How can email help your golf course re-open after the pandemic?
Obviously Covid-19 is grabbing all of the headlines at the moment, however it feels that the golf industry is gearing up to re-open. Here at The Revenue Club we have been planning out how to help our golf course partners market themselves once we are allowed to play golf again.
Data Collection
Best collected at the point of sale. Online in advance ideally or completed on a data capture form on arrival for offline sales.
Having a booking system with an email tool is ideal as the database is updated live with recent bookers added instantly.
GDPR
Ensure everyone on the contact list has opted in to receiving marketing communications.
They must have the option to unsubscribe on every email they are sent.
Data must be kept secure, not shared with anyone and the user should only receive emails that are relevant to what they have opted in to receive.
Design
This is an opportunity to showcase the course. Ensure there are two or three images that show off the venue and clubhouse.
Avoid repetitive use of images and keep them at a resolution that is easy for slower internet speeds and doesn’t overload email inboxes.
Don’t make it too text heavy, this will be unappealing to the reader and the message may be lost.
Ensure the email is mobile responsive.
Include direct, trackable links to the correct destination of your website so that interested customers can go directly to where they need to.
Content
Use a title/subject/pre-header that captures interest and isn’t deleted before it is opened.
Include an offer as often as possible. Subscribers will be more likely to remain on the mailing list if they feel they are receiving exclusive offers for being a valued customer.
Make the content engaging. Steer away from routine messages – capture the interest of the consumer through creativity.
Make it relevant for the time of year and conditions i.e. don’t try to market green fees when the forecast is bad or the course is not in good conditions.
Consider timeliness. An email around bank holidays is likely to get a higher rate of engagement.
Reporting
Review email performance a few days after sending. Look at open rates, click rates and unsubscribes.
For golf courses, fortnightly emails work well to keep open rates high and unsubscribes low.
Review what customers are clicking on and refine future emails for improved performance.
