GolfBoard Foursome at Indian Wells Golf Resort

GolfBoard and Social Media: How To Surf Your Way to Sales And Marketing Success

GolfBoard is not only a perfect vehicle for golf, it’s an ideal vehicle for social media.

If you want to know exactly what photos and videos you need to take to execute a successful GolfBoard social media strategy read this post, then DOWNLOAD the free document: The 8 Photos/Videos You MUST Have To Promote GolfBoard On Social Media

Want to know what drives millennials to take action? Create a compelling, new and social golf experience.

Top Golf is a perfect example of this phenomenon. It’s new, socially engaging and unique. You can create opportunities to be a destination golf course by bringing something new to your golf course to attract golfers who wouldn’t play it otherwise.

GolfBoard is the perfect product to drive rounds and revenue at your golf course and increase social engagement, but you have to promote it well. Below are some tips to improve the promotion of GolfBoard or you can Hire 19th Hole Media.

 

Need Help Promoting GolfBoard at your course?
19th Hole Media has a GolfBoard Social Media Program that we can perform for your course. To find out more, click the button. LEARN ABOUT OUR GOLFBOARD SOCIAL MEDIA PROGRAM

 

Prior to writing this article we looked at courses across the country who are using GolfBoard and their social media promotion of the boards is, quite frankly, hugely lacking – one or two Instagram post a year doesn’t cut it.

Here’s how you can promote GolfBoard to your social audience to increase rounds, memberships and revenue.

GolfBoard at Indian Wells Golf Resort

GolfBoard at Indian Wells Golf Resort

The proof is in … the purchasing!

That’s exactly what Indian Wells Golf Resort did with its GolfBoard fleet after 19th Hole Media assisted them with their program launch in 2016-17. They doubled their fleet to eight boards for the 2017-18 season.

For those unfamiliar, GolfBoard is a surfboard-like motorized scooter on which golfers carry their clubs and traverse the course in a manner similar to surfing, skiing or skating. Those who participate in those sports usually find mastering GolfBoard a breeze.

The rest of us?

We sometimes need a little help, but a driver’s education session on the range and a few holes on the course usually does the trick.

As a social media challenge, GolfBoard presents a similar education curve that revolves around two questions: What is it? How do you use it?

The good news is social media is ideally suited to answer these questions and draw new golfers, new revenue and new excitement to your course! Here’s a look at the case study for the launch at Indian Wells Golf Course and the blueprint for promoting GolfBoard at your course.

Step #1 – Create a GolfBoard Press Release

The first thing we did at Indian Wells was to write a press release announcing GolfBoard and promote it on Facebook. The response was incredible. Without boosting, the post had more than 10,000 views and 100 likes and many enthusiastic comments that show that showed the interest and awareness of GolfBoard. Sprinkled amongst those comments were some questions about GolfBoard use and safety that were easily addressed.

This post was published weeks before the arrival of the boards to not only stir enthusiasm but early rentals. You should have a waiting list at your course by the time the boards arrive.

GolfBoard Foursome at Indian Wells Golf Resort

Step #2: Educate GolfBoard Safety with Social Media

Another critical part of the pre-launch is to introduce the one-time safety waiver that has to be signed and video that has to be viewed at each course before using GolfBoard. This also presents a great social media opportunity for promotion and education and to answer more questions about them and build engagement.

You’ll quickly learn that photos of the boards stir interest but also raise questions. Seeing videos of the boards in action flip the switch for people and drive them to rent them. Why? Because they’re fun!

Step #3: Create GolfBoard Content for Social Media

Which brings us to the next step. When the boards arrive, you want to start creating content around them as quickly as possible. Take photos of them at course when they arrive but then get them active on the course and start taking videos of golfers using them. This is your best marketing vehicle for GolfBoard and where 19th Hole Media can help you most. We’re experts at GolfBoard video and creating videos that showcase the boards and your course, which is the best of both worlds.

Watch this video at Indian Wells Golf Resort
GolfBoard Video at Indian Wells Golf Resort

GolfBoard can be rented solo or in groups, but you want to start booking groups as soon as possible. GolfBoard is a great group learning experience and golfers enjoy mastering the boards together.

Facebook and Instagram are the best social media vehicles for promoting GolfBoard, but Instagram is particularly effective due to the ease of loading video and the existing community of GolfBoarders and courses that use GolfBoard that already exists. Eventually the goal is for your GolfBoarders to start sharing their own videos on your social media, and you should be encouraging these. These are self-generating testimonials for use of the boards!

