be attending the New England School of Photography in October to pursue her dream.