Delete Your Social Media Accounts… Maybe…
Utilizing Social Media at a club is similar to carrying that golf ball retriever in your bag. Most of the time it’s just going to sit in your bag and take up space. But every so often you can pull a few extra “leads” out of the water, finding yourself thankful that you have it. And just like every club, social media can be used a lot or very little, depending on your club and how much water is out there.
Below you will find almost everything you need to know about social media for each type of club and an overall perspective of how you should use social media for your club.
What Do I Mean by Social Media?
First on the Tee, Facebook!
Yes, you probably need Facebook as just an extra billboard for your club. But, it could also work against you. I will touch on that later in this article.
Twitter and Instagram
What do your members say? Do they utilize Twitter and Instagram? If they do, and you have Facebook, you also should have a Twitter and Instagram page. Why? Because there’s the ability to link all three together. So, when you post on Facebook it automatically goes to both Twitter and Instagram.
Is Social Media Worth Your Time?
Yes and No. Great answer, huh? Well I wish there was a cookie-cutter response, but to be honest, it may not be worth it to all clubs to spend the time. This answer depends on what your members tell you or what your club demographic looks like.
It also depends on if you use it correctly. For example, imagine you’re a prospective member who found your Facebook page, and they see that the club hasn’t posted anything since October 29, 2015. What are they going to think about that? Is that a good first impression of the club? I didn’t think so…
So, if you aren’t planning on posting on your Facebook page at least three times a week, you should either delete it or start working on it.
Who is Your Audience on Social Media?
This is the first step in understanding what your purpose is in the social media world. Should your page be a private group, only for club members, or should your post about Mrs. Havercamp winning the 9-hole wine and dine and a photo be shared with the world? Depending on what’s important to the club, you may consider two pages – one for the membership, AND one for the public/prospect member.
Survey Your Membership! What is your membership culture? If your membership could care less about social media because you already send out emails, then don’t waste your time. It all has to do with your communication style for the membership.
But if your membership uses social media and your club promotes internal sales, tournaments or social events, I would say you need to have a Members-Only Page separate from what you want the public to see!
Okay, so why have a second page for your club?
Do you want to have a line outside your door of brand new members that saw your Facebook post about a discounted initiation fee – after they just paid full price – and have to explain to them how a business works at 8 a.m. before you even got a chance to have your first cup of coffee? Didn’t think so!
Think of it this way… Your “Members-Only” page is for promoting events and sales internally for members. While the other page – let’s call this the “Prospect Member Page” – is for showing how amazing your events are and giveaways you are promoting.
What To Post on Each Page
Members-Only Page
- Shop Sales
- Social Events
- Tournaments
Prospect Member Page
- Club Photos
- Tournament Photos
- Social Event Photos
- Giveaway Promotions
- Sale Promotions
Who’s In Charge of Your Social Media?
Every Manager on Duty! Heck, it could even be your board members on the membership committee (put them to work!). The Membership Director can’t be everywhere at once! Everyone in the 21st Century has a phone that takes great photos and it takes seconds to upload a photo with a tag line. Training for this can be simple and easy. Empower the board and your management, but be careful with who posts what on your pages.
For example: The Superintendent is guaranteed to have 1,000 beautiful photos of the golf course with the majestic sunrise glaring off the dewy fairways before it has ever been ruined by a golf cart driving right up the middle of the fairway. Wouldn’t it be nice if he just posted something at 6:30 a.m. saying something like “What a beautiful day at the club.”
Need I say more?
Should You Have a Public Social Media by the Type of Club?
Invitation-Only Club – No Social Media. If your club prides itself on its privacy this is a big “no-no” to add club information for the world!
Private Club High Initiation – Ask Your Membership. These are their events and their photos. You must ask them about what you can post. If your purpose is to grow the membership, I would push your board to approve this ASAP.
Private Club Medium To Low Initiation – More than likely, yes! If your club is in this category you probably have a higher attrition rate, meaning you need to be bringing in as many leads as possible.
Bundled Club – I’d give it a hard YES! Also think about adding some real estate posts to your page to increase awareness. I doubt the real estate members would care if you shared their post. And, this will probably help that member sell their home quicker, which can be a plus!
Semi-Private Club – Yes, yes and yes! Anytime you are dealing with daily-fee golfers you need to be pushing YOUR deals. Don’t wait for a tee time company to sell your extra spots. Be Proactive and fill your course yourself!
All in all, Social Media is only as good a tool as you want it to be. So, either get that 15-foot ball retriever out of the bag or accept that the lead is out of reach, and open up a brand new sleeve of balls and move on.