Special Correspondent?

It's important to bring value to your community whenever you can.  This is kind of a core philosophy of mine, not that I'm always successful at it.  By "your community" I mean whoever your audience, your network, or your customer base is.  In an attempt to implement this concept in a creative way, I volunteered to write a regular feature article for our local newspaper (the Fort Mill Times) on taking better pictures - it will be called Photo Finish.  This seemed like a way to share what I've learned, and get a little publicity (or notoriety) in the process.

So, I met with the editor and he agreed it might be a good idea.  He gave me a contract to sign (they're a McClatchy paper), which I did and have submitted the first article.  It's not been published yet, but this looks like it might be fun.

Everyone was crystal clear that there was no money involved, and that's fine.  The contract, though, did have an interesting section.  It allows me to describe myself as an independent contractor, a freelancer, a stringer, or as a "special correspondent."  From now on, you may think of me as "Special Correspondent to the Fort Mill Times"!  Lest that go to my head, feel free to think of me also as a photographer trying to make a living....

Balanced Marketing in Bad Times

It's 2012, and it's still rough out there in the Carolinas real estate market.  Some realtors seem to be at least static, if not growing, but others are really struggling.  One realtor told me recently that they had only one listing.  One builder told me that they had started only one house in the last several months.  Now sure, there's some style, work ethic and hustle issues, as well as simple skill, that can separate people within a given profession.   For those with fewer listings than others, I wonder where the right amount of marketing investment lies.

You bet I've got a horse in this race.  Realtors and Builders that are reluctant to spend marketing dollars don't buy photography.  On the other hand, wouldn't some level of marketing investment (photography or not) help sell what little they do have? 

Everybody's got their own issues and must make decisions that are right for them.  Still, when I hear that "things are very slow" or "I've only got one listing" or "My listings are not expensive enough for professional photography", three things fill my mind: 
1) Wouldn't aggressive marketing be a better strategy than passive (or no) marketing?
2) These people are SO underestimating what great photographs can do, even to mediocre properties, and
3)  How much do they think I charge anyway?  (my price list is open for all, and my wife assures me I'm not charging near enough)