PIERRE, S.D. – A newly created group in southeast South Dakota is developing an integrated website marketing strategy that will drive online traffic to 15 member communities’ websites.
"Researching vacation destinations online continues to be a growing trend," said Richard Benda, secretary of the South Dakota Department of Tourism and State Development. "It's imperative that our communities have that online presence if they are going to stay competitive in attracting visitors."
The group, known as the Southeast Website Marketing Partnership, will utilize Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and Search Engine Marketing (SEM) to draw more traffic to partner websites while also keeping them on the sites longer. The partnership between communities will also involve email marketing, keyword buys, banner ads and social media. The group has hired Click Rain Online Marketing to assist them in the digital strategy.
“This is a real opportunity for even our smallest communities,” said Jacquie Fuks, Executive Director of the Southeast South Dakota Tourism Association. “Visitors will be able to easily retrieve information they’re looking for, and communities will be more visible on the World Wide Web. Ultimately, it will bring more visitors to the southeast region.”
The 15 communities and organizations involved in the digital strategy partnership are: