As we head into the new year, course operators find themselves reflecting on the sales of the past year. What was a big moneymaker for the course? What promotions can we repeat or improve upon?
For many foreUP customers, the most lucrative event of the year is a holiday sale or promotion. A wildly successful Black Friday can provide a great revenue boost to the operation during the off-season.
This is the reason we put so much effort into helping our customers see success for Black Friday and Cyber Monday promotions. Our fMS team is built out with experienced golf marketers, so they’re familiar with the annual trending of course operations–and revenue. The courses work closely with their personal rep to create custom Black Friday promotions that best complement their unique needs.
So what did our teams help our courses achieve this year? We thought you might like to see how all the promotions played out, and maybe even learn a few tricks to try yourself next year.
Black Friday — It’s a Big Deal
Black Friday only happens once a year, but many smart courses spend the other eleven months preparing for their biggest holiday sale.
Crucial elements of a Black Friday marketing campaign begin well before November. When working with our fMS teams, courses begin their efforts months in advance with email drip campaigns, social media marketing, paid advertising, and much more.
fMS clients start working on Black Friday by analyzing their clientele, sales history, and profitable products with their dedicated, experienced golf marketer. The numbers don’t lie, and these fMS sales averages support the strategies that fMS reps use.
Black Friday Results Rundown
Gift card sales reached an average of $16,470.00; a whopping $14,000 more than the 2020 average.
Bay Pointe Golf Club added 20% value to the gift cards sold during Black Friday, essentially giving loyal customers free money when they purchased a gift card. The club first implemented this strategy in 2020 and was blown away by its success, leading them to bring it into the 2021 special as well.
Round packages sales averaged out at $3,293.85; setting a new record for Black Friday round packages revenue.
Big Fish Golf Club sold discounted round packages that could be purchased in one, five, and ten-round bundles. These flexible packages allowed customers to plan their play with a schedule that’s perfect for them and are an excellent fit for golfers that aren’t ready for a full membership.
The average revenue for membership sales was $34,265.78; that’s nearly triple the sales number from Black Friday 2020.
Greenfield Lakes Golf Course gave their loyal golfers a 15% discount on memberships, ensuring they come back all year round. A holiday discount provides a great incentive to purchase for golfers who haven’t renewed their membership for the coming year or maybe haven’t tried a membership in the first place.
Lesson sales gained courses $2,949.20 on average; that number means golfers will be improving at foreUP courses all year long.
Naperville Parks Golf offered four-lesson punch cards that allow golfers to choose their preferred instructor, including ball buckets and 9-hole rounds of golf. Offering lesson packages with customizability lets golfers know you want to provide them the best experience possible. Your goal is to help them love golf, not to earn a quick buck.
The average for total Black Friday revenue was a massive $17,358.04; beating 2020’s number by more than $5,000.
How did they do it?
foreUP Marketing Services specialists have done the research and determined what sells the most and generates the most revenue for courses during a Black Friday promotion. As marketing reps work with real courses every day, they see the results in real time. These specialists take note of what works and what doesn’t, and in keeping track with the ever-changing golf marketing landscape, the team has a powerful arsenal of knowledge at any given time.
Courses that work with fMS are seeing these numbers from just one holiday promotion. Through effective marketing, our top-earning courses have seen Black Friday revenue reach numbers ranging from $22,000 to $480,000. This range of revenue also represents the wide range of fMS clients — from local public courses to large multi-course operations. Earning these massive Black Friday profits is an achievable feat, and real foreUP clients have proven it.
Do It Yourself or Rely on the Experts?
We believe that, with appropriate planning and execution from you and your team, anyone can run a successful Black Friday promotion. Unfortunately for many operators, thoughtful marketing campaigns are more time-consuming than their workloads permit. This often leads to haphazard emails or social posts that don’t drive results. We know that this is the reason our foreUP Marketing Services representatives are so valuable to our client courses.
If your pro shop’s air conditioning went down, you’d call a specialist in order to minimize the headache, the time spent, and the risk of damaging things further. So why do so many golf pros and managers take marketing into their own hands? Maybe because they don’t realize how accessible a specialist really is.
foreUP Marketing Services provides courses with their own individual marketing representative. These marketing specialists have over 40 years of combined experience in golf-specific marketing, and when a client joins fMS, their representative will work directly with the course to provide unique marketing insights.
An in-house marketer is a big expense that just isn’t realistic for a lot of businesses. That’s why fMS provides the same services and individual contact at a fraction of the price. Plus, fMS clients typically see a 15% boost in revenue after joining, and much of this revenue comes from special holiday promotions in particular.
“I’ve been a golf professional for more than 30 years, and I’m certain that Pam is the best I’ve ever worked with in marketing as well as all the other things she does with my foreUP account, including technical stuff! We had an exceptional Holiday Sales season, thanks mostly to this extra special care that I got from Pam!”
–David Kaspar, PGA. Director of Golf
at The National Golf Club of Louisiana.
With the right team and the right preparation, incredible holiday sales numbers are within reach. Professional, personalized marketing means your course will be ready for Black Friday before your golfers have even thought about it, keeping you one step ahead and ready for a fantastic holiday season months in advance. While Black Friday is a big piece of the marketing puzzle, fMS representatives are qualified and prepared to boost your course revenue all year, well beyond the holiday season.
Ready for real results?
If you’re finding that the results for your operation weren’t quite as impressive as the averages here, maybe it’s time for some support. Let us give you a free consultation to see how foreUP Marketing Services would work for your unique needs. Then let’s get prepping for 2022!