The boards are seen as a draw for millennials, but you’ll quickly find that the boards will impact all demographics of your course when promoted properly, which for older generations means allaying safety concerns. The best benefit is that you’ll find new golfers discovering your course out of curiosity or because they’ve experienced the boards elsewhere and this is their preferred way to play.

GolfBoards at Maderas Golf Club

Prior to joining 19th Hole Media, Corey Ross, our Content Strategist, worked on the GolfBoard launch at Maderas Golf Club in San Diego and created the social media program for promoting them.

In the first year of the boards at the course, they generated nearly 1,000 rentals and we’re credited with generating an additional $100,000 for the course! That’s the kind of impact GolfBoard can have for your course if promoted properly and consistently.

One thing we see consistently is an underpromotion of GolfBoard by the courses that have it.

GolfBoard gives your course a competitive advantage and social media helps you capitalize on it. You’ve already paid to rent or buy the boards. It’s only a little more to make sure they’re marketed properly! Let us help and show you how to Surf the Earth on social media!

We want to help you succeed at bringing more golfers to your golf course to use GolfBoard. That is why we created this FREE download that shares the 8 Photos/Videos You MUST Have To Promote GolfBoard On Social Media:

Get the Free Guide

Enter your information to download our document The 8 Photos/Videos You MUST Have To Promote GolfBoard On Social Media.

Use the information to successfully promote GolfBoards at your golf course. Enjoy!

Use the information in the download and the tips in this post and you will likely be well on your way to expanding your GolfBoard fleet.

We created a program specifically to promote the booking of GolfBoard at your golf course. Learn how we can create social media campaigns to get new golfers to your course and sell out on your GolfBoard rentals.

19th HOLE MEDIA GOLFBOARD SOCIAL MEDIA PROGRAM

GolfBoard Video at Indian Wells Golf Resort

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19th Hole Media’s YouTube Channel by Zeb Welborn

 

Zeb Welborn's YouTube Channel

19th Hole Media is making an effort to produce a lot more videos to educate, entertain and inform golf courses on how they can market themselves better on social media and through the internet.

Our most recent videos are:

We hope you’ll follow along our YouTube Channel to get regular tips, ideas and discussions about golf.

Will you subscribe to our YouTube Channel? – Subscribe Here.

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7 Quick Tips to Add Followers for Your Golf Courses Social Media Accounts

Gaining followers on your social media accounts is no easy task.

You need to set up your account, post regularly and follow along with comments. Most importantly, you need to have a strategy to add followers to your page.

Here are some quick tips on ways your golf course can add more followers to your social media channels:

On-Course Social Media Promotions

The easiest way to get followers to your social media accounts is to tell your golfers to follow you with on-course promotions. Some ways you can create on-course promotions to get golfers to follow you on social media are:

  • Clear Signage – include signs on your course, in the clubhouse and in the golf shop that tell your golfers you’re using social media.
  • Selfie Spot – Identify a popular picture taking spot on your golf course and include signage letting your golfers know this is a great spot to take a photo to share on social media. They will likely follow and share their experience at your course with their friends too.
    How to Gain Followers for Your Golf Courses Social Media Accounts

    Photo by Tom Prince

  • At the Point of Sale – Train your staff to let your golfers know to follow you on your social media channels for special offers, updates and course conditions.
  • Include a Scrolling Feed: Use a scrolling feed to show your golfers what you’re posting and what your golfers are posting on social media in your golf shop or clubhouse.

Engage on Other Social Media Pages

With more than 1.1 billion users, it’s possible to reach and connect with people from all walks of life, especially golfers. Local community pages, local golf-related pages, and local business pages are a great way to reach out and connect with your community and get more people following you on social media.

  • Local Community Pages: Regardless of where you live, there are social media accounts set up to engage your local community. In my town, Chino Hills Connections is a go-to resource for members of our community. Be sure to engage in local discussion to raise the profile of your social media pages.
  • Local Golf-Related Pages: You may have seen golf trick shot videos, golf equipment review sites, and golf course aficionado social media posts all over the internet. Connect with these influencers to raise the profile of your golf course and add to your follower count.
  • Local Business Pages: Local businesses are a great resource for golf courses to reach out to. Not only are they great prospects for events and tournaments at your golf course, but the people that visit those pages are likely people in your community.

