It’s a well-known fact that digital marketing is one of the most powerful ways for golf clubs to make their presence known. We also know it’s a challenge for golf clubs to attract new members, especially from the younger generations.
What we do find surprising is that golf clubs’ online presence could be improved to help them overcome this challenge, especially as it’s the younger generations that tend to use social media platforms such as Facebook and Instagram. A report from DataReportal shows that more than half of the world uses social media (4.2 billion – or 53.6% of the world’s population).
So, what channels should golf clubs use?
There are several digital marketing channels that can be used, but it’s important to understand where your potential customers (new club members) are frequently active before investing in specific area.
The key channels that golf clubs should use are paid advertisements, websites (including blogging), email marketing and social media. This is a non-exhaustive list and other channels could apply for your golf club, to determine which channels are best for you get in touch.
Before choosing which channels to execute, we advise you to complete an audit of your target audience (as every golf club is different) to ensure your audience is active and receptive to those channels.
How can paid advertisements help golf clubs?
Paid advertisements are a great way to get in front of new or existing members/customers. You can utilise numerous channels for paid advertisements such as Google Ads, Facebook & Instagram Ads and Twitter Ads for example.
Advertising can be a quick and effective way to raise awareness of your golf club and what events are being held. For example, if you have an upcoming competition, you could run a campaign to increase registrations or even spectators. Or if you are aware that you have quiet periods for teeing off, you could run an advertisement campaign to raise awareness of an offer (such as a free pint or bacon butty) on certain days.
How can a website help a golf club?
Having a website is paramount in these times. Not only should the website be clear and easy to navigate, but it should also be desktop, mobile and tablet friendly. A golf clubs’ website is generally found by those clubs wanting to attract players from around the country, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t pay attention to it.
According to a Google post “Speed is now a landing page factor for Google Search” – therefore if you have a website that isn’t loading quickly, mobile friendly, secure or easy to navigate then Google will discredit your website making it more difficult for customers to find you when searching for your website.
Not sure what the condition of your website is? Get in touch and we can create a report for you.
How can email marketing help a golf club?
Email marketing is still one of the best marketing channels any business can use – in fact according to HubSpot “64% of small businesses use email marketing to reach customers.”, which highlights it’s also a cost effective form of digital marketing.
How can this channel help golf clubs? Here is a short list of ideas how emailing your club members could help:
- Update or remind them of upcoming competitions – increase in turnout
- Share blogs that have been written on your website – more visitors to your website and therefore awareness
- Raise awareness of events that are happening at the club house – more attendees to your hosted events
There are numerous platforms that can be utilised for email marketing. Traditionally they offer the functionality to send campaigns, but as time has moved on most platforms offer automations. An automation is a sequence that can be set up to send automated emails at a specified time. For example, if a club member joins your email list the system can automatically send them a welcome email (immediately), followed up by another email containing a blog post on your website (a week later). The length and complexity of these automations are endless!
How can social media help a golf club?
Most golf clubs are already utilising social media to connect with their club members/customers, if you are not then we highly recommend that you do! Most golf clubs use social media to share upcoming events, news and content (such as images of the course).
Social media is also a great channel to create a two-way conversation with those who like or follow you. It allows followers to like, share and comment on your posts but also gives you the opportunity to keep engaging with your audience by replying to comments. Its highly important to ensure what you are sharing is high quality and engaging, low quality or stock images are not engaging and therefore can damage your social media reputation.
If you are unsure on how social media can work for you, don’t know which social media platforms your audience is using or don’t know where to get started get in touch we’d love to help!
How much does it cost to implement these channels?
At Zesty Digital we offer customised packages that fulfil the requirements of each golf club on an individual basis. Depending on which channels you choose to execute will influence the cost. We work with golf clubs based on what budget they have to spend, so if you are looking for a flexible and knowledgeable team to partner with and help you improve your digital marketing, get in touch today.
Summary
We’ve spoken to numerous golf clubs who are actively seeking to improve their digital marketing. Golf clubs are aware of the importance of digital marketing and that they will need to utilise a multi-channel approach when raising awareness. The past year for golf clubs hasn’t been simple with the unlocking of the economy due to the coronavirus pandemic, in fact golf clubs have seen an increase in footfall due to the fact players haven’t been able to visit the course.
What is worrying golf clubs is what next year will bring, following on from the coronavirus. They are predicting a slump in footfall due to players circumstances changing in the next few months.
What we do know, is that having a solid digital marketing strategy in place to ensure maximum visibility will ensure new members/customers are aware of your golf club and being periodically reminded via multiple channels will help you grow.
We are here to help. If you are looking to improve your digital marketing or need help with your marketing strategy we would love to hear about your plans and how you want to grow your golf club, so get in touch today to speak to our friendly team!
