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How to Run a Facebook Contest for Golf Courses: A Case Study
Contests for free stuff are cool.
Not only are they cool, but they are a great way to create word-of-mouth marketing at your golf course.
Earlier this month we ran a Facebook contest for our client and here’s how we did it.
The Contest:
This particular client was in the process of renovating their putting green. The course invested a lot of money to improve the experience for their golfers and wanted to let as many golfers as possible know about it.
Our Facebook contest announced the upgraded putting green and the copy for the contest went something like this (picture below):
“Contest for Free Golf: If you could name our NEW putting green . . . What would you name it?
The comment with the Most “Likes” will win a Free twosome of Golf, Monday – Thursday, AND our Favorite Comment will also win a Free twosome Monday – Thursday.
Contest ends at 5pm PST on Friday, November 21.
Good Luck!”
The Anatomy of a Great Facebook Contest for Golf Courses:
- Contest is Easy to Enter – The contest needs to be easy to enter. This contest is super easy to enter. All they need to do is name the putting green.
- Rules are Simple – The simpler the contest is, the more likely people are going to enter it.
- Compelling Picture – There needs to be a unique, authentic and compelling picture to make a great Facebook contest for your golf course.
- Valuable Prize – The prize needs to be something your golfers want, but doesn’t need to be anything over the top. I’ve seen golf courses give away 10 free rounds of golf to a contest winner or more. A free twosome is all you need to get massive engagement on your Facebook page.
- Clear End Date – Make sure you identify the end date of your contest.
- Promote – Be sure to promote your contest in as many ways as you possibly can. For this particular contest the golf course announced it via their email newsletter. Other ideas could be to inform golfers at the point of sale, on the phone, and on your website.
- Boost It – We knew this Facebook post would be popular so we boosted it. Boosting a post on Facebook means Facebook will show it to more people. For this contest we boosted the post by spending $5. A minor investment for a significant increase in exposure.
In the first comment to any contest post you should include the following disclaimer:
“By entering this contest, you agree to a complete release of Facebook from any or all liability in connection with this contest. This contest is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with, Facebook.”
Now that you know how to create a killer contest, let’s take a look at the type of results you can expect from running one.
The Results:
At the start of this contest this particular Facebook page had 883 “Likes.” Just 4 days later, their Facebook grew by 47 Likes to 930.
The contest itself reached 2,976 people, was liked 33 times, commented on 111 times, and shared 15 times. From all posts, including shares, the post had more than 339 likes, comments, and shares – 78 total likes, 241 total comments, and 20 shares. The post was also clicked on 409 times.
For a Facebook page with less than a 1,000 followers, those numbers are pretty darn good. Nearly 3,000 people saw this and better yet, more than 400 people engaged with this one post.
By the Numbers:
- 47 New Likes – 47 new golfers exposed to golf course content for life.
- 2,976 People Reached – 2,976 people physically saw this post
- 1,741 Organic Reach – Post reached 1,741 people for free
- 1,235 Paid Reach – Paid $5 to boost the post which went to 1,235 more people
- 33 Likes on the post itself
- 111 Comments on the post itself
- 15 Shares on the post itself
- 339 Total Likes, Comments and Shares after considering shared content
- 78 Total Likes
- 241 Total Comments
- 20 Total Shares
- 409 Clicks on the post itself
Follow Up:
The benefits of running a Facebook contest for your golf course don’t end there. A great contest leverages the experience of the golfers who entered and won the contest.
Be sure to announce and recognize the contest winners as soon as you can with a comment on the contest post. Be sure to ask them to send you a direct message with their contact information. Don’t forget to get their email address so you can add them to your email list.
Then, use their profile pictures and announce them on your main Facebook page giving them some recognition but also reminding your Facebook following that if they check your posts they can win free golf at your golf course. This will give you an opportunity to advertise and market to your audience moving forward for free.
Now your contest post gets even more visibility. In this post we reached an additional 495 people with 143 post clicks, 15 likes, 8 comments and 1 share.
The final thing you want to do is send an email to the winners. This is the email we sent to the winners of this contest:
Congratulations on Winning A Free Twosome at (Golf Course)!
“(Name),
Congratulations on winning a free twosome of golf at (Golf Course). Hope you enjoy your experience here.
If you’re interested, please take photos of your round and share them with me so I can post them on our Facebook page.
Thank you for participating!
Zeb”
If you’re open to it. An even better email to send out would be something like this:
Subject: Congratulations on Winning A Free Twosome at (Golf Course)!
“(Name),
Congratulations on winning a free twosome of golf at (Golf Course). Hope you enjoy your experience here.