Social Media Advertising to Target Golfers

An easy way to add followers to your social media channel is to use Facebook Advertising. With Facebook Ads, we recommend targeting golfers who live within 30 miles of your golf course.

  • Ads for Likes: You can run ad campaigns to target people who would be most likely to like your page. This will help increase your follower count.
  • Ads for Sales: We typically don’t recommend using ads for likes unless you’re just starting your social media account. What we suggest instead is using Facebook Ads to drive potential customers to a sale. While doing this they will be aware of your social channels and be more likely to follow.
  • Ads to Your Prime Market: With Facebook Ads, you can target golfers who are on your email list, who have visited your website in the past 90 days, or are the most engaged on your Facebook page. This high level of targeting insures that you’re reaching the right customers at the right price.

Use Hashtagging

Most social media sites use hashtags to help identify topics of conversation or categories of posts. Using hashtags in your posts will help add followers, specifically on sites like Instagram and Twitter.

  • Straight-Up Hashtagging: Example = #Golf – Using a hashtag like this makes your content usable on the various social media search engines. #Golf in Instagram as an example has more than 10,717,779 posts.
  • Local Hashtagging: Example = #SoCalGolf – Want to be searchable for a higher target market. Use local hashtags to be found by golfers who are more likely to play your course. #SoCalGolf in Instagram as an example has 7,304 posts.
  • Golf-Related Hashtags: Example = #GolfLife – There are tons of golf-related hashtags that can help your golf course get found by golfers all over the world. #GolfLife in Instagram as an example has 476,967 posts.

Run Social Media Contests

Run contests through your page to help spread word of mouth. They can get golfers to share your posts which can drive new golfers to your social media accounts. Some examples of contests you could run to gain followers are:

  • Photo Contest – Have your golfers submit a photo to your social media channel. The photo with the most likes wins. This will encourage your golfers to take a picture at your course, share it with their friends and invite them to your page to see it.
  • Share This Post with Your Friends Contest – Ask your followers to share a post. Randomly choosing a winner from the participants.
  • Majors Contest – Host a social contest during the major golf tournaments. Give your golfers a contest they’re happy to share with their friends.

Use Emails and Website to Promote Social Media Channels

Include your social media accounts in your emails and on your website. You can do this by:

  • Including your social media accounts in all employees’ email signatures
  • Sending an auto-responder email when they complete a round to ask them to follow your social media accounts
  • Having social media buttons on your website
  • Including a live social media feed, showing your actual social media posts, on your website.

Post Authentic, Engaging Social Media Content

The more engaging and authentic the content on your golf course is, the more likely you’ll have people want to follow you.

Think of your social media accounts as your own personal newspaper. The more subscribers you have, the more customers you’ll get.

Want more tips on how to get more golfers playing your golf course more often using social media? Sign up for the 19th Hole Media email list.

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The Six Biggest Mistakes Golf Courses are Making on Facebook

The Don’ts of Facebook Marketing for Golf Courses

“Mistakes are part of the game. It’s how well you recover from them, that’s the mark of a great player.” – Alice Cooper

A new General Manager was hired at one of the first golf courses 19th Hole Media signed up to manage their social media pages. In my first conversation with him he told me he saw no value in social media.

“What do I care what people had to eat?”, he said.

In speaking with many golf course owners and general managers, they were of a similar opinion.

That was six years ago.

Through education, competition and the shifting purchasing habits of golfers most golf course owners and general managers realize the importance of social media in increasing rounds and revenue at their golf course.

Many, however, are doing it wrong.

Here is what NOT to do when marketing your golf course on Facebook:

Don’t Be Overly Promotional

People use Facebook to keep tabs on their family, friends and the companies that interest them. Selling on Facebook is acceptable, but not all the time.

How many of you would willingly sign up to watch TV commercials, look at magazines with only advertisements, or read newspaper ads without any news stories?

If all your posts are sales posts, your audience will get tired of your constant ads and stop following your course.
Another reason not to be overly promotional is that Facebook algorithms will show posts that get low engagement to fewer people. From analyzing thousands of Facebook posts, I can tell you that promotional posts get little to no engagement.

If you continually make posts that get little engagement, Facebook will show your posts to fewer and fewer of your followers.

Don’t Post Flyers

Many golf courses treat their Facebook page like an on-site bulletin board. They have their marketing team draft a flyer, blast it out via email and share it on social media.

