There are over 40 million users of Facebook in the UK, which presents golf course operators with a huge opportunity to reach golfers. The even better news is, the user demographics are ideal for helping golf courses target the age groups which, traditionally have been tough to get and then keep on the course (check out the below chart which shows data from January 2017):
With Facebook being such a powerful tool for targeting 25 – 50 year olds (for both membership and green fees), it is important that a golf course gets the basics right. With that in mind, we have created a check list of the basic things you should be looking at if your golf course is on Facebook:
Images: Make sure you have some high quality that are the right size. Its worth checking out this link if you are unsure on image sizing.
About us: Be sure to fill in this section as much as possible, and double check you have a link directly back to your website. Include information such as how golfers can get in touch and where you are located.
Create a vanity URL: Create a custom Facebook URL like https://www.facebook.com/nameofgolfcourse – it will strengthen your digital brand and make it easier for people to find you.
Audience: Use your fans interest to target specific parts of your audience. Base your content on key personas, including demographic, location and interest targeting for organic posts.
Buttons: Use a call to action button on your Facebook page. If your booking engine is mobile responsive, use ‘Book Now’. If it is not, consider a sign up (for a newsletter) or call now option. Then go and get a mobile responsive booking engine!
Reviews: Enable reviews as they let customers engage in a dialogue with you, plus they let you show off some great ‘social proof’. To activate reviews you need a business listing and a full address.
Use rich media in your newsfeed: Bright images of the golf course and video clips will help generate likes, you might even go viral with the right video. There are also new features such as a ‘carousel’ and ‘canvas’ which will help you stand out when people are scrolling their feed – these are great for paid advertising.
Make shareable, fresh content: A steady stream of shareable content will benefit your SEO, help golfers engage with your page and increase your reach.
Add social sharing icons: add icons to your digital content, this is free and easy if you use something like http://platform.sharethis.com/get-share-buttons. Make sure you have links to your social media on your website too.
Look at who your audience is before you invest in paid advertising: For example, you can use Google Analytics to check who is visiting your booking engine/website, and then target similar people based on demographics, location, interests and more! Facebook also has its own tools to figure out who you are best targeting. If you are advertising green fees it may be worth not advertising to people who already like your page.
Use paid advertising: Google AdWords may seem complicated but Facebook is simple. It’s a great way to drive web traffic to your booking engine. It will help you sell green fees especially if the pricing is right and you are already tracking your conversion rate.
Don’t oversell on every Facebook post: Keep the 80/20 rule in mind. Only 20% should be about your brand, the other 80% should be to sharing content that really matters to your audience.
Thanks for reading this weeks blog!
