Why Your Old Golf Advertising Marketing Strategies Aren’t Working Anymore

The game of golf hasn’t changed much over the years. Since its inception in the late 19th century, it has always required the use of a club, a ball, and a few friends to play with. The world of golf advertising and club marketing has changed dramatically, however. Whereas word-of-mouth (actually spoken from mouth to ear) has long been an effective method of attracting members to the local country club or golf course, this tried-and-true method of golf advertising is experiencing its last days. Along with advancements in mobile technology and social media, a whole new world of golf club marketing has emerged. In order to understand why club marketing has changed, it’s helpful to think about the methods people now use to find the products and services they want and need in our society today. As recently as a decade or two ago, people may have used a phone book to look up local golf courses and private country clubs in their area. They may have relied on newspaper and radio advertisements for information on entertainment and leisure opportunities, but no more—the entire world of advertising has changed in a very short amount of time, and in order to keep up and make the most of your golf advertising efforts, your course or club needs to hop on the train of Internet connectivity. rnHow can the Internet increase the effectiveness of your golf advertising strategies? Allow me to count the ways: • Web Presence- With a strong web presence for your golf course or private country club—that is, a well-designed and maintained web site— anyone can access information about your organization from virtually anywhere at any time. • SEO- SEO, or Search Engine Optimization, is an integral part of having a strong web presence. By targeting the keyword potential members are most likely to use to search for a golf course or private country club and then including them strategically in your web site content, you can ensure that your web site will be featured in a prominent place on search results pages, increasing traffic to your site and consequently, attracting more members to your organization. • Social Media- More and more people are getting information about products and services via their Facebook and Twitter accounts. With a social media page, you can connect with people in your area; their friends, their friends’ friends, and well, you get the idea. With social media, word about your golf club or course has the potential to spread exponentially within a very short amount of time. These are just a few of the ways you can harness the power of the Internet to increase the effectiveness of your club marketing strategies. Venues like YouTube and web advertising methods such as Google Pay-Per-Click can also transform your golf advertising techniques and result in increased sales and memberships. To find out more about these new high-tech advertising methods and to learn how to implement them to achieve results for your golf course or club, visit icptoday or call 866-636-6789 today.