Just like when you’re being overly promotional, flyers typically get little to no engagement. The less your Facebook followers engage with your posts, the less likely your posts will show up.

You also don’t want to post flyers because flyers usually contain a lot of text. Facebook will not allow you to boost – spend advertising dollars to reach more potential customers – any posts that have close to 20% text in the photo.

Facebook did this to limit an advertising look and feel to their platform. They also recognized that most photos with text had little to no engagement. And Facebook is all about engagement.

Lastly, consumers can spot, and ignore advertisements easily and flyers are easy-to-spot advertisements.

Think about opening your emails. Do you know which emails are promotional and which ones are not?

Most email users can immediately identify and delete any sales/promotional emails while recognizing emails that are important to them.

Think about watching TV. Do you watch commercials when you watch TV?

Most TV viewers now have a DVR to record programs and skip through commercials to watch their shows uninterrupted.

Think about retrieving the mail from your mailbox. Do you open and look at every piece of mail you receive?

Most people immediately discard mass mailings and open the letters that are important to them.

As consumers we’re constantly filtering out sales messages. Try your best to avoid anything that looks like an ad in your social media posting.

Don’t Post Too Infrequently

Another problem golf courses have is posting too infrequently. I can’t tell you how many golf course Facebook pages I’ve seen get started enthusiastically and then go dormant.

Many of your golfers are accustomed to getting information about their world from their social media pages. If your golf course is absent from posting to the people who want to hear from you the most, you’re missing out on a huge opportunity.

There are many reasons why golf courses’ Facebook pages go dormant: perhaps the person in charge of social media moved on, it wasn’t a priority, or there just wasn’t enough time in the day to commit to creating a vibrant social presence. (Which is why golf courses hire 19th Hole Media.)

Every day something worthy of social media is happening at your golf course. Identifying those opportunities and sharing them with the world takes a consistent, committed and focused effort.

Don’t Not Engage

Another big problem we see many golf courses struggle with on social media is responding when followers comment on stuff.

Imagine a customer comes to the counter at your golf shop and says what a wonderful time they had playing your course and the person behind the counter says nothing.

Better yet, imagine your golf shop full of golfers when your customer complains loudly about an experience they had at your golf course and the person behind the counter says nothing.

When golfers comment on your social media pages they are expecting a response, just as they would when they are at your golf course. Ignoring comments by followers not only misses an opportunity to connect further with the golfer who commented, but it also hurts your relationship with other golfers who see that you aren’t responding to your golfers.

The more you comment back, the more you encourage comments in the future. And the more engagement you have on your posts, the more Facebook will show your posts to your followers.

Don’t Post the Same Type of Post Over and Over

Just like you wouldn’t want to continually post advertising messages on your Facebook page, you also wouldn’t want to post the same type of post all the time on your Facebook page.

I see many golf courses who just share links to websites on their page. Facebook posts can be links to webpages, pictures, questions, testimonials, polls, videos and others. The more variety you have on your Facebook posts, the more likely your followers will stay engaged with your course.

Don’t Not Analyze Your Efforts

Facebook has an excellent analytical tool called Facebook Insights which monitors the success, or lack thereof for your Facebook efforts.

In addition to gathering valuable demographic information about your Facebook followers, Facebook Insights will also show you which Facebook posts are delivering results and which ones are not.

Analyzing your efforts will not only provide valuable feedback when it comes to posting on Facebook, but it will also give you valuable insight into other marketable aspects of your business.

The Back Nine for Social Media

As Alice Cooper would tell you, in golf and on social media, mistakes happen. If your golf course is guilty of any of the Facebook don’ts for golf courses, it’s not too late to turn things around.

Don’t be overly promotional, don’t post flyers, don’t post infrequently, don’t not engage your golfers, don’t post the same type of post over and over and don’t not analyze your efforts.

Instead, recover from your mistakes, be great, and do Facebook right.

Coming Soon How to Do Facebook Right at Your Golf Course: The Do’s of Facebook Marketing for Golf Courses

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19th Hole Media’s Top 10 of 2016

At our end of year meeting each year we go over a lot of material, make a lot of plans, and do a lot of business stuff. But, we also make a point to look back over the previous year and celebrate our victories.

We have come a long way since we started. Here is our Top 10 of 2016.

