Starting your own senior ambassador team...
I post a lot in Facebook photography groups and most of those groups are related to high school seniors. And, one of the questions I see a lot is how to build a Senior Ambassador or Model Team. Let me start by saying, there are tons of ways to start your own team, so I will show you how I do my teams in my way. I would highly suggest that you take some of my ideas and others and create your own team with your own little twists on them. What works for me and others, may not work for you, so make adjustments and changes as you see fit. I will break it down into 3 sections:
- Advertising for your team -
- Timeframe - I usually start advertising for my team at the end of the school year, so for me, that would be in April/May. I will usually make little posts here and there to let people know that applications will be available soon.
- I suggest you have a website link explaining what your team does and then a link to the form for them to fill out. This form should ask for parents' info as well as the seniors'. I advertise to the upcoming seniors first and then will make sure that the parents are really involved in the rest of the process.
- Choose a date where you will stop accepting applications. It's important that you have a cutoff date and advertise the cutoff date as that will create a sense of urgency and hopefully get you a few more applications.
- Once you have accepted all of the applications, it's time to move to the next step:
- Online Meeting
- I do an online meeting to make it easier for everyone to attend. This has helped a lot especially when parents are busy and this allows them to attend the meeting even though they may not be in the same room as their senior. At this time, they can make the decision on whether or not they want to be a part of the program. They are not part of the program yet.
- During this meeting, I introduce myself, show off previous ambassador's shoots and explain the entire program.
- Do - Set expectations of the program, the parents, and the seniors. I expect my ambassadors to be good students, not be bullies and watch what they say on social media. I will let them know right away that the possibility of being kicked off the team is real and can result in a loss of money for the parents. (This has never happened, but just to let people know.)
- Do - Show them what it will cost. This is the burning question for parents, they know that senior year is important, but so is their budget. Do not try to hide any costs of being one of your ambassadors.
- Do - Tell them what they will receive for being a part of your team. This is where you can show more value for being a part of your team and why there is a cost associated with it.
- I offer referral bonuses for my ambassadors, but I do not require them to give me referrals. I have found that seniors are too busy being seniors and just did not really do referrals anyways, so I make a big deal out of this as I do not want to overload the senior with high expectations. The parents like the idea as they are not forced to do anything unless they really want to.
- For my program, I require the seniors to do a minimum of two shoots with me and it's their choice when they want them done. We will do two team sessions; at the beginning and a cap and gown session at the end of the year.
- Really, the only weekly requirement of my team is that they tag me on Senior Sunday. It can be a BTS, one of their images, or a short little video as long as I am tagged. I do not ask for anything else as I am not trying to take over their social media, I just want a little free advertising on Sundays.
- At the end of the meeting, I ask if anyone has any questions and let them know how to become part of the team. This is important as until they actually pay something, they are not fully invested. This is where you will separate the real clients from the window shoppers.
- Being on my team is not FREE, there is an investment expected and communicated during this meeting. There are perks from being on my team that are free, but it is not a free program.
- After the Meeting
- I will send everyone a thank you email and let them know how to pay to be added to my team. Personally, I use a Paypal link for them to pay or a Venmo link. I use that amount towards their first session, so it's not a "wasted" retainer. For example, my session fee for a two hour shoot is $350, I will use their $100 Ambassador Fee towards that session fee.
- Setup a team shoot as soon as you can! You want them to be excited for the new year and get some pics ASAP!
- Create a group chat with everyone via IG or some other group messaging service. It's a good way to pick the first theme of the team session and let everyone know what is going on.
- Deliver what you say you will do! Do not add anything to your program unless you can deliver it. You can always add things later, but pick the bare minimum that you will provide the team throughout the year. For example, I do not tell my team that I will get them t-shirts or gifts, but I can if I want to.
For me, after the online meeting, the list of applicants will whittle down either due to cost or time constraints and I am ok with that. I prefer a smaller team to a larger team as it is already hard enough to schedule a smaller group with everything that is going on for them during senior year. I would suggest that you make your program a part of their senior year and not something that requires a lot of time to take away from their senior year. This makes it easier for parents too.
To sum up, an ambassador or model team is a great way to increase your visibility and get lifelong clients, but I highly suggest catering it to your own needs and desires. I hope that this blog helps you get started and please do not hesitate to reach out for any other information.
Joe Baker
Be sure to check out my community: https://thatphotoglife.joebakerphotography.com/