It's time we better supported the little guy

Editorial from Connected Women

Posted on: Tuesday, 30 November 2010

By Lorna Brett

I heard a great deal about the many difficulties the imaging industry is battling when I attended the PMA Digital Life Expo earlier this year; the biggest being how it can match the competition posed by large CE retailers who have entered the imaging market, and are able to undercut prices. But as is so often the case - seeing is believing. And over the past week I've seen first-hand the effect the "big guys" are having on the small, family owned camera and imaging stores.

When I set out to get some photos enlarged last week, I assumed I wouldn't have to travel far to find my local camera store - but I was wrong. I found that three digital imaging stores in my surrounding suburbs had "For Lease" signs in their windows. Eventually, I travelled three suburbs away to find a specialist store that was still open for business (and judging by the tired exterior and interior, I'm safe in assuming that business isn't booming).

Yes, I could have gone to my local Harvey Norman or K-Mart to get my photos enlarged and they probably would have been half, or even a quarter of the price. But I had technical questions that I wanted answered by a professional, and above all, I trust the experience that comes with being a specialist.

It's not that I doubt the quality of Harvey Norman's offering, and whilst its prices are definitely attractive, in this instance I was willing to pay that little bit extra for the peace of mind that comes from having a professional complete the job.

We need to support the small businesses in our communities, because in doing so we support the families reliant on them. This week, my eyes have been opened to how tough business is for imaging specialists and they'll now be my first stop when I need a photo enlarged, a canvas printed or a new digital camera - and I hope they will be for you too.

Their place in the photographic industry is just as important as the "big guys."

You can still access two webinars with quick, easy to put in place ideas for increasing business over Christmas.

Part One: 14 Holiday Marketing Ideas: easy, effective, inexpensive ... and you still have time! This free webinar contains actionable information you can use to build business this holiday season.
First speaker: Robert Cavilla, UpWord Search Marketing

Second speaker: Kim Carpenter, a marketing consultant with the Fujifilm Business Builders program, will suggest 10 profitable ways to use email this holiday season. 

Part Two: Holiday Shopping Trends and Opportunities - 2010 Webinar
Speaker: Dr. Glenn S. Omura, Associate Professor of Marketing at Michigan State University, will share a sleigh-load of ideas to get you started this holiday season. 

Click on the link below to have a look.

Christmas webinars link