Top 10 of 2016

10. Speaking Gigs
This year Zeb spoke with the California Golf Course Owners’s Association and the National Golf Course Owner’s Association Arizona on digital marketing for golf courses.
9. Visiting New Client Courses in Chicago and San Jose 

One of the coolest things we did this year was add new client courses in Chicago (Village Greens of Woodridge) and San Jose (Cinnabar Hills Golf Club) . . . and, as a result, visiting those courses during the year to take social media pictures, videos and discussing how to best implement our plans for 2017.In September, Zeb brought the family for an amazing trip to Chicago and played Cog Hill, Cantigny, Village Links of Glen Ellyn and, of course, Village Greens of Woodridge. Thank you Brandon Evans for a memorable trip.In November, Zeb headed up to San Jose for the California Golf Course Owner’s Association Annual Meeting and to play/shoot social photos and videos at Cinnabar Hills Golf Club. Cinnabar Hills is a beautiful 27-hole golf course and includes the impressive Brandenburg Historical Golf Museum.

8. #GolfChat Authors

Zeb started #GolfChat in 2015 and since then it has taken on a life of its own.The Twitter chat (which takes place every Tuesday at 5PM PST) now has it’s own Author’s Group.Each month a topic is explored by golf bloggers and their articles are shared on the #GolfChat website.

We have to thank #GolfChat legends Jeremy White for orchestrating the authors group and Cassie Norris for hosting #GolfChat. As well as Pete Flanigan, Tiffany Chiasson, Todd Marsh, Tony Dear, Anne Foley-Smith, Dave Hill and Jim Burton for being #GolfChat Authors. And everyone else who has participated in #GolfChat.

Congratulations to the 2016 #GolfChat Award Winners – @Front9Back9, @golfbandwagoner, @ShawnBell, @h2cgolf, @GolfUnfiltered, @1beardedgolfer, @bowdo83, @tiffchaisson and @JDres15.

Follow #GolfChat in 2017 with the new #GolfChat Twitter account – @realGolfchat

7. GolfBoard

We first saw the GolfBoard in action early this year at the Golf Industry Show.Since then we’ve played it at Maderas Golf Club, Los Serranos Country Club and Candlewood Country Club.Maderas is one of the most popular GolfBoard destinations in the country and new partner, Corey Ross is solely using social media to promote it. General Manager, Michael Flickinger said their original GolfBoard fleet of four has already paid for itself.

This year we created marketing packages specifically for the GolfBoard. The GolfBoard is a great social opportunity to help attract followers and online conversations about your golf course. Our marketing packages help to leverage social media to drive new golfers to your golf course.

6. Social Media Golf Course Marketing Column and Sponsorship for California Golf Course Owner’s Association

Zeb has starting writing a column for the California Golf Course Owners Association regular newsletter. The column will share the benefits and best practices of online marketing with golf course owners.Check out his first contributions here:

19th Hole Media became a sponsor of the CGCOA this year and will be helping them recruit new members in 2017.

5. Game 7 – A Night to Remember
Game 7 of the World Series was one of the best baseball games I’ve ever seen. The game ended up being even more memorable for Zeb.Zeb watched the Cubbies break their curse with Steve Plummer, Ron Zraick, Michael Lautenbach – the past, current and future California Golf Course Owner’s Association Presidents – and Executive Director Marc Connerly while eating the best steak he’s ever had.
4. REALiTEE Golf

At the beginning of 2017, we were introduced to Dave Shultz and REALiTEE Golf.REALiTEE Golf is a majestic real golf experience that takes place indoors with a fun social atmosphere. It’s a big idea with a big personality launching it.In February we went with REALiTEE Golf to the Golf Industry Show in San Diego. There we saw founder Dave Shultz in action. He’s incredibly passionate and enthusiastic. We’re looking forward to being a part of REALiTEE Golf in 2017.

Learn more about REALiTEE Golf.

3. New Golf Clients

This year has been amazing for 19th Hole Media.We’ve added several new clients including Cinnabar Hills Golf Club, Desert Island Golf Club, Indian Wells Golf Resort, REALiTEE Golf, Riverwalk Golf Club, and Village Greens of Woodridge.We’ve also taken on bigger roles at Arroyo Trabuco Golf Club, and Los Serranos Country Club and continue to work for Anaheim Hills, Dad Miller, Greenskeeper.org, Robinson Ranch, San Dimas Canyon, and Strawberry Farms.

