Black Hills & Badlands

The Black Hills & Badlands Tourism Association had a website built in 2006 — and a brand that hadn't moved much further. The people finding them online were landing on something that didn't speak to them. Meanwhile, Gen Z was becoming the most travel-hungry generation in history, chasing experiences over things. We wanted to paint Black Hills as exactly that — an experience. We just had to start saying so. I led the full digital overhaul: site architecture, messaging, SEO, social, and native advertising for paying clients. The core strategic shift was simple — stop selling a destination, and start selling a feeling. Conversion metrics went up 21% after launch. Travel South Dakota acknowledged the work at the Governor's Conference on Tourism. The site has been redesigned since, but the strategic foundation is still the same one we built.