If you’re up for it, we’d love to play golf with you and use some of the photos from our round on our Facebook page. May we join you?
Totally understand if you’d like to play golf without us. Either way, just let us know.
Thank you for participating!
Zeb”
If they do invite you to join them for a free round, it’s a great opportunity to take lots of pictures you can then use to post on your Facebook page for months to come. It also gives these golfers a chance to become loyal to your golf course.
If you can’t make it to play golf with them, send the first email and hopefully they will send you a picture of them at the golf course and you can use that to promote your free golf giveaway (and your golf course) even more.
Interested in learning more about running a Facebook contest for your golf course? Contact Zeb at (909) 973-9089 or email at Zeb@WelbornMedia.com
Bonus Content – Learn How to Run a Facebook PHOTO Contest!
Exclusively for members of our email list we’re sharing how to run a Facebook Photo Contest, the results we achieved, and teach you how to run your own photo contest.
Sign up now to learn how we ran a Facebook photo contest for another client of ours where we reached 2,972 people, collected multiple golfer-generated photos, and how we used those photos to promote our clients golf course even more!
Click Here to Learn How to Run a Facebook Photo Contest!
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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.
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.
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Social Media Check-Up for Golf Courses: Are You Doing It Right?
Most golf course owners and operators know they need to be using the internet to attract new golfers. Most golf course owners and operators know they need to be using social media tools like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram to increase rounds. And yet, most golf course owners and operators are uncertain about how to navigate the online marketplace to reach more golfers, convince them to play more often and spend more money at their golf course.
To help golf course owners and operators, 19th Hole Media has created a Social Media Check-Up for Golf Courses. This check-up should help you understand your online presence and whether or not it can be improved. Although, this Check-Up is only half the equation. We will be giving our Social Media Checklist to subscribers on our email list for free. 19th Hole Media’s Social Media Checklist for Golf Courses– coming soon.
Check out this post to see where your golf course stands. You’ll be well prepared when we send you our Social Media Checklist, a well-organized resource that will help you move forward and develop a plan to step up your social media efforts to the next level. It will be available only to those on our email list. If you know someone that might benefit from our Check list, make sure they join our email list!
Sign up for our email newsletter. You will receive more helpful information like this, and our Social Media Checklist, a well-organized resource that will help you move forward and develop a plan to step up your social media efforts. If you need assistance contact Zeb at (909) 973 – 9089 or Zeb@WelbornMedia.com.
Social Media Check-Up for Golf Courses
Golf Course Website
A golf course’s website should be the online marketing home. You’d be surprised how many golf courses are still without a website, one of my colleagues informed me that he has a list of over 3,000 golf courses that are still without a website . . . so, if your golf course has a website, you’re actually ahead of the curve.
Poor: No website or a website that has limited information, no functionality or is one page with no external links.
Average: Many golf courses are also controlled by management companies. In some cases their online presence is controlled by these larger management companies which is not ideal for a local golf course. The way the internet and online marketing is shifting, it is giving more and more attention to local organizations rather than a large corporate presence. In addition, every golf course is unique and that should be reflected on the website.
Exceptional: The best websites are those that demonstrate the unique character of a golf course, are updated regularly with events/outings/promotions and other course news. These websites also highlight in detail the different activities/events that go on at your course, giving golfers an opportunity to book tee times, contact tournament/banquet coordinators and offer an array of images that depict the ideal experience a patron will have at your golf course. It should also be easy to navigate and look modern.
Some websites to use as an example are: Maderas Golf Club, Stevinson Ranch Golf Club and Arroyo Trabuco Golf Club. They demonstrate the unique character of the golf course, are easy to navigate and are updated regularly.
Golf Course Email List
Every golf course should have an email marketing campaign in place. In my experience, the email list has been the most effective way to encourage golfers to make purchasing decisions. When done right an email campaign can have a significant impact on the bottom line. When done wrong, it can turn golfers away.
Poor: Not having an email list is setting up a golf course for failure. If you’re not collecting emails and using those emails to sell your products and services, your competitors will syphon off your golfers through their special offers and discounts. Once you lose a customer, it will become much more difficult to attract more golfers to your course . . . especially without an email list.
Golf courses should think of their email list like an insurance policy that you can call on when times are slow to get new golfers to experience your golf course. Offer exceptional service while they are there and that will increase the number of rounds golfers play at your course.