2. Southern California Charity Golf Classic

We hosted the 2nd Annual Southern California Charity Golf Classic at Los Serranos Country Club in Chino Hills, CA on July 29.With help from many in our community, the tournament met it’s goal and raised over $12,000 for Boys Republic, the Chino Rotary Club, the Chino Valley Fire District, the Love Them All Foundation, Priceless Pets and The Let It Be Foundation.The event was a ton of fun and we have already begun planning the 2017 SCCGC.

1. Corey Ross Joins 19th Hole Media

This year we added Corey Ross to the 19th Hole Media Team. Corey is the owner of Southern California Golf and Travel Blog, contributor to Southland Golf Magazine and Director of Digital Marketing and Social Media at Maderas Golf Club.

He obviously has great experience and our shared mission make Corey the perfect addition to 19th Hole Media.

Read more about our partnership with Corey Ross – Corey Ross Joins 19th Hole Media.

Thank you all for everything!  We hope you all have an amazing 2017.

As we plan for 2017, we’re preparing to send out marketing tactics and tips for golf courses coinciding with the CGCOA newsletter. If you’d like to learn how to better market your golf course in 2017 sign up to get our emails – 19th Hole Media Newsletter

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Top 5 Reasons Why You Should NOT Set Up Automatic Posting On Your Social Media Accounts – And How To Do It Anyways

Before I tell you how to set up automatic posting for all your golf course social media accounts, let me tell you why you absolutely should NOT do it:

  1. It Screams Inauthenticity: To engage in social media effectively, you need to use each channel as it was intended. Posting the same exact message on your Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, Snapchat, Pinterest will tell your followers that you’re not engaging with anyone, you’re just blasting out a message. Remember, the key word in social media is “SOCIAL.” If you think socially and interact with your followers you’re much more likely to connect with golfers and encourage them to play your golf course more often.
  2. Social Media Channels Will Limit Your Reach: Facebook and other social media channels have become more sophisticated in identifying when a third party tool like HootSuite is posting to your golf courses Facebook page on your behalf. As a result, they will make sure your posts show up less than if you posted them directly inside of Facebook.
  3. Your Message Won’t Look Right: Each social media channel operates differently than the others. Instagram and Twitter are #Hashtag heavy, while Facebook and LinkedIn are not. Twitter can only post 140 characters at a time. When you share blog articles each platform pulls different website data to automatically populate the posts. Each social media channel has its own socially acceptable behavior. When you set up automatic posting for your golf course, you’re failing to reach your audience in the way they’d like to be reached.
  4. You’ll Miss Out: If you only post in third party apps, you’ll miss out on opportunities that come from operating organically in each one of those social media pages. When logging into your accounts directly on your various social media channels you’ll be able to conduct outreach in those channels. If you’re relying solely on getting a message out there, you are missing out on opportunities to build connections and collaborate with other referral sources, golfers, local businesses, and your community.
  5. Neglect Advertising Opportunities: The advertising feature in each social media platform operates differently too. As more and more consumers flock to social media, these social media channels will require more and more advertising to reach target audiences. If you’ve seen your Facebook reach lately you have probably realized that Facebook only shows each post to a small percentage of those who have liked your page. Spending money on social media advertising is an extremely affordable and effective way to reach your target audience. Use of an automatic posting tool will not help you identify advertising opportunities within the various social media channels.

Zeb Welborn, Michael Lautenbach, Cameron Carr, Amy Spittle, CGCOA, California Golf Course Owner's Association, Tustin Ranch Golf Club

Although I recommend not setting up automatic posting, it’s better than nothing. Realistically, posting on social media is time consuming and posting organically inside of each social media platform may not be feasible. For those of you that are interested, I’ll share with you some of the top tools to set up automatic posting for your social media channels.

  1. HootSuite
  2. TweetDeck
  3. Buffer
  4. SproutSocial
  5. HubSpot
  6. Social Oomph
  7. Social Flow

Of the previous tools listed, I’ve only used HootSuite and TweetDeck. Each one operates a little bit differently and has unique features. If you’re looking to automate your social media postings these tools are a great place to start.

If at all possible, avoid automatic posting to your social media channels.

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Zeb Welborn to speak with Amy Spittle, John Hakim, and Jodi Shaver on The Social Golf Course at the Crittenden Golf Conference in Phoenix, AZ

Zeb Welborn to Speak at the Crittenden Golf Conference in Phoenix, AZ on The Social Golf Course

Earlier this year, it was announced that I was going to be the moderator for a panel discussion on our book, The Social Golf Course, at the Crittenden Golf Conference on October 2 from 3:30pm to 4:30pm.

