Image via WikipediaRealtors always talk about marketing to their "farm" which is their designated marketing area they are willing to cover. Photographers should have their "farm" figured out as well. A friend of mine is doing very well in an area you might not expect. Angela Archer with Angela Archer Photography is working her farm in farm country, Arlington, Minnesota population 2500.It used to be that every small town had it's own professional photographer. With the advent of regional shopping centers came the big box studios and the one hour photo stores who effectively put most of these mom and pop studios out of business. Angela has taken the advice of an old mentor of mine who used to say, "bloom where you are planted." Angela owns her "farm." She has worked hard to cultivate new business and bring back the "home town photographer."
So what does she do? First off, she's a great photographer who knows the names of her clients and treats them with tender loving care. Secondly she works her studio as if it were located in the middle of a big city. She has special studio theme days for family and children's portraits. She does all the work for the local high school so she pretty much does the lion's share of the senior portraits. She also has a growing wedding business. She has forged strategic alliances with vendors and made use of social media, especially Facebook.
As someone who is from a small town, I can tell you this, you do good work and you'll have a customer for life. Small town people support each other big time. But they do not like being taken for granted either. They are not fools and they are savvy buyers who will go elsewhere if their business is not respected.
In short, Angela has does a lot of things right. Did it happen overnight? No, but she kept moving forward because growing up in Arlington, she knew the value of her "farm" better than anyone else.
DO YOU KNOW THE VALUE OF YOUR FARM?
(reprinted with permission from, Photography Business Builder )
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