Many of you know that during this past few years I have divided my time between the states and Iraq as a member of the SD Air National Guard. In doing so, my website www.huntingconnections.com has for lack of a better term suffered. The traveling and it’s natural toll on my personal and professional life has been expressed in my inability to keep new content on the site.
2009 brings a renewed focus and my 18 year veteran status has earned me the ability to be more selective in my tours. Because of this, I have rededicated my attention to truly providing South Dakota’s #1 Hunting Resource.
A lot has changed in how hunting businesses and business in general market their services in the past decade. While not entirely obsolete, traditional newspaper ads are far less effective and magazine subscriptions are fading as more and more readers find the content they are looking for online. Social media tools such as Twitter and Facebook are household names that open up a world of marketing opportunities to our industry if used correctly and all generations are turning to the world wide web as their primary source for information, entertainment and connections.
With 10 years of experience, analytics and wonderful partnerships throughout hunting community, I felt that 2009 was the best time to refocus my efforts in accomplishing my initial mission: Promote SD hunting in a positive manor, connect hunters with quality hunting operations and provide the most complete South Dakota hunting resource online.
What you’re likely to notice right away when you visit the site, is our new logo, the redesign of our Web site, and our use of the latest traffic generating tools online today. More than a design update, these changes represent our efforts to simplify our offerings and to organize our content in a way that offers a better user experience while maximizes the exposure of our outfitter partners. As you browse the new Web site, you’ll find that our focus is directed on what hunters are seeking when planning a SD hunting trip:
SD Hunting Outfitters
Hand edited directory of hunting outfitters across the state. Hunters have the ability to sort by Name, Location or Price at this time and we will continue to refine our search capabilities as the year goes on. Our directory is designed to provide the key information potential hunters need to select a quality location that meets their needs and budget while promoting a variety of hunting operations across the state.
Lodging
10 years in the hospitality industry and the inspiration behind this site, told me that this category ranks among the top needs for visiting hunters. While many hunting businesses offer lodging as part of their hunting packages, this category is designed to help those hunters who might be looking for a place to stay while enjoying a self-guided hunts or public land hunt.
Land
A new category on the new site, the land feature offers information on self-guided hunting land as well as GFP walk-in production areas. South Dakota is lucky to have wonderful resources and habitat thanks to dedicated land owners and as a result our ring-necked pheasant populations have continued to be among the best in the nation. These populations bring in many experienced hunters looking to hunt, but not necessarily need the assistance of a guide. For this reason, I would like to continue to build a self –guided land directory where land owners can promote their contact information, location and description for experienced hunters.
Videos / Photos / Product Reviews / News and More
My experience in the online marketing game has tells me that while I would love to believe that site traffic can stay strong outside of the key search months of August – November, reality tells me otherwise.
In 2009, I will focus on offering video and photo contest opportunities for both hunters and lodges to post their best hunts, provide the latest hunting news using the latest social media tools like Twitter, Facebook, Flickr and Facebook and offering hunters product reviews and stories from dedicated hunting professionals across SD and surrounding states.
All of these features work towards accomplishing my mission: Promote SD hunting in a positive manor, connect hunters with quality hunting operations and provide the most complete South Dakota hunting resource online.
I hope this streamlined approach will help you in your efforts to either plan, book or promote an exciting South Dakota hunt. As always, I welcome your comments and questions. Please e-mail us at eric@huntingconnections.com if you’d like to leave feedback or need more information on my services.