Speaking of Business Innovations in the surveying industry, this new project, Land Surveyors University brings a LOT of ideas to mind on how it might be used to increase business for a surveying company. If you've read how points work, you already know how much potential this has for helping your business smoke the competition in search engines.   I'm going to throw a few ideas out there on ways to use the platform and the "evidence" that everyone will submit for the various levels and if you have any ideas feel free to add on to this discussion.

1) Add Rich Descriptions to your Content  When uploading a photo or video to a level as evidence of completion, take the time to thoroughly explain the process of completing the mission, including location keywords in your descriptions.  The more keywords in the text description the better

2) Use the Location Field After you upload a photo or video, you arrive at an edit screen which allows you to describe what you uploaded. Make sure you add your location in the designated field in the form of City, State so that it shows up in search for your particular location.

3) Add Captions to Your Video Before uploading a video to Land Surveyors University, use a tool like Windows Movie Maker or Picasa to add an opening title page (including your company info and location) and/or transitions with captions.  More importantly you could add a nice caption or credits at the end with links to your company website.

4) Add a keyword rich title to your video or photo which includes your location.  For example "How to Setup a Total Station in Hawaii" (perhaps on a Volcano).

5) Wear your company shirt in your photos or videos.  This is a simple way to maximize your exposure as a surveying company.

6) Don't forget to Share Your Evidence  After uploading your LSU evidence for points, don't forget to share your video or photo within your own networks on facebook and twitter.

You may think it is silly to share a video of something as elementary as setting up a surveying instrument (as in level one), but when you consider the fact that your customers find you because they most likely cannot set up an instrument then you see where I'm going with this.  Due to the fact that all members start at Level One (regardless of true level of experience-which we shall all discover together in time), the sky is the limit for gaining exposure in local search engines (SEO), simply by taking the time to add robust descriptions and local information to your photos and videos.  As we all, as a community work towards level ten, we all have at least 20 opportunities (10 Levels = 10 Photos, 10 Videos)to get the word out about our surveying businesses, locally simply by doing the things that we already do every day.   

Here's your chance to innovate surveyors!!  How do you plan to use Land Surveyors University to push your company's agenda?