Average: Most golf courses I’ve encountered are missing two major components to creating an effective email marketing campaign. The first is that they do not have a proactive strategy to get new golfers to sign up for their email list. The second thing most golf courses are missing in their email marketing campaigns is creativity. As individuals, our email inboxes are bombarded with sales messages from all different types of businesses. In order for golfers to open your email they have to have compelling headlines and compelling copy. Emails with generic headlines like, “It’s a Beautiful Day, Come on Out!,” “Special Discount on Golf this Week Only,” or “Check Out this Sunday Golf Special” will get lost in the shuffle because they are not creative, not specific and are obviously sales driven. Most of us delete them immediately.
Exceptional: Golf courses that do their email marketing right are the golf courses who have a proactive strategy to get new golfers to sign up for their email newsletter. I recommend collecting emails:
- at the point of sale
- through your website
- through special contests created for the golfers at the course
Every email you collect can lead to increases in sales. Getting creative in the ways you get golfers to sign up for your email newsletter is a must. Creating compelling headlines and compelling copy will increase the chances your emails are actually read. One golf course that does email marketing really well is the Champions at the Retreat who have emails with headlines like, “The easiest Father’s Day gift is a few clicks away,” “FREE greens fees at Champions Club (not a joke!),” and “THREE entries for the price of one!” The percentage of people who will open these emails is much higher than those mentioned in the average section. If more golfers are compelled to open your emails, then the more golfers will be compelled to take advantage of the call to actions you have in your emails.
Poor: Golf courses with a poor Facebook presence are those that do not have one at all, and those who set one up but haven’t updated it in months.
Average: Currently, an average Facebook presence for golf courses is a golf course that updates their Facebook page regularly but has no plans for outreach. Their posts are strictly sales driven, too similar to one another, lack engagement and often are not relevant to the golf course itself.
Exceptional: The best golf courses on Facebook are those that promote the unique character of the golf course, build an engaged community and vary the type of posts they use. These golf courses post pictures, have a creative outreach program to attract new followers, utilize the highly targeted Facebook advertising feature, use copy designed to engage their golfers, follow up with discussions, vary the type of posts, and thank their followers regularly. For examples of golf courses that have an excellent Facebook page, please visit the Arroyo Trabuco, Maderas Golf Club and/or Stevinson Ranch Golf Club Facebook pages.
Blog
A blog is a great way to post relevant content on your website to share with golfers at your golf course.
Poor: A non-existent blog page that delivers no new content to your golfers or followers.
Average: An average golf course blog is one that posts infrequently and doesn’t offer anything of value to your followers.
Exceptional: An exceptional blog highlights all major activities that take place at your golf course. The blog focuses on your core golfers, golf-related groups, and highlights other areas where your golf course can see an increase in revenues, like banquets, weddings, the golf shop or restaurant.
Twitter
Poor: Most golf courses do not use Twitter.
Average: Many of the golf courses that do use a Twitter account only tweet out sales messages. They do not monitor mentions of their course and they make no effort to connect with their golfers on Twitter.
Exceptional: Golf courses that understand how to use Twitter and make the most of it are courses that engage Twitter users who mention their golf course in meaningful discussions. They reach out to golfers who indicate they play golf in the geographic region of the golf course. And they promote the game of golf through their followers. To see an example of a golf course that does a good job on their Twitter presence, check out the Arroyo Trabuco Twitter Account.
YouTube
YouTube is a fantastic visual resource that golf courses should use to remind every golfer how nice it is to be outdoors at the golf course.
Poor: Most golf courses do not use YouTube.
Average: Many golf courses that have set up a YouTube account have a page that contains a scattering of videos with very poor quality that don’t seem to be set up with any clear purpose or goal.
Exeptional: The golf courses that use YouTube well post videos with high-quality audio and video. Each video has a clear call to action or a specific purpose for the video. Excellent videos to include are golf tips to help your golfers, demonstrations of appropriate golf etiquette, testimonials from golfers and commercials promoting your golf course.
Instagram
Instagram is a great platform for reaching out to younger golfers because it’s easily accessed and utilized from any mobile smart phone.
Poor: Non-existent.
Average: Golf courses that use Instagram inconsistently and share boring or poor quality images.
Exceptional: An Instagram account should be posted to daily with unique pictures. If any golfers appear in the photo their Instagram accounts should be tagged. And the copy of every post should include appropriate hashtags and be designed to get users to engage.
Greenskeeper.org, Review Websites, or Other Similar Golfing Communities in Your Geographical Region
Review sites are extremely important for any business. Nowadays there is a lot that a business can do to affect the status of their golf course on the web. Despite this, most golf courses owners and operators visit review sites infrequently and many do not monitor mentions of their golf course at all.
Poor: Never find out what is being said about your golf course online.
Average: The other mistake often made is golf course owners or operators will respond too emotionally or without empathy to negative reviews. This can easily escalate the situation or demonstrate that you’re not interested in the plight of your customers.
