Tag Archives: Facebook

The Six Biggest Mistakes Golf Courses are Making on Facebook

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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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Social Media for Golf Courses

How Donald Trump Won the Presidency with Social Media

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Regardless of how you feel about the election results, you witnessed a drastic shift in the way politics will be handled in the future. Golf courses and businesses should take note of the power and influence Donald Trump was able to yield through social media.

“The only thing worse than being talked about is not being talked about.” – Oscar Wilde

Our President-Elect, Donald Trump, made controversial statement after controversial statement throughout the campaign and – every time – our political pundits said he was done. He would not recover.

But, he did recover.

Not only did he recover, but he continued to make more and more controversial statements and each time his influence grew.

His campaign is a testament to the new age of marketing – the power of social media.

Donald Trump’s strategy was to make sure eyes, ears and minds were on him and only him.

His strategy worked and it will work for your golf course.

Trump’s campaign relied on one simple premise:

“There is no such thing as bad publicity…” – Brendan Behan

If you’ve ever thought to yourself social media doesn’t work, it’s a waste of time, or it can’t help to get more golfers playing golf, Trump just proved you wrong. Trump used social media to persuade our country.

In a traditional campaign, any number of Trump’s controversial remarks would have doomed his run for the presidency, yet he thrived.

With each tweet, Trump defied conventional thinking and the reason it worked is because his statements dominated the headlines nearly every day of the campaign election cycle. Every late night talk show host, news anchor, newspaper, magazine and media outlet mentioned Trump on an almost daily basis.

The free press Trump received far surpassed the mentions of Hillary Clinton throughout the entire election. Whether good, or bad, Trump was on the minds of the American people and we have social media to thank.

As the results were being read, many pointed to the fact that this election would “rewrite the history books.” Its ramifications will reverberate throughout the future of political campaigns.

Trump was able to activate an untapped voter base. In the same way, golf courses can use social media to tap into golfers who have considered taking up the game, but haven’t yet.

In every debate, Facebook and Twitter were mentioned – they even had a selfie spot at my polling place.

Donald Trump Social Media for Golf Courses

Those engaging in discussions on Facebook and Twitter permeated news feeds and those who proactively supported or endorsed either candidate influenced our election.

If you’re active on social media you’re an influencer. You have the ability to persuade others to your way of thinking in today’s connected age. If your golf course is active on social media, you have the ability to persuade golfers to choose you over another golf course – OR – to choose golf over another recreational activity.

And when they choose you, you have the ability to generate a “base” of followers who will overwhelmingly support you and your brand. So much so, that they’ll take to Twitter, to Facebook and other social channels to tell everyone just how great your golf course is.

Trump demonstrated the power and appeal of reaching the masses. If you’re not using social media you have zero influence on those people using it. If you use social media, you have the potential to tap into thousands of people on a daily basis to convince them to play golf at your golf course.

Sign up for the 19th Hole Media newsletter for tips and tactics on social media marketing for golf courses.

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How We Generated at Least $936 from One Golf Course Facebook Post

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In November, we ran a golf course Facebook contest at a client golf course which we highlighted in a blog post we wrote titled, How to Run a Facebook Contest for Golf Courses: A Case Study.  The contest, which reached 2,976 golfers and had 409 people engage in the post, was won by Art Franco, who said he never played our clients golf course before.

Facebook Marketing for Golf Courses

Fast forward to April when Art Franco won another contest at our client golf course.

Facebook Golf Marketing

In five months, Art Franco said he’d played golf nine times at our client course.  Our client charges $52 per round during the week, so Art brought an additional (9 x $52) $468 in increased revenue.

I continued to follow up with Art via the Facebook messaging service and here’s what Art had to say:

Facebook Marketing for Golf Courses

According to Art, every time he played our client course he brought someone different, who had never played the golf course before.  Assuming he only brought one other person each time our one Facebook post can account for (9 x $52 x 2) $936 in increased revenue.  If he brought a foursome each time he played golf, our one golf course Facebook post can account for (9 x $52 x 4) $1,872 in increased revenue.

The Recap

Art had never played our clients’ golf course before.

Art brought at least nine golfers who had never played our clients’ golf course before.

At the minimum, 10 new golfers had been exposed to this “hidden gem.”

Our client course, at the very least, made $936 in increased revenue in a five-month span from one golf course Facebook post.  It’s likely that the actual number of increased revenue from rounds of golf was closer to $1,872 and that’s not even including food and beverage and purchases in the golf shop.

But, it still doesn’t even tell the full story.

The Full Story

Ten new golfers were exposed to this “hidden gem,” if they’re all as enthusiastic about golf as Art is then at least ($936 x 10) $9,360, or if they all brought foursomes, $18,720 could be attributed to this one golf course Facebook post.

