This is the last in a series. For the first chapter, click here.
Now that you have a few ideas of how to take full advantage of technology, you may feel a little overwhelmed at how much time it’ll take to set up and implement a social media and email marketing strategy. And while we fully recommend that you take the time to do those things, we also recognize that your life is busy and very demanding. We want you to find immediate success, so while you’re planning your online marketing strategy, here are three things you can do in 20 minutes or less to boost your occupancy:
Claim your Course
As golfers go more and more online, they will evaluate your course based on how you look online. If they can easily find your page, then they are more likely to come play at your course. “Claiming your course” refers to the practice of filling out your course information on different websites. We highlight three of the most-used sites where you can claim your course:
Google+ Though not many people use this platform, the images that you put on your Google+ profile are used in search results. If you haven’t completed your Google+ profile, then Google just pulls what it thinks are relevant images from the internet, which is why you often see parking lots instead of the business front.
Facebook The most heavily-used social media platform by the golfing demographic is Facebook. On Facebook, companies can create pages, which are like profiles for businesses. If you don’t create a page, then Facebook automatically generates a location as people post about it. Most courses have some sort of presence on Facebook, whether they realize it or not.
18Birdies An up-and-coming social media app focused on golfing, 18Birdies adds users at the rate of 100,000 golfers a month. Like Facebook, 18Birdies generates a profile for each course automatically, but you can claim your course in the app for free. This is much more direct than Facebook because the only people using 18Birdies are those interested in golf.{{cta(‘6c1db769-8ea8-424b-85d6-f046e94ce385′,’justifycenter’)}}
Social Media Promotions
If planning out an email marketing campaign doesn’t fit in your busy schedule, then social media offers you an immediate way to advertise deals and promotions. If you’re worried about making a professional, well-designed ad, there are several free resources available that will make you look like a photoshop master. We recommend Canva and PicMonkey, which both offer robust stock photo and photo editing capabilities. Unsplash and Pexels aslo have a beautiful library of user-submitted photos if you’re looking for something a little more artistic.
Whatever your need, you can start immediately on promoting your promotion. Just think of a deal, download a photo, type some words on it, post it, and you’ve got yourself an ad campaign! If you’re looking to boost followers, you can make liking your page or following your profile on Instagram a part of the deal (e.g. “Like us on Facebook and receive a free drink after your round on 6/19!”)
Online Promotions
This one is specific to foreUP users, but a similar solution could be found in any golf software. If you have online booking, then you can set your price lower at low-occupancy times during the day (for example, from 11-1). Once you do that, you can also write a little text blurb that will show up on the booking page that informs players of the discounted rate during that time (e.g. 40% off from 11-1!) Golfers then have an extra incentive to come play your course when they otherwise wouldn’t.
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