Exceptional: An owner or operator that manages their online reputation well is someone who monitors what is said about the golf course and responds to comments, questions or concerns regularly and in a professional manner. They empathize with the customer and respond to situations uniquely.
Being proactive in managing your online reputation will help avoid major issues, can convince golfers to return and encourage more golfers to visit your golf course. These reviews can also indicate trouble areas or areas of strength for your business which can help you build a better business.
Honorable Mention: Pinterest/Vine/Google+/LinkedIn
The previously mentioned platforms are essential for any golf course competing in today’s market to attract new golfers to their golf course. However; an exceptional social media presence requires devoting some of your resources to social media sites which can be of importance for golf courses currently and in the years to come.
Pinterest is excellent to share compelling photos of the golf course, banquet facilities and golfers. An exceptional Pinterest account uses high-quality photos that link to your website and have a lengthy, keyword-rich description for each photo.
Vine is a platform that records brief 6-second videos. You can use these to attract a younger generation of golfers. Encourage your young golfers to create unique and compelling videos at your golf course and you can have a hit marketing tactic on your hands.
Google+ – Unlike Facebook and Twitter, all Google+ updates are indexed by the Google Search Engine. When people are searching for golf-related activities, the more content you have on Google+ and the more connections you have, the more likely your posts will show up in a Google Search. For example, if a golfer who is connected to you on Google+ searches for “California Golf” on Google, something you’ve posted in the past with the words California and Golf may show up at the top of that person’s Google search.
LinkedIn – LinkedIn is for professional contacts. As an Owner, General Manager, Marketing Director or Tournament Director, it’s important to connect with tournament organizers, banquet organizers or influential golfers from your personal account to establish a deeper connection designed to gain more golfers, retain tournaments and share insider information about your golf course to your LinkedIn connections.
Are You Doing It Right?
Creating a strong social media presence can seem overwhelming, especially if you’re starting from scratch, but slowly improving your internet marketing and social media habits can have a drastic impact on your bottom line. If you found our Social Media Check-Up for Golf Courses helpful, please subscribe to the 19th Hole Media Newsletter to get more advice and help on developing your social media presence.
To help you, we’ve created a Golf Course Internet Marketing and Social Media Checklist to help you enhance your golf course marketing efforts and take your golf course to the next level. Contact Zeb at (909) 973 – 9089 or Zeb@WelbornMedia.com if you’d like to get your free social media checklist to see if your online presence is poor, average or exceptional!
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.
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 Course, Entrepreneur, Golfer and Educator.
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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.
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 clubs, golf resorts, public golf courses and municipal golf courses. They have expanded their management expertise to include conference centers, lodging 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 Customer Experience and Improving Sales at the Golf Course
Many golf professionals that I have known that are in charge of golf shop staffs are put off by any serious discussion of salesmanship as possibly being perceived by members or guests as ‘hard sell’ and put off accordingly. Nothing could be farther from the truth.
Here are some good tips for helping the golf staff better service the members/customers that will enhance their experience and improving sales at the golf course.
- Good salesmanship begins before the customer arrives. Salesmanship is 10% presentation, 90% preparation. You need to have a compelling presentation of product in order to inspire the customer, but you should rehearse helping customers. The first step should be learning about the products and practicing communication. Your sales rep will usually help with product knowledge. Whenever possible, the staff should use personal use discounts to wear or use what they sell.
- Great salespeople are easy to spot – they engage the customer and then listen when they speak. You should resist the temptation to tell the customer all you know until you have heard their needs and concerns.
- You should ask open-ended questions and listen carefully to the customer’s answer. A customer who is talking isn’t listening. You should empathetically listen and then address his or her needs as best you can with your suggestions. People buy from those they grow to like and create a relationship with – listening conveys empathy and is an important relationship builder.
- You don’t always need to be selling our product to be helpful; customers that feel genuinely serviced become loyal customers. You want to bring the expertise and trust you have established onto the floor of the shop. The most effective way to sell is to focus on the customer’s needs. Find out who the product is for, how it will be used and what criteria the customer/member has in mind for it. That information allows you to suggest products you honestly believe will meet their needs. When they see you are genuinely interested in helping him they will open up, work with you and want to buy from you.
- Nothing sells like a personal relationship. When possible, customers – certainly members – should be welcomed to the shop by name and in the same manner they would be welcomed to your home.
There is nothing new about any of these concepts. They are true for anyone in retail – not just golf shops. Sometimes golf staffs lose sight of the fact that they are in the retail business of selling. Improve the customer experience and work on improving sales at the golf course and you’ll be on the right track.
You can read my other blogs or contact me at www.essentiallygolf.com.
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