In addition to Art’s involvement at our client course, our two contests reached more than 4,299 golfers and had more than 832 people respond to them.

Lastly, all of this happened within a span of five months.  When you calculate the lifetime value of these new customers from this one golf course Facebook post, what would that number be?  Could you do this daily?  How much revenue could you generate from using Facebook effectively?

Sign up now for our Social Media Scorecard to see if your golf course’s social media presence is up to par – http://19thholemedia.com/socialmediascorecard

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How to Run a Facebook Contest for Golf Courses: A Case Study

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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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Social Media Check-Up for Golf Courses: Are You Doing It Right?

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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-websites

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. 

Facebook

Golf Course Social Media FacebookPoor:  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.

TwitterSocial Media Check-Up for Golf Courses - 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#Golf on 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!

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

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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 Course, Entrepreneur, 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

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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 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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Friday Foursome with Zeb Welborn from The Social Golf Course

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Immediately following the launch of our book, The Social Golf Course, John Hakim and I headed to Phoenix to meet with Troon Golf, a golf management company located in Phoenix, Arizona.  I had been communicating with Ricky Potts through his Google+ Golf Community and randomly, John Hakim scheduled an appointment with Troon Golf and Ricky Potts was in attendance.

We hit it off immediately, sharing ideas about social media, golf and it was a great experience along with a great lunch.

We connected further in conversations on Google+, LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter until a last-minute dropout on his schedule put me on his show, Friday Foursome which he co-hosts with Jason Boslow and Les Bailey.

It was so much fun talking with Ricky, Jason and Les about my book, The Social Golf Course and we had such a great time chatting that Ricky plans on having both John Hakim and I back at a later date for another Friday Foursome.

During the interview I chat about our book, the future of social media and even answered some random, rapid-fire questions about myself, golf and other random bits of information.  Loved the light-hearted tone of the interview and like I said, I had a blast.

A big thanks to Ricky Potts, Troon Golf, Jason Boslow, and Les Bailey for the opportunity to share my book and introduce myself to the Google+ Golf Community.

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Golf Instruction Used To Be Simple

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In the battle of simplicity vs. complexity, simplicity wins, every time. We gravitate toward products and services that eliminate complexity from our lives, and we rail against the things that complicate matters and make us feel stupid.

Back in the days of the three-martini lunch, golf instruction was simple and appealing. As a country club member you had a pro at your disposal. He’d work with you on the driving range, play with you, coach you to get better, and monitor your progress.

It was a personalized, one-on-one experience.

No two lessons were the same. He worked with the swing you had, and helped you build the skills you needed to score well on the golf course.

Accountability was built in… You’d practice because you knew the pro was keeping an eye on your progress.

But those days are gone.

Sam Adams Golf Instruction Used to Be Simple

Sam Adams Golf Instruction Used to Be Simple

Today, less than 5% of all golfers have a relationship with a golf pro. According to the NGF, less than half of all golfers have ever taken a lesson, and when they do they are often disappointed. There are 27 million golfers, but less than 4 million lessons in any given year. Maybe we should think about why that is…

Because most lessons are totally intimidating, especially for women. Because most instructors make them way too complex!  And most of all, because they frequently don’t work.

It is a rare instructor who sends the student off with fewer than five or six “things to work on.”  According to Phil Mickelson, even the tour gurus are often guilty of over-instruction. “Can’t you just give me one thing to work on?”

Often it’s a checklist of a dozen mechanical issues that the average guy can’t possibly grasp, much less incorporate into his game. The more technical the lesson is, the worse it gets.

Group lessons and most golf schools are especially ineffective. Common complaints include: “I came back worse than when I started.” “It was just way too technical.” “He didn’t give me anything positive, it was all about what I was doing wrong.”

Video analysis only helps the most analytical, visual learners; Maybe one half of one percent of the golfing population. And yet, instructors routinely use stop motion video to analyze every position and point out every flaw.

More often than not, it’s just confusing and demoralizing for the student.

In an issue of Golf Digest, Jim Flick, one of the top five teachers of all time, wrote an article that sums up the problem with modern golf instruction:

“A lot of today’s teachers are enamored with what works for the tour pros, and they give the same information to their higher-handicap students… In general, trying to swing like most of today’s tour pros will make the average golfer – say a 5 handicap or higher, – only worse.”

Rather than working with the student’s natural swing, today’s teachers tell everyone to emulate Tiger or some other tour player.

They bottom line is that if the golf industry is going to turn things around, the methods of instruction HAVE to change.  We’ve got to make it simple, enjoyable and fun.

If you like what I write about I would love more likes on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/racingdonkey.   Also leave comments about what you would like to see.

Also check out my websites www.Essentiallygolf.com and www.Racingdonkey.com.  There are plenty tips and info on the blog and video pages.  Check out our store on either site for all your golf needs.

 

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