The Benefits of Working With Other Members

By: Amie Van Overmeer, HenkinSchultz

One advantage of being a South Dakota Advertising Federation member is doing business and networking with other SDAF members. By collaborating, many SDAF members have found that our local advertising community becomes stronger and business can increase. Here are some of the many benefits you may find when you partner with another SDAF member.

Working locally positively affects our economy.

By working with each other, members are making a financial investment in our community. Businesses help each other become more successful when they work together, which strengthens the city’s commerce overall.

You have confidence in each other.

Because SDAF members get to know each other outside of project work, they build a level of trust that isn’t as easily found outside of the organization. SDAF members know each other, and that can add accountability to a business relationship. Seeing the quality and creativity of members’ work helps engender trust, too.

“Attending programs, networking and entering ADDY submissions help other members see your work and reward you by hiring you to work for them,” notes Ruth Ann Scott, executive director of SDAF.

Our membership is diverse.

Every business needs marketing and advertising, and every individual needs banking and healthcare services. SDAF members includes people from TV stations, communications companies, financial companies, healthcare providers and more. “People are more likely to do business with people they see regularly,” Ruth Ann says.

Face-to-face meetings can yield good results.

Many SDAF members obviously have successful business relationships with clients who are located outside of South Dakota, but members note that being able to stay in town for business can have its advantages. Karla Santi, creative director of Blend Interactive, notes that in-person meetings have a different dynamic than conference calls.

“As advanced as online conferencing has become, there is tremendous value in getting together in the same room and focusing all attention on the task at hand,” says Karla. “That typing you hear on the other end of the line? It’s probably not note taking.”

You could receive referrals.

By getting to know each other, SDAF members better understand each other’s capabilities. This can lead to referrals to and from other members. When members successfully combine their skills, clients may be even more satisfied with the end result.

“In our line of work, it’s not uncommon to have multiple firms collaborating on the same project,” Karla adds. “Working locally simplifies that process since you can meet with the end client together and work as a closer team.”