Do’s and don’ts of promoting your golf club

We recently spent some time in Scotland filming  at the beautiful North Berwick West Links golf course (https://www.northberwickgolfclub.com/) and it got us thinking about how golf courses target golfers through digital campaigns. The major players like Google and Facebook offer a range of ways to target your advertising (location, interests, consumer spending etc.) but you have to make sure you show them the right content.

Everyone has a phone with a camera and most clubs have a member who has a drone, but you need to exercise some creative control and  plan your ‘key’ messages. What footage you film, how you film it and the way it is edited and presented say alot about your club.

Golf courses are well maintained beautiful locations, so ideal for video coverage. Get some professional video done each year, then supplement this with club captured content and you will be well on your way to having a great digital strategy.

Do

Have something professionally put together under which other club generated content can sit.

Use stills and short videos to showcase the changing seasons of the course.

Regularly post beautiful or interesting pictures to Instagram.

Use short videos for quick updates (but make sure the person talking is captured well and is someone who is a good ambassador for the club).

Have content checked by more than one person before it is posted.

Have video content to promote membership, golf days and visitor rounds specially filmed.

Involve the staff – they often see things that others don’t.

Don’t

Use lots of ‘amateur’ looking footage to promote the club.

Over-use drone footage, it gets boring very quickly!

Copy links from You Tube straight to Facebook posts, take the time to upload clips to FB as well, it will get more views and stay on the timelines for longer.

Over-use graphics. People are intelligent and know how to get in touch, so don’t feel then need to keep web addresses and phone numbers on all material all the time.

Don’t try to show highlights like they are on TV. Most people will see your content on a phone, and the ball will be very small, so spend more time on interesting interviews, mood and style shots.