What SEO Means to Your Business

In the rapidly growing online market, many businesses are trying to keep up with the trend. Few fully understand the importance of being visible online or know how this is accomplished. Even fewer people understand how search engines work and how they can use them to their advantage.

Kathy Spolum, an in-house marketing specialist from Daktronics, a digital LED display company based in South Dakota, is very familiar with this process. “When creating content and text for the web, it is crucial to include keywords in order to increase the chances of it being found,” said Kathy. “Although it can sometimes feel unnatural to the writers, it makes all of the difference.”

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is defined by SEOWorkers as the method of analyzing and constructing individual web pages, as well as entire sites, so that they can be discovered, analyzed, then indexed by various search engines.

Why does this matter? When someone does a search, there are two types of results shown. Sponsored links appear at the top and to the right side of the browser and are paid for by the advertisers. The organic links are listed in order of relevance, and are often more trusted by consumers. The big question is how do you get your site to the top of the list.

The search engine has a database of websites that contain the keywords that the searcher typed into the query. By properly phrasing the text and links on your site, you can enhance your chances of appearing near the top.

Social Media in South Dakota

With social media growing at a steady rate in South Dakota. I had the chance to talk with co-founder of 9 Clouds, Scott Meyer.

9 Clouds is a company based in the Brookings and Sioux Falls area, that helps you choose and use the most effective online tools to grow your business. The ones that fit your goals and show measurable results, 9 Clouds help businesses through three service offerings: Training, Strategy and Digital Campaigns.

I asked a number of questions all regarding too social media in the state of South Dakota. Scott stated, “Facebook is the number 1 growing social media outlet in South Dakota, with over 52% of the state is using Facebook, while twitter is only around .35%.”

This also gives companies in the state a huge boost in media compared to other states. “South Dakota Companies get a good bump in media because there is not much competition regarding anything social media in the state. Keloland, The Agrus Leader, and other media outlets get excited to talk about it so it only benefits the company that much more.” Scott said.

So if you live in the South Dakota area, look for social media to start growing more and more. Companies are embracing the change for the good, the iPhone is on the two largest cell networks, and the media loves talking about it. Use and embrace social media and make the most out of it.

St. Mary's Foundation

Trends in social media marketing have posed a problem to the St. Mary’s Foundation in Pierre, SD. The St. Mary’s Foundation is a non-profit organization that raises money to benefit health care in Central South Dakota by working closely with the St. Mary’s Hospital. The St. Mary’s Foundation is part of the Catholic Health Initiatives (CHI) www.catholichealthinit.org, which is a national nonprofit health organization that operates in 19 states and includes 73 hospitals.

Since the St. Mary’s Foundation is so closely connected with the St. Mary’s Hospital, social media efforts are not possible. According to Ellen Lee, Executive Director of the St. Mary’s Foundation, CHI Communications is currently working on getting approval from the corporate CHI office to allow a Facebook page. However, because of HIPPA laws, this has been a struggle.

As of now, the Foundation relies on their website, www.stmarysfoundation.com, monthlynewsletters, donated advertisements from Dakota Radio Group, and earned advertising in local newspapers to get the word out about raising money for local healthcare. They coordinate three large fundraisers every year that also help gain acknowledgement in Central South Dakota. The St. Mary’s Foundation is able to receive donations from their website, but Foundation Assistant Julie Moore says that only 12 donations per year are received from the website. That amounts to about one percent of total donations per year that are received from other means.

It is unfortunate that the foundation can't explore the use of social media because non-profit organizations that have little or no budget for advertising would really benefit from it. The Foundation also uses mailing lists to get information to donors, but a social media site would increase awareness and greatly increase the number of potential donors. The St. Mary’s Foundation is a non-profit with a unique situation because they are connected to a healthcare facility. Because any hospital or healthcare facility has strict laws to protect patients, they are unable to benefit from the use of social media.

Facebook Reinventing Marketing on College Campuses

We all know Facebook runs our social life, but who knew it would soon run the way we see advertising, daily deals, or whats going on around our campus community. Sarah Bunde works for Aramark here in Brookings at SDSU where she is the marketing manager and the master behind all marketing that goes on for Jacks' Dining.

Bunde thinks creating a Facebook page for Jacks' Dining has played a significant role in recognition for the different dining locations around campus and events that are held at each location. She believes that having the page allows her to reach out to more on and off campus students. "Social media is a must for Jacks' Dining and any other business because of the capabilities it gives to a business to reach more of its customer," was a belief Bunde had.

With the number of friends growing, Jacks' Dining Facebook page continuing, Bunde has no plans to stop promoting events and dining locations specials anytime soon. Jacks' Dining has around 320 friends currently on Facebook and all the friends love commenting on pictures and events that are posted.