We will be discussing:

  • Old Marketing Tactics vs. New Marketing Tactics
  • How Social Media Increases Revenue
  • Content Creation: How to Create a Compelling and Engaging Social Presence
  • How to Think Socially

It was an honor to be selected as a presenter for one of the largest golf conferences in the United States and I was even more honored once I was able to select the panelists for our discussion.

Zeb Welborn to speak with Amy Spittle, John Hakim, and Jodi Shaver on The Social Golf Course at the Crittenden Golf Conference in Phoenix, AZ

Crittenden Golf Conference: The Social Golf Course

John Hakim is the owner of Greenskeeper.org, a golf social network of 60,000+ members that has been in existence for over 10 years. Greenskeeper.org has been working directly with golf courses for over 8 years providing online media advertising and social media consulting. John has presented to the National Golf Course Owners Association and California Golf Course Owners Association. Greenskeeper.org currently works with over 30 golf course clients and is very well respected in the golf course industry. John is the community manager of the Greenskeeper.org and has a thorough understanding of other social media platforms. John brings a unique understanding and working knowledge of how golfers engage each other and golf courses online.

Amy Spittle joined KemperSports in 2006 and has over 15 years of sales and marketing experience. Ms. Spittle demonstrates high-caliber leadership experience in all aspects of the sales and marketing process with concentrations in competitive analysis, brand positioning, special events planning and business development. For KemperSports, she has lead the development and execution of many successful, high-impact business plans with a creative, visionary approach that have produced high-growth revenue and market share results. She is characterized for her motivation of teams to achieve peak performance, discern competitive markets and meet aggressive business objectives. Prior to joining KemperSports, Amy worked in the resort and hospitality industry with both Troon Golf and OB Sports Management serving as a Director of Sales and Marketing where she was instrumental in the successful leisure sales, tournament outing sales, website development and overall revenue growth at the property level.

Jodi Shaver is the Assistant Marketing Manager at Desert Willow Golf Course. Desert Willow Golf Resort located in Palm Desert, California, just minutes away from Palm Springs, offers two of the Coachella Valley’s best plays. Test your skills against the natural hazards and myriad water features of the challenging Firecliff Course or play a smoother, more relaxing round on the magnificent Mountain View Course. Thank you John, Amy, and Jodi for agreeing to be in our panel discussion. I’m really looking forward to speaking with you.

The Crittenden Golf Conference takes place October 1-3 at the Pointe Hilton Tapatio Cliffs Resort. Register today to join hundreds of top golf industry executives at this exclusive event.

Register for the Crittenden Golf Conference

The Crittenden Golf Conference (formerly the Golf Inc. Conference) is a three day event for professionals in the golf industry. This event includes 9 hours of educational sessions facilitated by the industry’s leading executives and designed to aid in the growth of your business. Attendance to this event will supply you with up to date, topical, and exciting information on a wide range of material; as well as provide the opportunity to network at several organized events with hundreds of other professionals in the field.

Crittenden creates a bridge of information between the Golf industry and its professionals. Over the past 25 years, we have established a recognized platform where business professionals are given the necessary tools to build their company and succeed in today’s ever changing golf world. We encourage you to explore the numerous benefits of participating in this highly rewarding conference.

Want to see how your social media presence stacks up against the competition?

Download our free Social Media Scorecard which will help you determine how good your online presence is.

Social Media Scorecard

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Zeb Welborn on Danielle Tucker’s The Golf Club Radio Show

Danielle Tucker’s The Golf Club Radio Show ® broadcasts state-wide talking to Hawaii’s Golf Pros and golfers across America.  Danielle interviews sports shrinks, authors, mental coaches and PGA broadcasters.

Zeb Welborn on Danielle Tucker's Golf Club Radio Show

Danielle Tucker

During the interview, Danielle and Zeb chat about The Social Golf Course and its implications for the golf course industry.  We discussed Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and how a golf course can become a social golf course.  If you’re interested in listening to the episode you can find it here – Zeb Welborn’s interview with Danielle Tucker . . . Zeb’s interview comes on around the 48 minute mark.

For more about The Social Golf Course, please visit The Social Golf Course website where you can engage in the discussion on what it would take for a golf course to become a social golf course.

