Blogger and photographer champion Darren Rowse has taken Digital Photography School (DPS) to its rightful place in the online photo and video community of Flickr. By creating discussions around pressing issues and trends, creating photo assignments, lending his photography expertise, and going directly to his customers, Rowse has built an impressive following on Flickr.

Anatomy of DPS’s Presence

1) Rowse frequently participates in discussions surrounding pressing issues and trends in the photography community. Many discussions housed in his group revolve around which photography equipment is best. Rowse will often share his opinion of different pieces of equipment and what kinds of situations they are best for. 2) Rowse crafts interesting photo assignments for his followers to tackle. These are great for creating discussion within the community surrounding the pictures that were taken and the different techniques they used to get them. It also fosters inspiration for new photographers who may be unsure of where to start. This especially will bring them back often for more inspiration and build them into loyal followers. 3) Rowse consistently lends his knowledge and expertise to inexperienced and frustrated photographers. Although he runs a paid program of photography knowledge, he still doles out advice on specific issues when they come up in his community. This creates a resource of knowledge for amateur photographers to come to. Every answer is publicly posted and will attract more users looking for the same solution. 4) Instead of trying to build an island for customers to come to, Rowse took to the Flickr-sphere and met his clientele where they feel most comfortable. Not only are users able to interact within their venue of choice, but it also tears down the steps needed to go to a new website and create an entirely new profile and social network.

Bottom Line for Local Business

Avoid the ‘build it and they will come mentality’. Become a pro-active resource for your customers by taking part in their communities and helping to solve their problems. Nothing builds loyalty in customers like having them trust your opinion. Check out DPS’s FLickr page here http://www.flickr.com/groups/digitalps/