Using Social Media for Customer Service

OK, so we as golf course operators are always trying to market and sell our golf course or fill our tee sheet.  The proactive operators are marketing through new media, and few are marketing through their own new media channels.  However, to be great operators we also need to use social media channels for customer service, just like the leaders in the industry (like Marriott Golf) do at their actually properties.

We can take those same principals and put them to use in your very own social media channels.  One great idea is to have your superintendent blog.  Could you imagine your guest reading every week what maintenance was done, what will be done, how the greens are rolling, etc.?  How many issues do golf courses have with maintenance affecting their play?

How about asking if they need a soda or bottled water pre-loaded on their golf cart?  The possibilities are endless and the top companies in any industry are already putting this to practice.  I can assure you if you do this as a golf course you will set yourself far beyond your competition.

If you need a plan contact me directly at stuart@yourbrandvoice.com.

Social Media & Yield Management

As golf course operators and owners we understand the importance of yield management in the golf industry, especially in the 21st century where market share has been lost due to the increase of golf facilities around the world.  Gone are the times where we were charging rack rate and recording 100% utilization of our tee sheet.

I truly believe that many golf course operators are sufficient in two-thirds of their yield management programs and the PGA of America has made some great initiatives in creating programs and packages that suit golfers of many dimensions.  I believe that golf operators are great at understanding their customer and market, and also do a great job in anticipating or forecasting when they can charge top rate and when they know they need to run a program or discount to fill inventory they would normally loose.  However, I believe as golf course operators the thing we do not do well is execute these initiatives, either at all, to late, or poorly.

So after we understand and anticipate consumer behavior, how do we influence them to maximize profits?  I would say most course operators probably use email blast, which if done effectively, is a great start.  The problem usually is that it is executed too late and not efficiently.  There are so many factors that go into maximizing a good email marketing plan, from timing to a correct subject line that most course operators are  oblivious to.

However, there is also social media and ad buying that is important as well.  These can be done faster and can be targeted to specifics, reaching beyond your email database.  There are very few golf courses using this today, and the ones who are, like our clients, are noticing their utilization of inventory increase and more direct bookings.

Today we as operators have to bridge the gap from being two-thirds great at yield management to completing that last third and not by utilizing 3rd party companies that will just steal the data that should be rightfully yours.  We at Your Brand Voice assist you in influencing your current customers and new customers so you fill your tee sheet.  We can manage your email marketing, run a successful social media campaign, create Group Deals, etc.. They sky is the limit and you keep all the data retrieved, which is so valuable in it's own.

If you are interested in more information on how to maxamize your tee sheet and revenues at your facility visit us at www.yourbrandvoice.com or email me directly at stuart@yourbrandvoice.com.

From one PGA Golf Professional to another,

Stuart J. Proctor

Social Media & Up Selling

As golf operators we all know that up selling items in our golf shop when a guest checks-in is important in generating revenue.  However, we have a very short window to make that sale.  What if there was a way we could up sell to our guest even when they are not checking in for their tee time?

The answer is that there is a way and it's through social media streams.  If you have built a following and are constantly engaging those fans and followers you can also sell to them no matter where they are or what time of the day it is.

For example, one of our clients had a large inventory of baseball caps that they wanted to move off the shelves. They decided to discount the hats and we engaged their fans and followers that we will ship them for free if they would like to purchase a hat. Think about it this way, you may have had a guest visit your facility a year ago and lost that favorite hat he bought and would like to replace it and then he pulls out his smart phone and BAM!

The other benefit besides increasing your revenues is that your guest will see it as a service that you provide that many do not, which in return will increase your guest satisfaction.

It all starts with a plan and strategy and then executing that plan.

If you would like to start engaging your guests and build your online presence contact us at www.yourbrandvoice.com or email me directly at stuart@yourbrandvoice.com.

Capture, Engage and Nurture

"We believe if you can grow a digital footprint using social and marketing integration tools for automation we can build a consistently fresh and ongoing qualified lead stream.  By focusing on engaged users, we can focus on the influencers and in time our brand message will be heard by more people more often.  This process of capture, engage and nurture is highly effective when you have the right pieces in place.  We do."

- Bryan Bruce, Founder

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