In this episode, Danielle interviews Tony Dear, a golf writer from England living in the United States; Michael Patrick Shiels from Michigan’s The Big Show host, aka The Golf Club Travel Guru Extraordinaire; John Hopkins, a golf writer for Global Golf Post for 35 years at The Times and the author of Fore!; Ken Barley, the owner of PhotoBallMarker.com; Bill Fiedler, an account executive from Buffalo Communications; and of course, Zeb Welborn, owner of Welborn Media, host of the Defining Success Podcast, Author of The Social Golf CourseEntrepreneur, Golfer and Educator.

 

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Zeb Welborn, Amy Spittle, Nichole Tudor Nelson and John Hakim at the KemperSports Regional Golf Meeting at Desert Willow Golf Resort in Palm Springs, California.

Zeb Welborn & John Hakim Present at KemperSports Regional Meeting

Amy Spittle, Regional Sales and Marketing Director at KemperSports Golf Course & Hospitality Management invited John Hakim from Greenskeeper.org and Zeb Welborn from 19th Hole Media were invited to present at the KemperSports Regional Meeting held at Desert Willow Golf Resort.

Zeb Welborn, Amy Spittle, Nichole Tudor Nelson and John Hakim at the KemperSports Regional Golf Meeting at Desert Willow Golf Resort in Palm Springs, California.

The Social Golf Course

In our presentation we discussed our book, The Social Golf Course and its implications for the golf course industry.  We shared ideas on how employees can take part in the social media strategy at a golf course, how to use Facebook and Twitter, how to evaluate the ROI of social media, how to increase followers and a brief Q&A session.

KemperSports has an award-winning portfolio that includes nationally-ranked courses and tournament venues. They work to develop and manage a broad range of private clubsgolf resortspublic golf courses and municipal golf courses.  They have expanded their management expertise to include conference centerslodging operations and recreational facilities.

KemperSports continues to be a family-owned business with over 5,500 employees. They’re based in Northbrook, Illinois and operate regional offices in Northern California, Southern California, Dallas, South Florida and Maryland.

The KemperSports Regional Meeting presentation went extremely well and we’re so grateful that Amy gave John and Zeb the opportunity to speak to golf course owners, golf course operators, golf course general managers and golf course marketing directors on the importance of social media.  If you’d like John or Zeb to speak at your event, please email Zeb Welborn at Zeb@WelbornMedia.com

Thanks again Amy!

 

 

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The Social Golf Course | Now Available in Amazon

The Social Golf Course

The Social Golf Course: Increasing Rounds with Social Media by Zeb Welborn from 19th Hole Media and John Hakim from Greenskeper.org

The Social Golf Course

Download the eBook on Amazon for Free (Tomorrow Only)

John Hakim and I, Zeb Welborn are excited to announce that our new book, The Social Golf Course: Increasing Rounds with Social Media is now available on Amazon.

We are giving the book away for free tomorrow, Wednesday, February 26.  To get your free downloadable copy, please click on the link – The Social Golf Course.

The Social Golf Course Tournament at Los Serranos Country Club on March 14, 2014

To promote the book, we are having a hard launch on March 14, 2014.  We will be holding a book signing and golf event at Los Serranos Country Club in Chino Hills, CA.  If you’re interested in playing in the tournament, it will be $60 which will include a round of golf and a signed copy of our book, The Social Golf Course.  You must RSVP to attend this event by contacting Zeb no later than March 1, 2014.

Phone: 909 973 9089
Email: Zeb@WelbornMedia.com

Additional Information on The Social Golf Course

John Hakim was a guest on the Defining Success Podcast on July 22, 2013 when we discussed creating this book for the golf course industry.  It’s been a lengthy and rewarding process to create this book to help educate golf courses on how to use social media to reach more customers.

David Kramer, from Los Serranos Country Club wrote the foreword to our book and in the foreword, he wrote, “I’m certain owners and operators of businesses in other industries will find an inspiring introduction to the practical benefits social media can provide for improving your relationship building with your marketplace and patrons.”

A special thank you to my Dad, Larry and my Mom, Annie for helping to edit the book.  Your expertise and insights were invaluable.  And to my sister, Lacey for designing the cover, formatting the book and assisting in the editing of the book.

Lastly, I’d like to thank you for being involved with us.  I encourage you to download the book, rate and review it in Amazon.

Thank you!

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